I Want to Be Her!

"I want to BE her!"  Ask any girl how they feel about Ashley Olsen, and this is almost definitely how they will respond.  Her looks and style along with her great career and personality make her a role model for many young girls.   Naturally, when given the opportunity to fill the shoes of any person, I chose to be Ashley Olsen.

Ashley, along with her twin Mary-Kate, has been famous ever since she played baby Michelle on the television sitcom "Full House."  Rather than recognizing her as Ashley Olsen, most people identify her with her sister as "the Olsen twins" or "Mary-Kate and Ashley."   Both Ashley and Mary-Kate, who turned sixteen in June, display highlighted blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and heart-shaped faces, yet surprisingly, Mary-Kate is not Ashley's identical twin.  Contrary to the usual misconception, the girls are fraternal. Ashley's "twin-ness" has been exploited since her debut on "Full House" in September of 1987.  She split the part with her sister to comply with child labor laws.  Unlike most child stars, Ashley continued and expanded her acting career after her days as Michelle Tanner.   She and Mary-Kate went to the big screen with "It Takes Two," have had their own TV shows “Two of a Kind” and “So Little Time,” and have starred in countless TV movies, the most recent of which include “When in Rome,” “Getting There” and “Winning London.” In addition, Ashley and Mary-Kate have their own clothing line, and they are the basis for several book series and videogames.

Ashley’s popularity, style, beauty and independence predictably make her a role model and even an idol for girls. Ashley Olsen’s popularity is not something that people question. With her fantastic sense of fashion, her sheer prettiness and poise, her terrific personality, and her amazing career, who would not be popular? Ashley has been featured in over 40,000 newspaper stories, appeared on at least a dozen magazine covers, and has been on talk shows more that one hundred times! Even more importantly, Ashley does not let popularity get to her head. Rather than being stuck up and conceited, she is graceful and outgoing. Her dedication to her career shows her devotion and enthusiasm to work. This contributes significantly to her independent nature. I completely admire Ashley’s self-sufficient and adventurous qualities. Her status as a child star and now as a young actress has allowed her to embrace countless opportunities rare to other teenagers like me. Ashley has traveled the world, many times with just Mary-Kate. The twins are so successful that they do not need to rely on anyone else for financial support, unlike most people I know who make a living off allowance. Finally, even though she is a twin, Ashley is indeed her own person.

I respect Ashley’s individuality and that she does not conform her personality to match Mary-Kate’s, which is what has expected of her and her sister since their “twin-ness” has been taken advantage of. Too often, people consider twins that look alike as much as Ashley and Mary-Kate do as more of a single “item” or “package” instead of two separate individuals. Ashley does not let public opinions like this affect how she expresses herself. There are many differences between Ashley and her twin sister, from the more noticeable things to the most trivial. After “Full House,” when the twins began portraying two characters rather than one, Ashley was always “the girly, feminine one” while Mary-Kate played tomboys. Their real-life personalities paralleled this. Ashley always preferred dancing, boys, shopping, and pink compared to Mary-Kate’s love for sports, particularly horseback riding, and all things blue. These traits were clearly displayed on their 1998 sitcom, “Two of a Kind,” where the girls virtually played themselves with their own first names and personalities. While Ashley worried about whether or not her new dress would impress her crush, her sister worried about whether or not she would crush her opponent in a basketball game. Ashley’s femininity and Mary-Kate’s tomboy side are some of their more obvious differences. They are even more individual when you break it down into petty facts and favorites, such as Ashley’s right-handedness compared with lefty Mary-Kate, and Ashley’s favorite flavor of gum being grape, while her sister’s is strawberry. Clearly, although Ashley shares her appearance and birthday with her sister, she is much, much more than simply a twin.

Why, you ask, do I want to be Ashley Olsen? Well, by now it should be apparent. I would absolutely love to experience being a twin, having an acting career, and becoming familiar with the benefits of fame. Although as I mentioned before, Ashley’s “twin-ness” was wrongfully used for marketing, I would love seeing what it is like to have a twin sister. It is evident that Ashley and Mary-Kate have an amazing relationship, much more than just a sibling bond. I have always wanted a twin to be my shopping buddy, mentor, and most of all best friend and sister. It would be wonderful to always have someone to talk to and hang out with, someone who understands me but has her own outlook and opinions. This is just the case with Ashley and Mary-Kate. Second, I want to experience being an actress. Ever since I can remember, I was the drama queen of my family and friends. I have never really considered acting as a career choice, but it has always been a hobby and talent of mine. In a fantasy world, I would star in movies and have my own TV shows, but for Ashley my fantasies are realities! Along with the actual acting, given the chance I would want to receive all the fantastic benefits and opportunities that fame has to offer. Honestly, who would not want to be rich and famous? Ashley has gotten to travel around the world to shoot movies set in Australia, the Bahamas, London, Paris, and most recently, Rome. I personally love to travel and explore the world, and being Ashley would give me the chance to do so. Being a star would also include getting the star treatment, something of which I have always dreamed. Ashley has so many privileges, including getting amazing clothes, make-up, music, and much more for free! Comfortable jets and limousines transport her and Mary-Kate around. Not only is Ashley pretty, popular, and privileged, one more thing she gets that I certainly would not mind is the guys! In every movie she makes, Ashley inevitably ends up with one cute guy or another. Oh, the lifestyles of the famous! I think it would be great to see what it is like to have a twin and be a famous actress and role model.

Given the opportunity to be anyone I choose, I would seize the chance to fill the shoes of Ashley Olsen. Although she is known for being Mary-Kate’s twin and a child star, Ashley is down-to-earth and a truly fun, outgoing, and kind person, making her the obvious role model for many young girls and teenagers. She is popular and the success of her career has made her a hard worker and independent. Even though she has an almost exact look alike for a sister, Ashley is a strong individual. I would jump at the prospect of being her so that I could live out my interests and dreams of having a twin, pursuing a career in acting, and getting the full star treatment as a reward.