Former Amish Girl -- Does This Always Mean Good Girl Gone Bad?

You may have heard recent references in the media to former amish girls going modern and getting crazy. Specifically, Michelle "Bombshell" McGee and "Emma the Amish Model," have gone public with nutty behavior after having been (supposedly) raised amish. My intent here is not to give more attention to these women,but to prevent the public from stereotyping formerly amish girls, having been amish myself.

Michelle "Bombshell" McGee told ABC News, "I grew up Amish but left the church when I was 16 -- I never looked back. I moved to LA and got tattooed (1)."

Apparently her looks, the lies about her background and age, and tatoos were not enough to gain the desired level of notoriety. McGee had to sleep with a celebrity to get the attention she desired. According to McGee's ex-husband she was obsessed with Jesse James for years. Even covering her husband's face in a personal wedding photograph with that of Jesse Jame's face (7).

Watch as she explains her upbringing here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/19/michelle-bombshell-mcgee_n_506690.html during an interview at the "Miss Ink Contest (3)."

What she should have stated is, "I grew up around amish people." This girl is from rural Ohio, known for its very large amish population. She was not amish; she only said this to propel her career forward as a "good girl gone bad" story, which the public loves!

Here: http://www.examiner.com/pop-culture-in-cleveland/michelle-mcgee-s-ohio-pictures-jesse-james-alleged-bombshell-mistress-photos, you can see a picture of her as a normal teen from Eastlake, Ohio (2). You will also find input from her former classmate who reveals her true age.

She also told ABC News that she has a degree in Biology and that she is pursuing her Masters in Bio-chemistry(1). Let's see some proof! After having been found out for lying about her age and background- I wouldn't believe a word this girl says. She obviously wants attention. Go ahead and look but just remember, she never was amish.

At the heart of Amish Culture is the basic concept of humility. Remember this concept with one of their favorite sayings, "Joy." "J" is for Jesus, "O" is for others and "Y" is for yourself. Put Jesus first, others second and yourself last (9).

Amish people do not judge others based on skin color, sex, age or cultural origin. My Aunt Katie says it doesn't matter what color you are- its what's in your heart that matters. She has spent 48 years in the Old Order Community. McGee behaves in racist ways; you would not find this behavior in former amish who have been taught to be peaceful and submissive since early childhood.

Ms. McGee wears Nazi clothing in photo shoots and performs the Nazi salute in front of her children, according to her ex-husband (5). Now she wants us to believe the "W" and "P" tattooed on each thigh would stand for a sexual innuendo instead of "white power," obviously the real intent (4). She lies and she is racist- there is no way this girl ever was amish.

Amish do not teach hate towards anyone; they turn the other cheek and preach forgiveness. As a way of life amish are humble and not aggressive (9). Doing Nazi photo shoots and tattooing herself with racist jargon would be way off the mark for a former amish.

Emma Kauffman on the other hand really is former amish. She became the April Pin-up Girl for newamericanpinup.com because she genuinely wants to be a model (7). She had no idea how to go about becoming a model and claims to have made some bad choices. She gained popularity by going on the Howard Stern Radio Show.

Contrary to their upbringing, some of her old girlfriends have bashed her horribly, for choosing her new lifestyle, on the Examiner's webpage (6). They taunt her with cruel name-calling and remind her that the Amish Community is furious with her as well. She made an appearance on the Howard Stern Show where she sounded uneducated and ignorant to the consequences of her actions.

Pennsylvania Amish receive no more than an eighth grade education; it seems apparent from the interview that she has no more education than that. She didn't have many in-depth responses to Stern's questions. Almost always a yes or no response- until she was asked about sexual details; then she elaborated with a sentence or two.

This young, naive girl was an easy target for a shrewd businessman. She truly entails the "good girl gone bad" story.

During the radio show she could not explain how viewers of her website were able to purchase her panties; which was her manager's idea and undertaking. She clearly stated that she does not want to do porn or naked photos. She said she "got too comfortable," at the photo shoot and "did nude photos", but it wouldn't happen again.

Did she realize those pictures are potentially out there forever? I'm certain she did not. I have a hunch that her photographer promised her a wonderful modeling career to get her further along with his own agenda.

The photographer for Emma lashed out at her on his website. Calling her names and a liar in reference to those nude photos. Now the abusive language is gone and has been replaced with a promise of more photos of Emma to come (with a different photographer) and a porn movie with Ron Jeremy. They must have worked out a deal, but Emma will not be in the porn- the site states someone else will play Emma in the movie (8).

Unfortunately, one of the many lessons that I, and my family, have had to learn in the Amish to English transition is that people will use you for their own selfish, even lewd reasons. Amish people may be an easy target, but does that mean people should take advantage? It's really no mystery why Amish "restrict interaction with outsiders".

Let me make one final declaration: former Amish can be educated, well-read, and well-spoken. As you may or may not know I was the first, but not the last, of the five children in my family to attend college. In fact, four out of five went to college. It is possible for former Amish to get educated, thrive and contribute in a positive way in the modern world.

article on McGee 1: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/michelle-mcgee/story?id=10135763
article on McGee 2: http://www.examiner.com/pop-culture-in-cleveland/michelle-mcgee-s-ohio-pictures-jesse-james-alleged-bombshell-mistress-photos
article and video on McGee 3: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/19/michelle-bombshell-mcgee_n_506690.html
article on McGee 4:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/19/michelle-bombshell-mcgees_n_506482.html
article on McGee 5: http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/michelle-bombshell-mcgee-white-power-nazi-sympathizer-2593070.html
article on Mcgee's obsession 6: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/22/entertainment/main6323792.shtml
article on Emma 7: http://www.examiner.com/suddenly-famous-in-national/emma-the-amish-model-gets-15-minutes-of-fame-on-howard-stern
emma 8: http://www.newamericanpinup.com/Month_April2010.html
article on amish culture 9: http://www.everyculture.com/multi/A-Br/Amish.html
howard stern interviews emma the amish model part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjgYF5mDfXY
howard stern interviews emma the amish model part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpU0x92hzV0&feature=related
howard stern interviews emma the amish model part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHtnf2xM7BQ&feature=related