Lights, Camera, Action: Celebrity Political Power in International Affairs 

Photo by Karl Solano: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photographer-taking-photos-3648062/ 

2020 witnessed celebrities donating to relief services in the wake of devastating bushfires in Australia, with advocacy on social media to escalate climate change policies and action. 

Between 2020-2022, black squares posted by world renown music artists swarmed social media platform Instagram for #BlackOutTuesday, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, a social movement combating institutional racism and police brutality against the Black community. 

The 2024 Oscars hosted numerous celebrities who were seen wearing red ceasefire pins to draw attention to ceasefire demands in Palestine, at the most prestigious award ceremony for cinematic achievements, bringing the current conflict into this acclaimed Hollywood space. 

In an ever-growing world of media consumption and parasocial relations, many admire, critique and pin the responsibility of political awareness and action on their favourite celebrities. Thus, with the escalation of global issues such as climate change and international conflict, it is contested whether celebrities have a place in participating in social movements, and should their words have legitimate impact. 

Celebrity Power

Beyond the institutions of the government, non-state actors hold an important role in international affairs as they can often represent a broader perspective that better reflects the public opinion. These actors can be in conventional forms such as press media and activists, or in unconventional forms such as celebrities. In fact, behind their talents and stardom, celebrities are still individuals who advocate on behalf of their own beliefs and concerns on international issues. However, celebrities cannot be compared to the ordinary citizen, as they exist in a more performative and scrutinised sphere of media and paparazzi. Celebrities are often idolised and followed by the broader public, meaning their status offers them a platform with significant reach. Therefore, celebrity power describes a celebrity’s ability to mobilise public opinion and have greater participation in discussions surrounding global affairs due to their ‘larger-than-life idol’ status. 

Influence on the People

The million-dollar-salaries, designer fashion and gourmet cuisine that celebrities indulge in is a lifestyle that the general public can only admire from afar. Whilst the ordinary cannot enjoy such wealth or attention, many enjoy following and observing such isolated and opulent habits. This keen attention is arguably the reason why celebrities are capable of influencing others, as a celebrity’s millions of followers across various social media platforms conducts a space for discussion and advocacy. For example, during the Australian Bushfires of 2019-2022, celebrities urged their followers to donate to bushfire relief services whilst condemning governments for their inaction. With thousands of likes and comments, Australia’s bush-fire was able to gain significant public exposure, allowing for further donations and support which ultimately aided in helping mitigate the disaster. 

Despite the positive message, some may argue that these actions are not culturally and socially meaningful, especially coming from individuals who are far removed from such issues. In particular, when celebrities hyperfixate on social media advocacy, which has often been argued as being a shallow form of political participation that focuses on verbal affirmation of morality more than legitimate and tangible actions. Overall, however, the influence to mobilise the public to engage in support for social causes is a general positive impact that celebrity power can have. 

Photo by Engin Akyurt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/gold-coloured-human-statue-2098578/ 

“So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.”

Ricky Gervais 

Hypocrisy or Heroism? 

As emphasised by the fierce and deprecating remarks by comedian Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes 2020, there has been much criticism in the past few years surrounding celebrities’ ‘rightful’ positioning to appropriately highlight world issues to the general public. On one hand, many applauded Academy award winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio,when he was appointed Messenger of Peace by the United Nations for his work in funding environmental preservation projects. On the other hand, debates have been sparked around the thousands of carbon emissions produced by private jets used by revered celebrities, such as Taylor Swift, Jay Z and Kim Kardashian. With such divergent behaviours, the question is raised: how much should we expect from celebrities when it comes to combating world issues such as climate change? 

It can be argued that political power and action, even wielded by celebrities, is legitimate when  it effectively serves a common goal towards improvement and positive change. Furthermore, the impressive amounts of donations and funding provided by the elite aid social movements and organisations, which would otherwise be unreasonable by any other, singular person. However, many rebut that the luxurious lifestyle of celebrities significantly contributes more to the world’s carbon footprint than the average citizen. With private jets, yachts and numerous homes that all rely on large amounts of non-renewable energy, celebrities’ calls for action are undercut by the unfortunate consequences of their lavish expenses. 

So what can we expect? 

Ultimately the stardom and the influence celebrities have is given by the public themselves, as it is the immense attention solidified by their social media numbers and exorbitant paychecks that offers celebrities access to public domains of discussion and persuasion. Nevertheless, celebrities are still individuals just like the ordinary citizen, with varying levels of knowledge and experience in advocacy and international affairs. Moreover, the public cannot control people’s behaviour, whether they are celebrities or normal citizens. Therefore, we should not expect all celebrities to act the same, whether it is for the common good of social movements or not.