Celebrity Feminism Of The Digital World
Celebrities on social media platforms are able to reach millions with their voices and actions and have a lot of influence and impact on the general public.
Our digital world includes vehicles like the internet, various news apps online, and many social media extensions as well--all of which allow news of almost everything to be spread. This includes the voices and actions of Hollywood celebrities. Their movies/songs and social media posts are able to reach their many fans and the general public as well, and our digital world allows for these celebrities to be heard often, and loud and clear. And over the past 20 years, many celebrities have revealed themselves to be feminists. Some have released songs with their feminist messages, some have also even made movies with a feminist theme and feminist characters. While these projects and the celebrities themselves have helped the feminism movement in a way where they are popularizing the movement so that common feminist goals can be achieved, these celebrities are also introducing a new 'form' of feminism. This new form of feminism that the next generation is learning about does not contain the same characteristics or all the goals of the true feminism movement defined by Rachel F. Seidman (that people must unite to work towards changing attitudes, behaviors, laws, and policies to achieve the goal of gender equality.)
This case study is divided into four sections that must be followed in order:
The Rise of 'Celebrity Feminism': This section will include a little bit about the term, and also the reason behind it's meaning. It will look into the some of the most popular celebrities in Hollywood that have publicly declared themselves as feminists, and their feminist projects as well. There will be a timeline to help chronologically organize all of this information, and will inlcude a more detailed explanation and analysis of some events mentioned in the timeline, and conclude with how these events have helped to popularize feminism and gain interest and more support in the movement.
Emma Watson and Beyonce's Feminism: This next section will discuss two popular celebrities that are most known for being feminists--Emma Watson, and Beyonce. This second section will look into the speeches and projects that Emma Watson has given and participated in to further the feminism movement, as well as the performances and songs from Beyonce. Then this section will conclude with an analysis on the problems of these two celebrities' activism, and how they affect the feminism movement.
Tina Fey and Amy Schumer's Feminism: This third section will discuss two other popular celebrities who are both actors and have made movies that have promoted feminism--Tina Fey and Amy Schumer. This section will not go into detail about their movies (as this is not the focus), but will bring up the problems and backlash that these movies have recieved. This section will conclude with an analysis on the impact of the backlash against these movies and the celebrities on the feminism movement.
The Rise Of A 'Neoliberal Trend': The fourth and last section will relate the resulting analyses of sections two and three to why celebrity feminism of the digital world is Janus-faced for the feminist movement. It will join the analyses and discuss the impact of a 'trendy' neoliberal feminism that comes from celebrity feminists, and what it means for the feminism that will be seen in the future.