Superstars these days have come to remarkable realization – it has suddenly become cool to help the needy. This new fad of celebrities becoming spokespeople for AIDS in Africa and the genocide in Darfur has some people wondering if this a positive step towards awareness or do these celebrities end up hurting more than helping the cause.
According to a Nov. 13 article in the New York Times, there have been many ups and downs on the trail to finding balance in celebrity driven campaigns. Gwyneth Paltrow for example, recently appeared in a print advertsiment over the line “I Am African.” Paltrow donned traditional African jewelry and had tribal stripes strewn across her porcelain complexion. Needless to say, the ad didn’t go over well. Scathing jokes and harsh criticism flooded the Internet and, according to the article, “threatened to overshadow the ad’s purpose, to raise money for the AIDS charity Keep A Child Alive.”
The campaign’s concept was created by Somalian supermodel Inman to take pictures of what she calls “a modern take on African tribal makeup.” Of course the idea is a noble one, but in reality, it has more detrimental repercussions than the supermodel could ever imagine.
The president and founder of Keep a Child Alive Leigh Blake, says that she created the organization to provide antiretroviral drugs to African families. Blake tried to defend Inman’s controversial campaign. “What we were trying to say is that we all have African DNA. We were trying to spark a discussion about our origins and the importance of paying attention to Africa.” Yet again an example of a dignified cause gone awry due to the unintentionally harmful celebrity influence.
This is undoubtedly evident in today’s society. What is perplexing is the fact that celebrities actually have the ability to hurt the campaigns more than anyone. There is a fine line between genuinely wanting to help those less fortunate and just craving positive publicity to boost a waning Hollywood image. How does one pick out the genuine person from the manipulative narcissist in the crowd? It is a fine, fine line.
In any case, it’s a good sign that people in the United States, whether rich or poor, famous or anonymous, want to get involved and want to help Africans who have AIDS, the women in Darfur and just about anyone in need. It’s not Paltrow’s fault that her ad got so butchered in the end. It was a worthy cause and she wanted to be a part of it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In the end, it comes to knowing how you can help without your celebrity being a burden.
George Clooney, Alicia Keys, Oprah Winfrey, Bono – these are individuals who know how to do that. Clooney has recently become an advocate for the genocide in Darfur. Speaking at the United Nations in September, a reporter asked the dapper Clooney if he could change the minds on the Security Council, urging them to send peace keeps to Darfur. Clooney replied “My job isn’t really to change their minds. My job is to make sure that cameras and lights follow where I go” in the region, calling attention to the crisis and the United Nations’ responsibility there. Everyone should take a lesson from Clooney because that, ladies and gentlemen, is how’s done.
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