Fine Line Between Role Model and Thug

Question: What do Sharon Gless, Meryl Streep, Amanda Burton and Lulu all have in common?

Answer: They are all my role models, lovingly dubbed “my four ladies” by friends and family, writes Ashleigh in the final edition of her six part series for ATV Today.

In reality I actually have many more but I only have the time (and money) to follow some of them! Others include; Jane Fonda, Hillary Clinton, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton and in the last couple of weeks Pink and Lesley Garrett (after seeing Carousel twice, you don’t say?!).

I have always liked Pink but two weeks ago it blossomed into a full blown love affair – she just doesn’t know it yet – when I was second row at her O2 arena concert! MOVE OVER TINA, who I saw a month earlier and thought she was the best thing I’d ever seen! Don’t get me wrong, seeing Tina was a childhood dream come true and she was ab.sol.ute.ly fantastic, a real show-woman just that Pink was more of one.

It was her “Funhouse” tour which took inspiration from circuses, carnivals and fun fairs with dancers dressed as clowns, a hall of mirrors and other elaborate props like a heart-shape bed for “So What”. She came out of the floor, performed acrobatics 40 feet above us, sang upside down and rocked London to the ground. She was pitch perfect, choreographed with attitude, sang all her hits and was worth every penny.

It was unlike any show I have ever been to before. There was a clear theme, of which Artaud would be proud, a great band – the majority of which were female, ambitious stunts that quite frankly, would have made me pass on the opportunity to be her stage manager or insurance company and the audience threw presents on stage, narrowly missing her – again I’m glad I wasn’t stage manager!

And the audience. Apart from the fact some threw goodies at her, which is clearly a welcomed gesture and understanding between Pink and her fans, it was all women.

Now this doesn’t surprise me. And since it was running 15 minutes late (which wouldn’t have happened had I been stage manager!) I had time to contemplate just what her appeal to women is.

I came to the conclusion that Pink is everything women want to be; talented, successful, attractive, popular, energetic, feisty, ethical (she is a strong supporter of PETA), brave and above all else SHE KICKS ASS, man! Although she did interact with us, it was infrequent, monosyllabic and well…quiet which did surprise me.

But whatever, her soft gravely voice punctured with a girly giggle makes her all the more unique and real. I love everything she is about, I’m proud to be a fan and think she is a great role model for women and young girls in this era of Jordan, WAGs and Big Brother.

In keeping with my eclectic taste of all women old enough to be my grandma, I am now a fully fledged Lesley Garrett lover! “Our Les”, as I’ve taken to calling her, is a must for everyone. Since our chat a few weeks ago, I listen to Classic FM (100-102 FM), know the difference between Bizet (who wrote Carmen) and Mozart (who wrote The Marriage of Figaro) and am the proud owner of two tickets for the English National Opera (ENO) forthcoming production of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly! All simple stuff, you may say, but for a beginner it’s a start thanks to “our Les” who, in my opinion, is the best ambassador for opera and classical music.

The purists and opera snobs dub her “second rate” but they can “kiss [her] arse, [she] comes from Leeds” (as she proudly says, even though she comes from Doncaster!). And they can kiss mine.

The genre is meant for all of the public, it’s not high brow, intellectual, or difficult to appreciate its just drama supported by music – which is so impressive. If it wasn’t for talents like “our Les”, Katherine Jenkins and Andrea Bocelli the wonderful, passionate and emotive works of Verdi, Bach and Tchaikovsky wouldn’t be heard by the very people they composed for, which is a shame.

I absolutely recommend opera, it’s so sexy and energetic, or classical music at least and don’t be afraid of it. Start off with Youtube-ing Lesley Garrett and ease into the sound. You wont regret it.

Just as a religious person believes in some sort of god I believe in my four (well more like three million!) ladies. I look up to them, I draw inspiration from them, I take some slack for them but I don’t mind. I think everyone should have an idol/role model and get to experience what I do, but you have to consider who you pick.

For instance, many people highly regard sports personalities, as right they should it takes a great amount of talent and will to push yourself to those extremes, but I question those who take interest in, look up to and support boxers.

For the last few weeks there has been a who-ha surrounding Ricky Hatton and his boxing “career” within the sport. Now how can boxing be called sport? Seriously, why do we celebrate two men fighting and punching two shits out of each other but demonise them for falling in love?

That doesn’t make sense to me and I certainly can’t support the pointless violence aimed at another person, and don’t give me a load of bull about how they are very disciplined, how it’s a way of life, takes a lot of dedication yadda yadda yadda. If two men are caught fighting in the streets they’d be arrested and branded thugs so why don’t we, as a society, apply the same rules to two men who wear a silk dressing gown, get flanked by bikini clad page three models and don a pair of cushions for their hands and call themselves “professional”?

The look on Ricky Hatton’s wife’s face after he got his brains punched out wasn’t professional, it was a picture of angst after his damn selfish and barbaric behaviour.

Let my seven year old cousin look up to Pink over Ricky Hatton any day.

Until next time, go with love.

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