What Is The Meaning Of “Poster Child”?

Tommy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:26:47 +0000

Poster child is a phrase that is used often by the media, but what does it mean? Originally, this phrase was used to describe an image of an emaciated starving child that was used to promote awareness of hunger and starvation. From there, it became the phrase coined for any child with a deformity or illness on posters used to advocate for that cause or bring in donations. It has evolved from that initial usage and now is widely used to represent any person or organization that epitomizes a particular set of circumstances, whether child or adult.

For example: Amy Winehouse was oft called the poster child for drug abuse, because of her multiple violations on drug charges, as well as her numerous trips to rehabilitation centers. Kim Kardashian has been referred to as the poster child of spoiled rich children, because some view her to be the ideal representation of what happens when children are raised in a wealthy household and not given any boundaries. Many such negative references of celebrities can be found in news articles and personal blogs.

This phrase can also be used to describe a person who does not fit with a particular set of ideas or a political philosophy. In this case, one would hear something such as “he is the poster child for what a Republican should not be.” While widespread across many categories, this is heard most often in relation to public figures who are repeatedly in the limelight for negative reasons, such as J. Edgar Hoover, who some dubbed the poster child of what an FBI official should not be.

It does not always have to carry a negative connotation, however. Mother Theresa could be considered the poster child for kindness, because of her charity work and good deeds. FaceBook is the poster child of small beginnings, because of its start as a social network site run by just a few people, and meant only for one education institution. Now it is wildly successful, thus making it the ideal representation of what one can achieve with a small start. Another example of a positive media poster child could be a sports team who beat the odds.

Even a city can be dubbed a poster child, if it fits some sort of criteria. Los Angeles may be the poster child of pollution, New York City the poster child for overcrowding, Springfield the poster child for small town living, or a rural Texas town the poster child of country life. In the media, the term poster child, when referring to a city, usually has a negative association: Detroit, the poster child for violence.

The initial usage of this phrase has largely been lost in the media. While posters advocating causes with pictures of sad sickly children are still found, the phrase poster child is used very loosely. Now, poster child simply means any one thing – be that a person, organization, place, or idea – that best embodies a particular set of circumstances.

What Is The Meaning Of “Poster Child”? is a post from: Poster Child