There's not a lot of positive role models of women in newspapers

The words of Katie Taylor—“There's not a lot of positive role models of women in newspapers and magazines. I think it puts pressure on girls. They think that the image put out, it's the way you have to look.”—speak with the sorrow of truth and the strength of defiance. In her voice we hear the cry of countless women through the ages who have been reduced to appearances, their worth measured by faces and bodies rather than courage, wisdom, or virtue. She names the false idols of modern culture—manufactured images that enslave rather than liberate. Her words remind us that the world hungers for positive role models, women who embody strength, compassion, discipline, and authenticity.

The ancients understood that the images we set before the eyes of the young shape their souls. Plato warned that the stories and songs of a society mold its citizens for good or ill. If the bards sang only of vanity, the people would pursue vanity. If they sang of courage and honor, those virtues would grow in the hearts of the youth. Taylor’s lament is the same in a modern tongue: the magazines and newspapers lift up images of women defined by beauty without substance, glamour without character, and in doing so, they teach girls that their value lies not in their deeds but in their reflection.

History itself testifies to the need for authentic role models. Consider the example of Marie Curie. In an age when women were told their place was in the home, she pursued science with relentless devotion, becoming the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win it in two scientific fields. She stood not as a picture of superficial beauty, but as a living monument of perseverance, intellect, and discovery. For the girls of her time and beyond, she was a positive image far greater than any that could be printed on the glossy pages of fashion magazines.

Taylor also points to the crushing weight of pressure that false images place upon the young. To measure oneself constantly against perfection that is airbrushed, edited, and unreal is to walk a path of despair. Many girls, seeing only these shallow depictions, believe that their worth depends on matching them. This pressure can break spirits, distort identities, and rob the world of gifts that might have flourished if only they had been taught that greatness lies in character, not appearance.

Yet her words are not only lament but also a call to action. For if the culture fails to provide authentic models, then individuals and communities must rise to create them. Every woman who chooses to lead with integrity, every man who honors women for their courage rather than their looks, every teacher, athlete, artist, and mother who lives with authenticity—these are the antidotes to the lies of shallow images. By living differently, they offer to the young a vision of what is real and worthy.

The lesson for us is clear: do not let the glossy images of media define worth. Seek out role models who embody true strength—those who are compassionate, resilient, and wise. And in your own life, strive to be such a model. Live with authenticity, for someone, somewhere, is looking to you for guidance. Words and images may mislead, but living examples of virtue cannot be denied.

So, dear listener, hear Katie Taylor’s wisdom. Reject the tyranny of shallow appearances. Do not bow to the pressure of false images. Instead, lift your eyes to those who live with courage, and let your own life shine as a positive role model for those who come after you. For in doing so, you not only break chains laid upon yourself, but you help to set free a generation that longs to know that their worth lies not in how they look, but in who they are.