April 24, 2018

Celebrities often advocate for many things: education in different parts of the world, clean water for people, even climate change. When they advocate for these issues, it can also influence many teen’s point of views on it.

“They say positive things that really make you think. They can promote things and ideas that you stand for. Or like they can say something that really sticks with you,” Celebrities often go out of their way to show the good in the world and what we can do to help. Rainn Wilson who starred as Dwight Shrute in “The Office” endorses many charities and started his own organization. When celebrities speak about their stances, it can give people the power to also speak about their opinions, participate within their community and increase awareness. They also give motivation speeches about positivity in mindset, body image, support and advice for teens who are struggling and can relate.  

To balance the scales, celebrities can also give off negative vibes towards teens. A lot of celebrities are known for doing drugs or consuming alcohol which can influence teens into following in their footsteps. Many celebrities now are famous for either being controversial like Danielle Bregoli who goes by the alias “Bhad Babie” or by being memes like Lil Hank Williams aka Yodeling Walmart Kid, which can give teens bad ideas on how to gain their own “fame”. It can also feel a bit like mockery towards certain people because of their wealth. Poverty is prevalent in many areas and when celebrities like Lil Tay go out and act like their internet personas, it can cause a lot of negative feelings. 

“Bodies are different for each person but as a standard in society, it’s made to look like a specific type. Celebrities can feed into this stigma because they are asked to promote businesses in the beauty industry but in many occurrences they are photoshopped and changed to look like one specific ‘brand’ or to create the ‘perfect’ body image,” Freshman member of YSBP Joanna Ferrer said. Another effect is negative body image, which can lead to low self esteem and eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia. Low self esteem can cause anxiety and depression and for every 100 minutes, a teen takes their own life which makes suicide the third leading cause of death for teens. It can also induce copy cats who try to do every thing they do like diets or exercises that may not be good for them. 

Teens are becoming more aware with the issues in this time, learning about certain issues and fighting for certain topics. Celebrities can do a lot to shed light on their arguments and spread awareness for others. Next time a celebrity starts to speak, it may do some good to listen.