Why Rarity is the most important role model of the Mane 6

[Sergios117 191]

I believe somebrony made have already made a forum like this but I digress.

 

I love the Mane 6 a lot. They're greatly developed characters with friendly and lovable personalities. But when it comes to role models for Little Girls, MY OPINION is that Rarity is the most important role model of the 6 being targeted towards girls.

 

Why? You ask.

 

Think about it. I hate stereotyping but in every other little girls show or toy line, the girls are exposed to characteristics of characters who aren't worth anything other than fashion.

 

Now let's look at other media. In many shows, the Girl loving fashion is always a ***** and a total evil ****.

 

As a result of this exposure, girls are forced to grow up thinking that you can either be nice, or love fashion and be mean.

 

Then came Rarity. She could have been the bad guy, but Faust said no. Instead she is the element of generosity and a great role model to her sister and offers good advice.

 

Rarity can show little girls that you can love fashion and can still be a great person. You do not have to choose one over the other.

 

I never thought Rarity would be my favorite member of the Mane 6. But here she is.

 

What do you bronies think.

[Radiance64 7,051]

Yes, Rarity is certainly a good role model for girls. Along with the reasons you stated, I also believe she's a good role model because she is self made really, no one else in her family is really like her and I think that shows no matter where you come from you can be successful.

[cmarston1 5,952]

And don't forget Rarity was literally the only pony in Ponyville to act like a reasonable adult with the whole gabby gums fiasco in Ponyville Confidential.

As when everypony else (sans Fluttershy) decide that ostracising and emotionally abusing the cutie mark crusaders who are only like 8 or 9 for gossiping about them when if they didn't gorge in the pleasure of reading the gossip papers then the papers wouldn't have become popular and thus avoiding them of embarrassment she gave Sweetie Belle a stern chastisement and explained why gossiping is wrong and forgave Sweetie Belle as long as she didn't gossip again.

[Scootalove 10,684]

I think that Rarity could be a good role model when it comes to maturity, not like the rest of the Mane 6 don't act mature. I can see why Rarity is different from her family but, I guess the lesson here is no matter where your from or who you are you can still make a huge impact.

[Shanks 10,811]

And don't forget Rarity was literally the only pony in Ponyville to act like a reasonable adult with the whole gabby gums fiasco in Ponyville Confidential.

Rarity did eventually do the right thing in that episode but only after she got a taste of her own medicine when Gabby Gums zinged her, before then she kept trying to justify it as "harmless gossip" so that is not exactly the best example. Twilight on the other hoof rose objections and concerns about it from the start.

 

 

Rarity is a good role model though because while "fashion is her passion" and her vain side can sometimes get the better of her she has shown that you can be a bit of girly girl without being selfish shallow and cruel. The prize for best role model though I believe goes to Applejack, though I may be a bit biased on that one.

[Ihei 711]

I agree, I think Rarity is a good role model and most important. In many episodes, she decides to be pristine and tidy, which can influence kids into cleaning up after themselves. Oh, so many other reasons! She also relates to me so well with a sister.

[cmarston1 5,952]

Rarity did eventually do the right thing in that episode but only after she got a taste of her own medicine when Gabby Gums zinged her, before then she kept trying to justify it as "harmless gossip" so that is not exactly the best example. Twilight on the other hoof rose objections and concerns about it from the start.

 

 

Rarity is a good role model though because while "fashion is her passion" and her vain side can sometimes get the better of her she has shown that you can be a bit of girly girl without being selfish shallow and cruel. The prize for best role model though I believe goes to Applejack, though I may be a bit biased on that one.

Yeah Rarity was a little bad in that but she did do the right thing unlike Twilight who despite objection towards gossiping she did have no moral objections against ostracizing children no older than the age of 9 which is really messed up and she should have spoken out on the fact if it wasn't the town's enjoyment of the gossip their deepest darkest secrets and lies wouldn't have eventually been posted.

And yeah what you said about Rarity as a role model is pretty accurate.

Edited July 29, 2013 by cmarston1

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

I think that people worry too much about what the entertainment media is doing. People are supposed to learn stuff on how to behave from their parents, not from the TV. It's bad parenting that's the problem.

