"Parents should be the most important examples for their children"
About this Quote
A supermodel framing parenting as a matter of example, not instruction, quietly flips the usual celebrity script. Christy Turlington’s line isn’t about lofty “family values” as a slogan; it’s about the unglamorous mechanics of influence. “Should be” lands like a gentle scold: aspirational, but also an admission that modern life competes hard for kids’ attention. Teachers, friends, algorithms, and brands are all vying to become the loudest authority in the room. Turlington’s point is that parents don’t win by being loud. They win by being consistent.
The subtext is almost behavioral-science simple: children learn more from what adults normalize than what adults announce. “Examples” is the key word, implying everyday choices as moral curriculum: how you treat waitstaff, how you talk about bodies, how you manage anger, whether you apologize, whether your phone is always in your hand. Coming from a model, the line carries extra resonance. The fashion industry is built on appearance, aspiration, and external validation; urging parents to be the primary example reads as a pushback against letting image culture do the parenting. It’s also a subtle claim of agency: if kids are going to imitate someone, better it be the people who actually live with the consequences.
Context matters, too. Turlington’s public persona has long mixed glamour with health activism and a more grounded, maternal visibility. This quote sits at that intersection: a reminder that the most powerful influence isn’t fame or perfection, but proximity plus integrity, repeated daily.
The subtext is almost behavioral-science simple: children learn more from what adults normalize than what adults announce. “Examples” is the key word, implying everyday choices as moral curriculum: how you treat waitstaff, how you talk about bodies, how you manage anger, whether you apologize, whether your phone is always in your hand. Coming from a model, the line carries extra resonance. The fashion industry is built on appearance, aspiration, and external validation; urging parents to be the primary example reads as a pushback against letting image culture do the parenting. It’s also a subtle claim of agency: if kids are going to imitate someone, better it be the people who actually live with the consequences.
Context matters, too. Turlington’s public persona has long mixed glamour with health activism and a more grounded, maternal visibility. This quote sits at that intersection: a reminder that the most powerful influence isn’t fame or perfection, but proximity plus integrity, repeated daily.
Quote Details
| Topic | Parenting |
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