TORONTO - Joining the shrieking, pony-tailed crowd around her, Sloane Valant leapt to her feet, clapping wildly yesterday as rebel rocker Pink stepped a sturdy high heel on stage.

"It's not every day you get a famous person in your school," said the 14-year-old Grade 9 student, who wore a pink shirt, pink ski hat and pink beads in tribute to the blond-and fuchsia-haired performer. "What she represents is so great."

More than 750 female students from several Toronto high schools poured into the auditorium at Humberside Collegiate Institute yesterday to hear just that.

Sliding into an armchair opposite host Motion, a Toronto emcee, author and poet, the 26-year-old urged the girls to be themselves -- also the main message on her new single, Stupid Girls.

"My definition of a stupid girl is any girl who wastes her opportunity trying to be like someone else," said Pink -- aka Pennsylvania-born Alecia Moore. "A smart girl is someone who has self-respect and self-love."

Pink, who dispenses her advice on the world through satirical lyrics and music videos, is a good role model for teens obsessed with body weight and owning the latest pair of jeans, Valant said.

"Being yourself is really the best person to be," she said.

"Pink's very unique in the way she's competitive with the guys instead of being all preppy with the girls," added 14-year-old Fotini Kourako.

"I love her. She's got a great self-image."

Other speakers at the hour-long event, aimed at bolstering the self-image of teenage girls, maintained that theme.