 

But anyway, it's true. Rarity is a great character, exactly for the reasons you pointed. I guess that is because the writers for the show avoid making the characters too bi-dimensional.

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

I'm not sure I can argue with you that Rarity is a wonderful role model in the show, simply because of what a great stereotype killer she is. However, I think the other characters are great examples of who to be as well, and are just as important as Rarity. It really comes down to the individual who watches the show and what character inspires them. All of the Mane Six have their own important messages to convey.

 

I would say that Rarity is the most unique role model though.

Edited July 29, 2013 by Sugar Cube

[Thrashy 2,799]

IMO, I don't think any other Rarity episode does a better job of showcasing what an absolutely awesome character she is than Suited for Success, which touches upon a couple pertinent things about her:

 

-Rather than paint her as the typical "fashion obsessed" character, this episode treats Rarity's dressmaking aptitude as what it truly is: Art. She is meticulous and passionate about every stitch she puts in one of her dresses, just as a painter is about each stroke of the brush, or as a writer is about every word typed, or as a musical composer is about every note charted. The song aptly named "Art of the Dress" drives home this point even more.

 

-Her nature of generosity. Rarity takes it upon herself to design and make her friends' dresses out of the kindness (dare I say, generosity) of her heart, and even when her friends aren't entirely satisfied with what she's come up with, she's still willing to slave away further in order to meet the specifications of each dress as requested by her friends...even against her better judgment as a designer. We see her run herself absolutely ragged, yet she continues on anyway in hopes that she can bring a smile to their faces.

 

Both of these points - doing what you love and generosity towards those you care about - are most definitely great aspects of any role model. I'm not 100% sure I would classify Rarity as being the absolute best role model out of the Mane 6; AJ's genuine nature and work ethic, for example, are also great qualities to be instilled in youth. But Rare's certainly up there, as far as I'm concerned.

Edited July 29, 2013 by Lowline Thrash

[碇 シンジン 27,427]

Yep Rarity is the best role model I think so too <3<3 she is showing that you dont need to follow the crowd and you can be who you really are  and enjoy what you do still being successfull <3<3

[4april 374]

 

 

Then came Rarity. She could have been the bad guy, but Faust said no. Instead she is the element of generosity and a great role model to her sister and offers good advice. Rarity can show little girls that you can love fashion and can still be a great person. You do not have to choose one over the other. I never thought Rarity would be my favorite member of the Mane 6. But here she is.

 

Rarity is a great role model for all the reasons you said. Also, she works hard to achieve her goals.

[MissSpotLight 27]

I think all of the mane 6 are great role models, not just Rarity.

[ManyANewDay_36 178]

"Just because somepony is laydlike, that doesn't make her weak." ~Twilight. I think lessons like this (which Rarity discovered) are good lessons for girls.

[Red Cedar 1,407]

You'll get little argument from me about Rarity being an important role model. Of course, in their own ways, each of the Mane 6 is an important role model for young girls as each of them show that girls can and do do all different things and can be interested in a wide variety of activities, but Rarity is actually one of the reasons I was drawn to the show as a wonderful source of role models for my daughter.

 

When I was growing up in the eighties, a lot of the cartoons aimed at girls did have that one character who was obsessed with fashion, and having a wearing the latest. It ended up being a stereotype by the end of the decade. The catch is, those characters were always fashion obsessed from the perspective of being a consumer.

 

Rarity isn't a mindless consumer. Her passion for fashion is from the standpoint of someone who has made it their career, their life's work to make clothes that look incredible, and she's the owner of her own business at it, one that, bit by bit and with a lot of hard work, has gotten better and expanded. That shift in perspective, from consumer to entrepreneur, is what made Rarity such a refreshing change from those fashion-follower characters of the eighties, and makes her one of the best role models for girls to come along in a children's cartoon in a long, long time.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

I love Rarity, but I think that she represents- on the surface- what little girls are already heavily pressured to be. Girly girls, always on top of all the trends, perfect, and everything the media says they should be, and they should always try to be with the "Canterlot"/ corporate celeb status/ crowd

 

Rainbow Dah, or even (ugh) Twilight sem like better role models to little girls. With them, they learn that it's ok to be a girl and like books, or sportand being athletic, or not liking prissing and pampering yourself in spas, manipedi's, etc.

