By Catrin Lewis<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From\npop stars to reality stars, the society that we live in today is\nsaturated by celebrities. They sing some of our favourite songs,\nplay our favourite sports and even write some of our cookbooks. It’s\nnearly impossible to navigate through our daily lives without\ncrossing paths with a celebrity name or two. As a society, we have\nbecome engrossed in celebrity culture but opinions on the topic are\ndivided. Whilst some follow every move of their favourite celebs\nothers despise their very existence. Whatever your opinion, there’s\nno denying that celebrities have become an important part of modern\nculture, especially with the rise of social media and \u00d4\u00c7\u00ffthe\ninfluencer’. The question, therefore, of whether celebrity culture\nis good or bad is a complex one as there are many different aspects\nto consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over\nthe last year, the world has faced more than its fair share of\ndisasters, whether natural or man-made. From the Australia and\nCalifornia wildfires, Yemen and Syria civil wars and most recently\nthe ongoing coronavirus pandemic, global citizens have been reaching\nout to each other more than ever for comfort and support. These\ndisasters sparked kindness as people donated what they could to\nothers in need during times of crisis. Several celebrities took to\nsocial media during the Amazon fires and raised awareness about a\ntopic that many felt was ignored by the mainstream media. This led\nto broadcasters picking it up and within days the fires became\ninternational news. During this, Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio\nbecame one of the many celebrities using their wealth for good and\npledged $5 million to help reduce the number of fires and prevent the\npotential loss of species and deforestation. Other celebrities that\ndonated to the cause include Vanessa Hudgens and To\nAll the Boys I’ve Loved Before <\/em>actress\nLana Condor who then nominated her co-stars to do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their\nwealth isn’t the only resource that celebrities can use during\ntimes of need and many make good use of the large platforms and\nfollowings that they possess whether on social media or elsewhere. \nAmongst those using their platform for activism is Kim Kardashian\nWest. The reality star turned businesswoman, who is arguably one of\nthe most criticised celebrities, has been using her platform for\ncriminal justice reform activism. However, it isn’t just social\nmedia activism as she’s also pushed for change at the White House\nand used her influence to create real change. Alice Marie Johnson, a\n64-year-old incarcerated for non-violent drug offences, was pardoned\nafter the star advocated for her release in meetings with Donald\nTrump and Jared Kushner Johnson. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emma\nWatson is another celebrity activist that has used her voice for\npositive change. She became the UN\nWomen Goodwill Ambassador<\/em>\nin 2014 and has used her social media platforms to promote her\nHeForShe<\/em>\ncampaign which advocates for men to support equal rights campaigns. \nLGBTQ+ stars have also used their platforms to advocate for equal\nrights including Sam Smith and Queer\nEye<\/em>‘s Jonathan\nVan Ness. It’s important to remember that celebrities are ordinary\npeople and that their lives aren’t perfect either. Halsey and\nSelena Gomez are examples of celebs using their platforms to raise\nawareness of the medical issues that they face and to support others\nin similar situations. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whilst\ncelebrities’ large platforms can be used for good, they can also\noccasionally cause hindrance. Several influencers have come under\nfire for promoting dangerous weight loss products. The products\ncould put impressionable audiences that aspire to look like them at\nrisk. Amongst the accused celebs are Khloe and Kim Kardashian, Kylie\nJenner and Cardi B and fans have urged the celebs to promote\nself-love rather than potentially dangerous products. There is also\nthe risk that celebrities’ actions can influence their fans to pick\nup dangerous habits. R&B singers and rappers often reference\ndrug use and violence in their music. Although some promote the\ndangers and raise awareness of their impact, others glamorise drugs,\nalcohol and violence. Whilst this doesn’t necessarily mean that\nfans will pick up the habits, it does normalise them and puts out a\ndangerous message, particularly for younger fans. Snoop Dogg and\nMiley Cyrus are just two of the celebrities that, despite having\nlarge followings, have promoted drug use in their music and on their\nsocial media platforms in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another\nissue with celebrity culture is that many have become too immersed in\nit. Whilst most of us follow celebrities to some extent, others\ndevote hours of their day idolising their favourite stars. Although\nthis can be harmless it can also lead to problems such as anxiety,\nbody image issues and mental health issues. There have been\ninstances where celebrity worship has been taken to the extreme with\nobsessive fans stalking celebs and going to their houses. Justin\nBieber, Kendall Jenner and Harry Styles are amongst those who have\nbeen stalked by so-called \u00d4\u00c7\u00ffsuperfans’ with one man even going as\nfar as plotting Bieber’s death “because he changed”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Celebrities\noften use their wealth for positive change by donating millions to\ncharity or funding alternative projects. However, is it problematic\nthat one person has so much wealth in the first place? Images of the\nSkid Row neighbourhood in Los Angeles depict the harsh reality for\nthe almost 3,000 homeless people that reside there. There are\nhundreds of tents lining the streets, filled with those who are\nstruggling to afford necessities like food and medicine. Shockingly,\nthe same city is also home to neighbourhoods such as Beverly Hills\nand Hidden Hills, some of the wealthiest areas in the world with\naverage household incomes close to $400,000. Some of the richest\ncelebrities in the world live a mere 20-minute drive from the\nhomeless. Wealth inequality causes social and economic problems such\nas low happiness levels, slowing economic growth and higher rates of\nhealth problems and crime. Although most celebrities do donate when\nthey can, more needs to be done systemically to lessen global wealth\ninequality and improve life for everyone. It’s hard to believe\nthat billionaires who will never use most of their wealth are living\nalongside those who have nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Celebrity\nculture is an unavoidable part of our society and plays a huge part\nin our media landscape, especially when it comes to popular culture. \nWhen done right it has the potential to spark progression and change\nthe world for the better. However, although the positives of\ncelebrity culture can lead to change it’s also important not to\noverlook the negatives. Obsessive fans and celebrities promoting\ndrug habits have the potential to put lives at risk whilst unequal\nwealth distribution means that celebrities can live a life of luxury\nwhilst there are others left with nothing. Although celebrity\nculture plays an important role in our world today, the positives\nmust outweigh the negatives to ensure that it helps rather than harms\nsociety’s most vulnerable people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Catrin Lewis From pop stars to reality stars, the society that we live in today is saturated by celebrities. 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