Young girls growing up in USA are looking up to today's celebrities. Images of Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears flood the airwaves. These young women are mostly famous for being famous, with the exception of Lohan, who has had a somewhat respectable film career. They dress in provocative fashions that are emulated by young girls. They do no good to American society and being a roll model.

And women who are doing substantive things with their lives? They tend not to garner attention unless they do something preposterous, such as NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak's recent cross-country trek, clad in adult diapers no less, to confront a woman over their shared love interest.

Absent positive role models, it's not too surprising that young women struggle with their budding identities, some to the point they develop such severe self-image problems that they become depressed or suffer from eating disorders.

Parents have to do better by their children. Despite what the popular media would have one believe, being female is not synonymous with being a sexual object. Participation in extracurricular activities, sports and religious activities can help girls cultivate identities that focus on positive attributes that will carry them further in life than simply focusing on appearance. These are important lessons for girls and boys.

It is difficult to get teenage girls to focus beyond their physical appearances when they are constantly bombarded with sexed- up images in the popular media. But parents should not underestimate their influence on their children. They should lift up women who are positive role models. They should encourage their children to dress and conduct themselves appropriately. They should hold the line on clothing purchases that do not meet school dress codes or send inappropriate messages about the wearer.

In truth, the lives of Britney, Lindsay and Anna Nicole are a sad social commentary about flash over substance; about fame and fortune begetting eating disorders, depression and substance abuse.

The common theme in many of these troubled women's lives is that they have lacked strong parental limits or they have not been mentored or managed by level-headed adults. Contrast their experience to that of actresses Brooke Shields and Jodie Foster who earned college degrees from prestigious universities. They are rare examples of child stars who did not fall prey to substance abuse or a downward spiral of personal and professional degradation to stay in the public eye.

There is no question that sex sells in our culture. But all who mentor or work with young women and young men must help them focus on matters of substance such as intellect and character. Unlike superficial attributes, substantive qualities tend to improve with age.