[Lil Pip 775]

I love Rarity, but I think that she represents- on the surface- what little girls are already heavily pressured to be. Girly girls, always on top of all the trends, perfect, and everything the media says they should be, and they should always try to be with the "Canterlot"/ corporate celeb status/ crowd

 

Rainbow Dah, or even (ugh) Twilight sem like better role models to little girls. With them, they learn that it's ok to be a girl and like books, or sportand being athletic, or not liking prissing and pampering yourself in spas, manipedi's, etc.

I suppose its true alot of the compliments to her here are biased including our memories and examples of her. But if they didn't address rolemodeling at all when other shows do it's going to keep some of the stereotypes she would dispell. And if she were radically different she would be dismissed as a wannabe or something else entirely.

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

I love Rarity, but I think that she represents- on the surface- what little girls are already heavily pressured to be. Girly girls, always on top of all the trends, perfect, and everything the media says they should be, and they should always try to be with the "Canterlot"/ corporate celeb status/ crowd

 

Rainbow Dah, or even (ugh) Twilight sem like better role models to little girls. With them, they learn that it's ok to be a girl and like books, or sportand being athletic, or not liking prissing and pampering yourself in spas, manipedi's, etc.

 

That is actually exactly the point of WHY Rarity is the most unique and important role model, the Sporty girl and nerdy girl archetypes are incredibly common and almost always portrayed positively. While the girly girly fashiony character is usuallly portrayed negatively basically because of what you said. It's a strange contradicction that pop culture both pushes AND bashes the girly girl but anyway the point is that Rarity says that if you are that girly girl, you are the real super feminine type, into fashion and all that, want to be a social climber. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. It doesn't make you any weaker or more shallow than someone who wants to be like an engineer or something. Your passions are your passions and you shouldn't have shame in them or in who you are.

[azbat 301]

Rarity is a self made woman. She built her business from the ground up and achieved her goal of having a shop in Canterlot. It was not easy and took a long time to do but she worked hard to make her dreams come true. Rarity does what she loves and that is making dresses despite the fact that Ponyville ponies do not normally wear many clothes. She enjoys creating and offering those creations to ponies who do want them.

 

Her romance life style is also worth noting. She is the only one of the Mane 6 that even has a love life. The show is able to provide different scenarios without becoming too complicated for younger audiences to understand. She does have crushes and tries to make things work out. When that fails, she is willing to breakup rather then force a bad relationship.

 

I believe the number one reason for why Rarity is the most important role model of the Mane 6 is SHE HAS FLAWS. No one is perfect. We strive to be better people and the only way to do that is to learn from our mistakes, which Rarity has done repeatedly and has become the most mature of the group.

 

There are two things about Rarity that I have heard many say time and time again:

#1 "Rarity never has a bad episode."

#2 "Rarity has moved way up their favorite pony list from when they first started watching the show."

Rarity must be doing something right in order to accomplish that.

[Silver Stream. 708]

Yeah believe I've made something similar to express Rarity in a fairly positive light. She's my second best pony/first mane six best pony because of these reasons.

 

Though I would not go as far to saying she's the most important role model as the others are equally important in their own way depending on the person who looks up.to them.

 

But yes...agreeing with all these <3

[Sunny Fox 5,932]

"Most important" really is a matter of your personal priorities, and is therefore entirely subjective. That said, she does have many admirable qualities. I adore Diamondbutt, and these are the reasons why: https://mlpforums.com/blog/1083/entry-9584-looking-at-rarity-part-1-reasons-rarity-rocks/

[Maze 100]

I would agree with all your points, I absolutely adore Rarity as a character and she is my favie. She's a great role model, her generosity shines through on and about all the time, she's learned to be a great sister and she keeps succeeding with her dreams through hard work. But I just have to get this out there.... So does Applejack. That's all I'm saying.

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

I would agree with all your points, I absolutely adore Rarity as a character and she is my favie. She's a great role model, her generosity shines through on and about all the time, she's learned to be a great sister and she keeps succeeding with her dreams through hard work. But I just have to get this out there.... So does Applejack. That's all I'm saying.

 

Yes, Applejack is a great admireable hard worker too...

And she and Rarity are even better together <3.