Star Struck ... : back to issues page    ALOVE grabs ten minutes with Fame Academy’s top vocal coach to the stars, Carrie Grant, to find out how, in a world where image is everything, she gets some of the right perspective. 1. Why is image so important to young people these days? Image has always been important to people but with so many media formats available we now have images of how we should look and what we should buy thrust at us. When a nation doesn’t have a clear idea of their identity and purpose they are far more likely to focus on the outward things: image; consumerism; materialism and status. 2. In what ways is the media a negative influence on young people’s self esteem? I think the media has a massive effect on how young people view themselves. Magazines constantly focus on the external and rarely get a proper balance between the inner and outer life. The real “F” word in our society is “failure.” It’s the word we dare not mention. Everything is geared towards achieving success. No one speaks about the joys of self-discovery when things go wrong and how we can experience real peace during a period of failure. Sadly the church often takes the same view. A performance-based life is one of yo yo-ing between elation and despair and fails to deal with the real issue of self-acceptance.   3. Can the media ever be a positive influence? I really believe the media can be a positive influence and in amongst the dross there are often articles attempting to challenge the norm. I try, whenever I have the time, to write letters of encouragement to journalists who write good pieces. 4. You spend much of your time working with artists for whom image is extremely important. How can they and we have a healthy view of image for ourselves? Many of the artists I work with have huge pressure on them to have the “right” image. A healthy image is grown in the soil of self-acceptance. We are human beings not human doings, it’s who we are that matters not job or status or image. We are precious and we have purpose and this means “who we are” is uniquely valuable to those around us. Self-talk has a massive impact on how we view ourselves. If that little voice in your head is always telling you you’re crap it will be very hard for you to believe otherwise. 5. As someone with a high profile in the media how do you keep from getting too caught up in it all when it comes to your image? “Image” is part of the requirement for my job so I have to spend time on it. However it constitutes a tiny part of my day and even less headspace. There are far more important things in my day than fixing a broken nail. When we are filming Fame Academy I often say I can’t wait till the end of the series so I can go back to wearing no make-up, a tracksuit and big knickers! Having said this I love dressing creatively and individually. I always defy what the magazines tell me I should and shouldn’t be doing fashion wise. I hate being dictated to. 6. Do you think how we view ourselves/ our image has an effect on how we behave? I believe people rarely behave out of character. If you think about this it means our behaviour stems from who we believe ourselves to be. If we think we are crap we will treat ourselves like crap, choose friends and partners who endorse our feelings and ultimately treat others the way we treat ourselves. If you know who you are and you love yourself you will behave differently towards yourself and others. I believe most addictive behaviour comes from people either trying to fill the gap in their lives of from punishing themselves because of feeling of self-hatred. Addictive behaviour is a lot easier to overcome if you have learned to love yourself. 7. How did you deal with your self-image and self-esteem when you were in your teens? What did you find tough? My self-image always appeared to be very strong when I was younger but I would say deep down I was very insecure. The events of my childhood taught me never to trust. I went into the Arts because I believed it would provide me with an audience who would adore me. This suited me because it meant I would be loved on a mass scale and yet would never have to be emotionally intimate, never have to give anything other than a good performance. This gave me control. I would say I really found out who I was during my battles with illness. Spending weeks in hospital with Crohn’s Disease gave me time to think and question everything about life. I believe the strength I have today stems from that suffering which is why I totally embrace the good and the bad with passion because to me ultimately “it’s all good!” 8. Have you got any advice for young people who might be struggling with self-esteem? If you are struggling with self-esteem I would advise: A) Do a good spring clean of your self-talk (that small voice in your head that does a running commentary on what you are like). Replace negative words (yours or others towards you) with positive affirmation. B) If you are dating someone who doesn’t treat you like a princess/prince ditch them. You probably picked the person you thought you deserved. You deserve better. C) Stop comparing yourself to other people. You are unique. D) Get passionate about life. There are so many places to go and people to meet and you have much to offer. E) Dream BIG dreams AND start to implement them. F) Every painful experience you have ever had to go through is a building block of strength for you further down the line. Learn to use the negative to build your character and shape a positive future for yourself.   : back to top : back to prayer page Psalm 26:3 - So I never lose sight of your love, But keep in step with you, never missing a beat.