How is Venus being a better roll model in this photo? Than Katie is in this one? Granted Katie has exposed more skin in her day… but seriously, sex sells… I’m trying to think of one highly publicized, attractive contemporary female athlete (equestrian or other) who hasn’t posed in some scantily clad, provocative way for sponsors or other fine reading media (:rolleyes:)… Wasn’t there an article about some of the female members of the British Equestrian team rolling around in the hay for a pre-Olympics photo shoot this past summer???
I don’t think anyone here is saying that she can’t have a hobby or can’t ride dressage. The whole furor over her interview is that she stated she had goals to ride dressage in the Olympics. I don’t think there would be nearly as big a thread if all she said was that she wanted to ride FEI one day. While KP can do whatever she wants, and kudos to her for having set high goals and I personally don’t give a rat’s ass what she has done in the past, she opened the door for discussion on her Olympic “career” by making that one comment.
While the publicity might be a good thing to the sport of dressage, I also think it does not put dressage in a good light when someone basically says that if they have enough money and a good horse, anyone can do it.
I happen to think that KP has a clear case of she thinks she is better than she actually is, and that does her no favors. While confidence is clearly important, there is a fine line between being so confident that you won’t improve like you should, and being humble enough to recognize that you need some serious work.
And for the record, since most of us do live in free countries, sure we can all do whatever we legally want but I also do happen to think that celebrities do bear some responsibility with children/teenagers as role models. Sure parents utlimately have the most but that doesn’t mean that society doesn’t have ANY responsibility. As a parent myself, I also realize that the reality is that there are people that just don’t care.
Keep in mind that I have no idea who KP is. Her name is vaguely familiar (but my family is British) but I have no idea if the stuff said about her is true or rumor so I have no judgement about her in particular, I am just responding to the posts about celebrities being role models in general.
Nowhere in a celeb’s job description does “role model” appear. The only thing they owe anyone is to fulfill the obligation for which they are paid, be it a concert or album or film, etc. Kobe Bryant, Katie Price, George Clooney etc - it is not their responsibility to be your or your child’s role model.
[QUOTE=Coreene;3763847]
Nowhere in a celeb’s job description does “role model” appear. The only thing they owe anyone is to fulfill the obligation for which they are paid, be it a concert or album or film, etc. Kobe Bryant, Katie Price, George Clooney etc - it is not their responsibility to be your or your child’s role model.[/QUOTE]
Amen :yes:
And just to add : when Anky was asked in a recent interview : “what do you need to become a topsporter in dressage” she answered “money, and a lot of it”
OK…after the third or fourth thread about her I still have not gotten an answer…
WHY DO YOU PEOPLE CARE!!!
PLEASE don’t reply with “oh you must not know who she is”…I know who she is. I lived in the UK and know all about her.
I really really really REALLY struggle to see why people care that she shows dressage/and or have a problem with it, or the fact that she wants to go to the Olympics. A lot of people have that dream, some make it, others don’t. Big freakin whoop.
How would you feel if someone called you out in a thread and was saying “oh so and so said they have Olympic dreams bahahha what a joke”. Who are you guys to judge someone who shares your passion.
Judge her all you want for being a topless model, hell it made her rich and now she gets to do something she loves everyday, I bet we all wish we could have that. Besides being topless in Europe is no big deal, if you are scared of what she might do to dressage I think you should direct your energy to other things that seem to be dragging down the sport.
As a bigger question, why is it important that dressage become more popular?
I certainly understand that the appeal for so many is the money, but does more money mean our horses are going to be treated better, and we are going to ride better?
Usually when things get more popular and commericalized they degrade in value.
I agree, but I don’t think she is trying to make popular, or is she?
I thought she just enjoyed riding and OTHER people were saying she might make it popular…
who knows
I don’t particularly care whether she rides dressage or not. I wouldn’t particularly care if OJ Simpson decided he wanted to ride dressage. I just happened fo finally read the thread and decided to comment since it is in fact a bulletin board and that is what the whole bulletin boards existance is for, to discuss things.
I don’t particularly care if anyone agrees with me either. No where in my job description does it say I have to be a contributing member of society or a nice person, but I do believe it is my responsibility as a human being and fortunately I choose to do so even though I realize that many people don’t feel the same way I do. That is kind of how I feel about celebrities. Being a role model comes with the territory. If you want to be famous you have to accept that part of it along with the paparazzi and the loss of privacy. Hell, if I thought someone wanted to pay me a whole lot of money to take pictures of my boobs, I’d probably do it! I’m not judging her, just saying it is what it is.
My parents are British. My whole extended family is still in Europe. I realize that nudity is accepted in Europe more than here in the US. I think that that comment just proved SLC’s point, that what one person considers pornographic is what another just thinks of as topless. She never said (at least I don’t recall) that she thought KP did porn, but people decided to jump all over here for some odd reason. I personally don’t know, like I said before.
I don’t think she is trying to give dressage more publicity. She just is, being famous and all. She’s probably used to it by now so it’s nothing new to her.
Oh, and also I did not imply that you didn’t need money to progress in dressage. I’m not that naive but the comment that ALL you need is money and a good horse is what I was responding to.
ALL you need is money and a good horse
There are plenty of successful competitors out there proving that is ALL you need. Good luck to them, i’d do the same if i won the lottery.
Meanwhile KP is providing an awful lot of entertainment! I hope she gets to the Olympics - it would make people realise that it is possible for the less than obviously supertalented to learn to ride and you don’t need to be 2nd generation horsey dynasty to give it a shot.
'Course the real fun is going to start when she trains with Sjef…
This whole thread will be mute if dressage is cut from the Olympics.
Does it need to be popular with the average Joe to help it stay in?
I’m fascinated how she keeps those ta tas contained. She should bottle that and sell it to the horse world.
[QUOTE=fiona;3764341]
There are plenty of successful competitors out there proving that is ALL you need. Good luck to them, i’d do the same if i won the lottery. [/QUOTE]
This is where you and me differ greatly then. I too would buy a wonderful FEI schoolmaster if I won the lottery but I would not in a million years be able to just start showing FEI and get what I would consider respectable scores and I don’t for a second think that could happen with any pair.
But Katie Price is having a blast trying. Good for her! 
[QUOTE=Coreene;3765074]
But Katie Price is having a blast trying. Good for her! :D[/QUOTE]
Exactly. I think one of the problems is that people fear that she’ll succeed.
:yes:
She does have a great talent for keeping “a breast” of things. :lol:
[QUOTE=Coreene;3765074]
But Katie Price is having a blast trying. Good for her! :D[/QUOTE]
Exactly! :yes:
[QUOTE=bellyache;3765157]
Exactly! :yes:[/QUOTE]
I am with this crew too - more power to her - I have 42DD’s but I wouldn’t have the guts to do what she does but I think that is part of the package.
And now, the TaTas sub-plot
Riding with TaTas? No problem! Wacoal Minimizer Bras are your friend. Why, even Oprah Winfrey - SHE can be your role model, she’s happy to do it - had them on her show as the VERY best minimizer bra of all. As one who was of the Abbondanza TaTa Persuasion, let me say right now that I agree with her completely, because I could sit the trot when I had Double Ds without blacking my eyes.
Still have jigglage? Put your Enell sports bra OVER your Wacoal Minimizer. Shit, Dolly Parton could sit the trot with that kind of strappage and her puppies wouldn’t move a bit. Boobage? A mere blip when one is determined.
You may now return to your regularly scheduled thread. 
In Europe a horse with a two bra trot is considered a covetable item.
