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Jennette McCurdy: 'I never wanted to be a role model for teenage girls'

Written by . Published: July 27 2014

Actress Jennette Mccurdy has broken her silence following the cancellation of her hit kids TV show Sam & Cat, revealing she has now left the Nickelodeon network altogether and hopes to move on with her life.


The hit iCarly and Victorious spin-off, which also featured singer Ariana Grande, was axed earlier this month (Jul14) following a stand-off between McCurdy and producers, which led to her refusing to attend this year's Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards to pick up the Best TV Comedy prize.


Grande has already posted a lengthy statement about the show's demise on Facebook, and now McCurdy has spoken out as part of a Reddit.com fan chat on Thursday (24Jul14).


It appears she was unhappy with her role model status that landed her in trouble with TV bosses when images of her in just her underwear appeared online earlier this year (14).


She wrote, "I am not a role model. I don't claim to be, I don't try to be, and I don't want to be. This world is one seemingly most keen on judgment and negativity, despite all the hearts and smiley emoticons. To remove myself from the role model battle, the falsified standard set by the bubblegum industry, is - in my eyes - to remove myself from the counterintuitive battle of attempting to be something perfect while being glaringly aware of my imperfections."


And she clearly isn't making any apologies for the saucy images she claims an ex-boyfriend posted online, which landed her in hot water with Sam & Cat bosses.


She added, "I am proud of the way I live my life. I am proud of my choices. I am proud that no one can call me fake or say I don't stand up for myself. I am proud that my friends and family would say that I'm a good person. Calling a celebrity a role model is like calling a stranger a role model.


"The knowledge you have of a celebrity is no more than a caricature drawn by media tastemakers specializing in selling you an image you’re dying to buy. It’s good to have heroes, but you have to look for them in the right places. They say don’t look for true love in a bar, well I say, don’t look for role models on screens...


"Sure, I still love my teddy bears. I still love a heart emoji (the white heart in the pink box is my favorite) and I still have a soft spot for American Girl dolls. I still love a cute dress, a good pop song, and a vanilla-scented candle. But these things don't define me or determine that I am any kind of a role model. What defines a person as a role model is the way they live their life. And no offense, but none of you know how I live my life."

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