When role models go wrong…

When I was about thirteen I was, like other girls that age, looking for a role model. In music, in television…anywhere I could. In the spring of 2003 this girl was singing on TV about how some people can be down right complicated and that they should calm down and be who they are. Than won my heart and back in the day I was one of the biggest Avril Lavigne fans out there. She’s the celebrity that introduced me to hair straightening and I was very dissapointed because I couldn’t get that same result. Who knew there was such thing as a straightening iron? Anyway, enough about hair care and crap like that.

I loved Avril’s music, her style, her accent…I was a big fan and I memorized each line of her songs. I started writing lyrics that could go along with the music. Don’t ask me where those lyrics are now; it’s been a while! I used to say that Sk8er boi was and would always be my favourite song ever. And it’s true. I still love that song. Avril Lavigne was a trendsetter and an actual role model to me. Ever since she came onto the music scene, I starded straightening my hair as much as I could without a flat iron and started wearing ties with my shirts. And that trend caught on to the whole teen population. It was a good switch for girls to lose the trashy Spice Girls’ outfits and get avril-ized!

Avril once said in an interview that she would never like to be labled as a “pop chick” and that she’s a “full on rock chick”. Back in the day, she was the trendsetter for punk girls who wanted to express themselves through song. Having someone come and say that she didn’t want to be the new Britney Spears was awesome to hear. I believe that at that time only she and P!nk were the real rock chicks in the biz’.

I can honestly say that Avril Lavigne made my journey through my early teens a lot easier. She was a bold young lady that wasn’t afraid to express herself. In 2004 she released her second album, Under My Skin. That album was beyond amazing and the songs on it were actually passages from her diary. Her look was more goth like, but she was still apreciated. I was still her biggest fan. I can remember my Avril wall back at home filled with photos of her. Yes, I used to me a mega fan. I was also a big fan of Sum 41 and to hear that Avril and the band’s frontman, Derrick Wembley were dating, made me happy for both of them. When I saw a news segment on MTV on their marriage I was left in awe. They were perfect for eachother! Too bad they broke up a few years later.

Not too much time flew by and Avril started becoming the one thing she sweared she hated: the new Britney Spears. She posed for Maxim magazine three times now. That’s not the Avril Lavigne that I knew and apreciated.The fact that she started showing more and more skin was dissapointing. I know, I know…she grew up and all, but that’s not staying true to yourself! It’s indeed a big step to go from this:

to this:

And also a sad step. Avril is now known as one of the sexiest women in showbiz. Was that what she really wanted from the beginning? I mean, yes, it’s flattering and all, but girls these days should focus less on their damn looks and stay true to what they believe in. I know this sounds cliche as hell, but it’s true! Less cleavage, more attitude! At least that’s what the old Avril used to embrace! And yes, there was an old Avril and a new one. The old Avril sang from her heart and the new one is too superficial in her lyrics. The music is catchy as hell. It’s almost like a guily pleasure, but “You say that I’m messing with your head/ All ’cause I was making out with your friends”? Come on, would 2003 Avril sing such a thing?

I still love her, but there was no evolution. She indeed must be making more money with the product placement and the self image she didn’t want to promote. But that doesn’t define Avril Lavigne to me! I don’t hate her, but I believe there’s still time for her to go back to her rock chick roots!

Until then, I’ll stick to my cartoon role models!