Celebrity Activism Essay

2012 Words9 Pages
Political and social issues are abundant throughout the world, and they involve a wide variety of situations including poverty and hunger, war and genocide, disease and medical care, and natural disaster recovery. With the expansive worldwide media coverage, a vast majority of these issues are common public knowledge, although the specific details may be very limited, and the attention given to the situation may be very short. However, in recent times the overall public awareness of many of these issues has increased greatly due to celebrity involvement and support. In today’s society, more and more celebrities are becoming actively involved in a variety of different causes. Celebrity involvement in these issues is beneficial for many reasons, the most significant of which are that celebrities can greatly raise the public awareness of a specific problem, and they can generate substantial capital in support of the problem. Nevertheless, their involvement has distinct limitations as well. Celebrities are not subject matter experts, nor are they qualified to make decisions or direct policy related to the issue they may be supporting. A critical evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages is necessary, and the underlying question needs addressed: Is celebrity activism helpful, or is it a hindrance? Celebrity activism has existed since the early days of Hollywood and celebrity status. Actors like Marlon Brando and Audrey Hepburn were both extremely involved in different issues affecting their eras. Marlon Brando was a staunch supporter of the civil rights movement, and Audrey Hepburn was a leading advocate for impoverished children worldwide, which led to her selection as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 1989. Brando and Hepburn’s involvement not only laid the foundation for future celebrity activism, it established an
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