Following the icon is just skin-deep

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">There are no role models for youngsters anymore, say psychologists</span><br /><br />Whether it''s David Beckham''s razor-cut hair, Christina Aguilera''s pierced belly-button or even closer home, Kareena Kapoor''s casual yet stylish track pants and jackets, scores of youngsters are going crazy in getting the right cut, attire or even getting their body pierced. It hardly matters whether the youngsters have heard even a single track of Britney or have ever watched Beckham play soccer, but these stars are surely Gen Y''s icons simply because of their glamour and style quotients. <br /><br />Thirteen-year-old Shivangi Agarwal, a student of an elite south Kolkata school, got three tattoos done on her body after she saw Anjelina Jolie on television. "I''m not really fond of Anjelina Jolie but I like her for being a trendsetter and just love her wild sense of fashion," confessed Shivangi. <br /><br />Shivangi is just one of the many teenagers who choose their role models by just the way they look. Even kids know what looks good on them and are up-to-date with the latest fashion trends. So, if that messy haircut of Brad Pitt looks hot, then 15-year old Rupesh Sinha doesn''t bat an eye-lid before getting just that cut. <br /><br />"Even five-year-olds are aware of the brands they want to wear and know what they are looking for. The fact is that there aren''t really any role models today. And the reason why celebrities are becoming icons for children is because of the way the media portray them. So imitating is just in terms of glamour and style of a celebrity," said Tapas Roy, a city-based psychologist. According to Roy, parents too have become more society-conscious. So even kids are particular about the type of car they go to school in, the kind of mobile handset they use, the locality they live in or even the kind of language they talk. <br /><br />However, C Siqueira, a teacher of Pratt Memorial High School, explains the issue differently. "I think that this growing image consciousness in children is connected to the burgeoning shopping malls and the range of brands they display. So, if one gets to see a brand that his or her favourite star wears or uses, the natural tendency then is to buy and use the same brand as well," said Siqueira. <br /><br />From children to teenagers, what they see in their role models is what they want to be. So , it isn''t surprising that be it getting their hair streaked in the latest hue of the season or wearing the newest cut of jeans, youngsters are the first ones to follow the celebs. <br /><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">madhurima.nandy@timesgroup.com</span></div> </div>