How Not to Be a Role Model

Brooke Shields is on a mission to empower girls, which means she devotes a lot of time to various charities that help girls feel good about themselves. This is all well and good, but then she has to go and ruin things by saying something that is absolutely inexcusable. They say actions speak louder than words, but in this case the actions can't possibly be noticed over the damaging message blasting full-volume from Ms. Shield's mouth.

As part of a Q&A for Health Magazine, she was asked: What's your biggest health regret?

Her answer?

"Not learning to love the way I looked earlier. And I think I would have had sex a lot earlier! [Laughs.] I think I would have lost my virginity earlier than I did at 22. I had the public and all this pressure, and I wish I had just gotten it over with in the beginning when it was sort of OK. I think I would have been much more in touch with myself. I think I wouldn’t have had issues with weight—I carried this protective 20 pounds [in college]. It was all connected. And to me, that’s a health regret."

Are you kidding me? She's on a mission to empower young girls - to give them confidence and help them get ahead in life - and she thinks it will help them to say that she regrets not having had sex sooner? Great. She's practically saying "Go ahead girls, rush into sex as a teenager, before you are emotionally or physically ready to handle the consequences".

I don't know if this was a case of speech before thought, or if she truly believes this is good advice. Regardless, any statement that encourages young girls to get involved with sex - an activity which is well-known to have life-altering consequences - is just plain inexcusable.

Has it ever occurred to Ms. Shields that if she had waited even longer - say until marriage - to "get it over with", she might not have had so many body issues, been more in touch with herself, and actually have enjoyed the experience knowing that her husband would love her no matter what her measurements were or how well she "performed"? There is nothing like the security of a lifetime commitment to ease self-confidence issues in the bedroom.

If young girls want to get ahead in life the best thing they can do for themselves is to stay away from sexual relationships. Nothing ruins self-confidence as quickly and easily as a boy who selfishly uses a girl and then moves on to the next available pair of willing legs while she is left wondering what she did wrong.

A message like the one coming from Brooke Shields does not empower girls, it holds them back.

Now that is something which truly deserves regret.