This article isn’t meant to bash reality stars like the Kardashians, but just to simply bring awareness to the fact that there are TV personalities who are truly humble and kind people that you can look up to. Whether or not you like "Duck Dynasty" (I, for one, have never watched the show), it’s hard not to like 18-year-old Sadie Robertson. We all have our opinions of our favorite stars, and while I don’t ever get sucked into Hollywood drama and gossip, I want to explain why Sadie Robertson will always be my favorite role model.
She’s a humanitarian.
I know many Hollywood celebs have taken their popularity to bring awareness to world hunger, global warming, etc., and I applaud them for that. Sadie is one of them. She knows she has a following, and she knows some people will listen to her. With that, she has collaborated with and launched her own fashion line of rain boots for Roma. With every purchase of rain boots, a pair gets donated to impoverished children around the world (like Toms — a buy one give one deal). On top of that, Roma boots donates 10 percent of their sales proceeds to their Roma For All Foundation to empower the impoverished children to contribute their gifts and talents to society. They also donate 10 percent of all their sales to Roma Foundation to help children receiving the boots get an education. She makes sure that the products she sells can also change lives.
She’s just like you.
One thing I love about Sadie is that she doesn’t let her fame get to her. Rather than use her fame to show off her materialistic possessions and private jets, she has used her fame to create her motto “Live Original” (check out her widely successful and popular book "Live Original" too!). One of the ways she reaches out to fans is by creating YouTube videos. In this famous 7-minute video with over three million views, she gets real with the viewers and reminds us she is no better than any of us. Check it out here:
“I struggle with jealousy, with comparing myself to other people. I struggle with worry and I’m really hard on myself. I’m just like every other girl. I look in the mirror and I pick out the flaw.”
But she reminds us to be confident and live original. What an awesome way to be real with yourself and your fans!
She stays true to her faith.
Maybe this is something about her that some people don’t like, as religion is always a touchy subject in this world. However, Sadie knows that not everyone is going to like her because of her faith. Her response?
“People can hate on me, but that’s not the way they have to live. I’m just saying this is what has worked best for me in my life. This is just who I am, that’s what I believe.”
Regardless of what you believe in, it’s hard not to respect her for her strong faith, and she hasn’t let her fame shake that foundation. Rather, she has used it to project her faith and show the world what she stands for. Many celebrities don’t talk about religion in fear of losing fans, but Sadie takes pride in it, and uses it to build her foundation for herself.
What you see is what you get.
She doesn’t sugarcoat anything for publicity. And she doesn’t say certain things to get attention. What she says and how she acts is who she is. She is always consistent with what she stands for. She isn’t a different person in front of the camera than who she is off camera. She’s raw and real, and has shown time and time again that she is just like everyone of us.
She may be younger than I am, but she is my role model. She may have as strong of faith and do as many humanitarian acts as a girl you know in school. She was just fortunate enough to be given a spotlight, but I respect her for not abusing it. I respect her for taking advantage of this celebrity status to bring light to issues, and to help girls stay true to themselves. I respect her for being real with everyone and showing us that she is no different than that girl in school either. She understands she has a voice in this world, and she uses it to speak on behalf of everyone out there who want this world to be a better place. Go Sadie!
