The September 2007 issue of Glamour would have been an average edition of a fashion periodical if not for one element: a grim article written by Vagina Monologues author Eve Ensler about Congolese women who had been brutally raped and tortured. While flipping the pages, the topics suddenly jumped from fall jackets to accounts of human barbarity so horrifying that it made the rest of the magazine seem laughable.
The appearance of such a serious article in a fashion magazine unquestionably reflects the recent drastic increase in celebrity social awareness. Newspapers, weekly tabloids, and entertainment shows are all overflowing with footage of yet another A-lister traveling to Africa, founding their own charity or participating in awareness campaigns. With all this mass-media coverage, many people are naturally inclined to ask: what good does celebrity activism actually do?
As with any situation, there are two main perspectives to this issue. The easiest is the one that tends to be more widespread: famous celebrity activists such as Bono, Angelina Jolie and Oprah are routinely accused of being deceptive attention-seekers and hypocrites, especially in terms of their charities and funding programs. (Product) Red, of which Bono is a co-founder, is increasingly attacked for its allegedly misleading goals and misused funds. Although the criticisms may not exactly be fair, they are contributing towards the phenomenon’s negative image.
In addition, the sheer amount of reporting that has recently appeared on this topic has unsurprisingly rendered it worn out. In Princess Diana’s time, a celebrity posing with HIV/AIDS infected patients was considered heroic. Today, they are seen as unoriginal, even annoying. Furthermore, the “trend” factor of social activism is discouraging potential participants from getting involved because they do not want to feel like followers. For this, celebrities cannot be blamed. Not for the first time in history, mass media has blown the entire affair out of proportion and, unfortunately, made it headline news a few too many times for it to remain original or inspiring.
On a positive note, some of these celebrities have truly achieved remarkable things through activism. Angelina Jolie has personally funded her way to becoming a recognized UN spokesperson and is credited with feats that could have only been realized with a powerful celebrity status. She has convinced presidents to acknowledge civil rights groups, travelled to many parts of the world, written serious pieces on her experiences and, all the while, kept an image of human authenticity that is very hard to compromise. Using money, media, and a desire for change, she and other celebrities have helped raise mass awareness and exposure to humanitarian crises that could have otherwise remained unknown.
The general situation with famous activists is clearly very delicate. One thing is for sure: celebrities and their actions will always be a hot topic. Willingly or not, status, money, and psychology have led our society to view certain members of this small group of people as role models. Consequently, any messages that these stars may wish to send will usually manage to find their way into our lives. This being said, the phenomenon of celebrity activism may not be the most in need of critique after all. Surely messages calling for tolerance, compassion, and generosity of heart cannot be all that bad. All accusations considered, maybe some positive will even come from Paris Hilton’s desire to visit Rwanda: increased awareness, aid, or if all else fails, worldwide comic relief.
