VIBE Calls Reality Stars Role Models

Feathers are ruffled and tongues are wagging today now that Vibe has released a preview of their “Sexy” issue with Evelyn Lozada, Chrissy Lampkin, Tamar Braxton and Kandi Burruss on its cover. The problem a number of people are having with the publication is not the quartet’s sex appeal, but the heading that appears on the cover, “Meet Your New Role Models.”

For those scoffing at the idea that a bottle throwing cast member of “Basketball Wives,” a face-stomping hip-hop girlfriend and a brash Braxton could be your daughter’s idea of an example. Kandi Burruss, a go-getter, astute businesswoman, and successful singer-songwriter definitely fits the criteria for a role model. But the fact that Vibe attached the “role model” moniker to the other three “ladies” has some folks puzzled. In their aptly titled “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” article, writer Bonsu Thomas notes that the ladies are some of the most visible representatives of the minority community, unfortunately. Also noted is that impressionable teens everywhere are turning on their television screens and becoming influenced by these women’s brawls, not their business sense.

“Unfortunately, the majority of these mavens of mayhem are also some of the biggest public representatives for African-American and Hispanic women.” writes Thomas. “While reasonable adults can relish in junk food programming as … [a] guilty pleasure, those same exhibitions pose risks for impressionable youth. How does a parent advocate lady-like decorum when ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’s’ NeNe Leakes fetches a million dollars per season for misbehaving the most.”

With that intro in mind the “role mode” headline doesn’t go down as harshly. The article, which can be viewed in part here, invites readers to really look at their role models and take a gander at what children have been drawn to in droves. Also in the article is a quote from arguably the “boss of bad girl behavior,” Lozada, who lambasts Star Jones for trying to start a boycott against her beloved “Basketball Wives” program. “I think she’s irrelevant. And she’s using our coattails to get relevant again,” says Lozada, “Nobody gives a f— about her.” Shortly after the article surfaced online, the wife backed down and apologized publicly to Jones for her comment.

Do you agree with Vibe‘s “Role Models” or are they giving too much credit to these bad girl reality stars? –danielle canada

Celebrity Twitpics of the Day: Evelyn Lozada, Chrissy Lampkin and Kandi Burruss on Set of a ‘Secret’ Photo Shoot