Through One Dad's Eye

News commentary on Paris Hilton's release from jail included another assertion that Ms. Hilton was a role model for many teenage girls in this country.

As the caveman in the commercial said, "what??!!"

I have nothing against Paris Hilton. I believe that, given the opportunity, she could grow up to be a responsible and productive adult.

However, right now, the really astonishing thing in the Paris Hilton mess is this repeated claim:

That about half the teenagers in the USA
are ditsy enough
to regard a woman with Hilton's public image
as someone to emulate.

It's not as if there weren't women with a successful public life to consider. A short list of women who are now, or have recently, made a difference in public life includes:

• Condoleeza Rice


• Margaret Thatcher


• Mother Angelica


• Mother Teresa


• Ruth Bader Ginsburg


• Sandra Day O'Connor


• Shirley Temple Black

So, with people like this to consider, and with due respect, how can Paris Hilton, the girl famous for lavish wealth and skimpy clothes, be in the running for top role model?

Maybe I can't understand. I've got two daughters who passed their teens, and another who's still serving time in adolescence. One of the older ones told me that Ms. Hilton is popular because she's pretty and skinny. When I asked what that had to do with choosing a role model, my daughter told me that teenage girls and logic don't mix. Especially when it comes to their appearance.

(Why Shirley Temple Black? After her childhood film career, she was: ambassador to United Nations, Ghana and Czechoslovakia; the first female chief of protocol of the United States (1976); and foreign affairs officer with the State Department. In my opinion, a non-trivial career.)