If coaching girls football has taught me anything of late it’s just how fragile our beautiful young women are in a world that seems determined to mess them right up.
Like the episode of Glee I watched the other day which was supposed to highlight the downside of underage teenage drinking but actually did the reverse on account that a) it actually looked pretty cool and b) nobody got hurt. Oh sure they played some spin the bottle and the gay guy pashed the straight girl but that was about as hard core as it got.
Nope, no power chucks out the back door the consistency of which looked remarkably similar to the take ways you had before you arrived to line the stomach. No fist fights between alpha males, or a girl getting themselves the unfortunate nickname of 'BJ' on account of what they were doing with a guy on the front lawn and there was certainly no one having their heart broken after drunkenly declaring their love for the object of their affection who has never, ever known they’ve existed. Or ever will.
Maybe the parties they have in the States are different to the ones we went to?
Sometimes I take heart that not everybody in showbiz is out to get our girls. Even though music videos like Snoop Doggy Doggs latest try their best, they are occasionally offset by the likes of Pink and her songs 'Fucken Perfect', the uncut video to which is both shocking and inspiring.
Pink is awesome by the way. The singer that is, not the colour which was invented by Tom Cruise. True story.
Ironically Pink's video gets edited for general consumption whereas Snoop and his gyrating, invisible, greasy pole dancing lady friend’s effort are broadcast in all its soft porn glory. How awesome a person do you have to be to star in a video like that? I wonder if her son will love it the day his teenage mates admit they’ve all rubbed one out over it. More than once.
Pink is not alone in doing it for her sisters of course, Katy Perry sings about releasing the inner firework - which is great - but it only really balances the ledger after her lying naked in candyfloss for an earlier video which incidentally starred, wait for it, Snoop Doggy Dogg.
Likewise Selena Gomez, one of the many Disney Channel starlets, has a song out soon (and haven’t they all) which too talks of young girls realising the beauty within. Scratch another one up for the positive role model score board. Fingers crossed then that she doesn’t stuff it all up by following in the footsteps of her fellow Disney alumni and pose in some risqué cell phone pics like Miley, or completely nude, like Ashley.
Meanwhile, over in the medium of film, that great educator of just how to conduct yourself as a young lady, we have the recent efforts from the likes of Anne Hathaway and Natalie Portman, both potential role models for our teenage girls, where they play characters who find love not through a mutually beneficial relationship, but a casual sexual one.
Yeah. Not since Olivia Newton John dressed as a slut to get the guy in Grease has there been such a misguided message sent to young ladies everywhere.
And I know it’s everywhere these days, this sexploitation of attractive youth, but that doesn’t make it right and it really gets on my tits. The one positive is that it makes me want to give my girls the very best in support, encouragement and confidence through my coaching.
I hope I'm achieving that. I really do.
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