Michael Phelps smokes marijuana and Olympic hopefuls see it. Alex Rodriguez is caught lying about steroid use and tee-ball players see it. Chris Brown allegedly attacks his girlfriend, Rihanna, and kids who mimic the dance from “Run It” saw it as well.

Celebrities and athletes are under a microscope where everyone adores them, and children and adults re-enact every move they make, whether good or bad.

Do celebrities make good role models? To quote the infamous Borat, “Not!”

There are probably more vitamins in a piece of Hawaiian paradise cake from Kings Hawaiian than there are truly positive role models among today’s stars such as Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan.

The bad role models are clearly obvious: the ones who pose nude whether it be on magazines or on the Internet, drive drunk, get caught using drugs and have babies they neglect. Bad role models send wrong messages about modesty, sexual purity, body image, alcohol, smoking, drugs, suicide, crime, violence, greed, eating disorders, relationships and rebelling against authority and parents.

The message most celebrities send is that life is great when you think only about yourself, buy everything you want, spend a lot of time trying to look hot and have lots of fun while getting in trouble for it. The thing is, if you’re trying to have a celebrity-inspired life, you’re opening yourself up to dangers.

It’s easy to miss out on or ruin meaningful relationships with your family and friends if there are unreasonable expectations. If one craves the posh life, priorities and values can get mixed up. This is something hard to change when you’re older.

Yearning to have everything celebrities possess one may be tempted to do stupid things, such as experimenting with drugs, shoplifting, and for teens, having sex at a young age. If Zac Efron from “High School Musical” had a different girlfriend in every grade, one may feel pressure to get romantic at an early age.

And when Mary-Kate Olsen, who has struggles with anorexia, appears on the cover of a beauty magazine to personify the image of being beautiful, what message does that send to little girls about the consequences of poor body image and eating disorders?

Celebrities may give one ideas about trends, but there’s not a whole lot more they can offer you. However, counting on celebrities to be good role models instead of looking up to the people in your life who truly care and make a positive difference is a waste of time.