There’s no escaping her Britney’s everywhere.

Gyrating on the tube in Pepsi commercials, music videos and awards shows.

Acting up a storm on the silver screen in her first movie, “Crossroads.”

Crooning her latest tunes on CDs, staring out from the covers of countless teen and fashion magazines.

And, of course, inspiring a host of adoring Web sites wholly devoted to all things Britney.

A recent check of her name on the search engine Google yielded a result of about 1.23 million Web references to the singer-actress-product pitchwoman.

It’s pretty clear the provocative songstress known for her skimpy attire and saucy lyrics is a pop cultural force to be reckoned with.

So what influence does the 20-year-old entertainer have on girls and young women, especially those who look up to Spears as a lifestyle role model? Does the sexy image she projects affect the way girls dress, act and think as well as the choices they make?

Bad influence

Based on conversations with a group of Lawrence junior high school girls, the jury’s still out on Spears’ virtues. Some think she’s OK, some scoff at her over-the-top wardrobe and carefully crafted sex appeal, while still others think she’s great.

“She needs to get her act together, because she knows she has young people who look up to her,” said Elizabeth Bodle, 14, an eighth-grader at Central Junior High School. “A lot of people look at her and say, ‘She’s so cool, she’s a star,’ and they want to dress like her.”

Many girls seem impressed by Spears and are drawn to mirror her by decking themselves out in midriff-baring cropped tops and low-riding jeans.

Elizabeth isn’t taken in by this trend, though.

“First I look at the fashions, what’s in and what everybody’s wearing. Then I make my own choices. Do I really want to look like that or what?” she said.

Greer Adkins-Heljeson thinks Spears is a bad influence on younger girls, especially those in the 6- to 10-year-old range who are impressionable and seeking role models.

“She’s making them think the only thing that matters is how you look instead of doing your work in school and getting into college,” said Greer, 14, an eighth-grader at Central Junior High. “These little girls don’t need to be walking around half-naked because of Britney Spears.”

Toni Smith, meanwhile, is a committed fan.

“She’s a role model, she’s nice, she has a good attitude, and I think she’s a very healthy girl,” said Toni, a 14-year-old eighth-grader at South Junior High School. “I have all of her CDs and a single CD, and I went to see her movie the second day it came out. I liked it.”

Toni also read the entertainer’s recent autobiography, “Britney Spears’ Heart to Heart,” co-written with her mother Lynne Spears.

She agrees that Spears influences some girls, and that’s not always a good thing.

“Some (girls) around 9, 10 or 11 years old are kind of growing up too fast,” Toni said. “But it’s not her fault that she’s pretty and these girls want to be just like her. They’re too young to dress like that they should go with their own style.”

Better role models

Abbey Murray thinks Spears is, on the whole, OK.

“People say a lot of things ‘She’s so bad, she sets a bad example.’ But I don’t see anything wrong with her, and I enjoy her music,” said Abbey, 14, a ninth-grader at South Junior High. “She’s clearly a nice person, and she’s extremely talented.”

Samantha Meyer ticks off Spears’ positive attributes “really great singer, in good shape, a good dancer” but thinks the entertainer encourages girls to push the envelope.

“Ten-year-olds are thinking they should be about age 15,” said Samantha, a 15-year-old South ninth-grader. “I think they’re growing up too fast.”

Emily Thurmaier thinks there are much better role models out there for girls to look up to.

“I think Julia Roberts is so classy and so elegant all the time,” said Emily, 14, a Central eighth-grader. “(Singer) Faith Hill is amazing, too. I saw her in concert, and she just blew me away that she could be so cute and look so good in clothes that covered her up.”