Celebrity Politics and the Cultivation of Affect in the Public Sphere
Date
2016
Authors
Horwitz, Ariella Catherine
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Abstract
Celebrity political participation has become so commonplace in contemporary American life that it has come to be expected— it is hardly surprising when Lena Dunham joins Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail, George Clooney visits Sudan, or Jennifer Lawrence writes an essay on the gender pay gap. Celebrity politics are also pervasive, resulting from the constant media coverage of celebrities. Yet, because news of celebrity politics appears alongside gossip stories and because celebrities can (and do) say stupid things, it makes it easier to discount celebrities as illegitimate and overlook them as potentially influential political agents. This ignores the powerful position of celebrities, who through existing media attention and branding are able to inform the political views of average citizen-subjects.
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Keywords
American studies, Sociology, History, Affect, American cultural history, Celebrity politics, Public sphere