Pre-teen TV role models

Watched this morning a recent interview with Candace Cameron (DJ from Full House) and it made me think how she, along with Tina Yothers (of Family Ties fame), mattered to me when I was a pre-teen because there were 2 girls, slightly chubby, one an all-out tomboy on TV. As a chubby tomboy myself, I certainly related to both of them. They both slimmed down as teens but even then, neither of them were skinny girls. A third girl who'd come close, was Laura in Family Matters (and I'm not even thinking of the wonderful BBWs who played her mother and her grand-mother on the series).

Candace as a kid and as a teen:


Tina as a child and as a teen:



Kellie Williams (Laura in Family Matters):


Unfortunately, it was revealed recently that Yothers was under pressure to lose weight as a teen. Dunno whether that was also the case with Candace Cameron, but nonetheless that sucks. The worst thing is that, considering how Hollywood now works, I'd be doubtful that either one of them as pre-teens would have been able to get work as actresses nowadays -- that's how fucked up the entertainment industry has become.

I gotta wonder: for a young girl today, does she have contemporary not-skinny role models her age that will make her feel more at ease with not looking like a magazine model? Or is she stuck watching reruns of 20-year-old sitcoms just to see someone who's like her? Not every girl looks like Miley Cyrus...