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Emma Watson’s activism does not help women : the problem with the celebrity endorsement of justice
The substantial influence global film celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Emma Watson, and George Clooney possess is evident. However, a celebrity’s international profile and ability to influence on a global scale does not necessarily mean he or she is a good leader. Effective leadership requires several characteristics and skills, including an ability to convince people to trust, a quality that involves a perception of credibility that is necessary to influence people to achieve a desired goal.
Celebrity diplomats face two hurdles when it comes to garnering trust with their fans and the public at-large. First, celebrity ambassadors are regarded with skepticism due to the public’s suspicions that the movie star may be more invested in self-promotion than the cause (Cooper, 2008). Though admired for their career achievements, wealth, and beauty, Brockington (2009) noted that the movie star diplomat “often arouses resentment and uncertainty when mixed with the serious business of life” (p. 1). Second, celebrity diplomats must be perceived as authentically linked to their causes. To influence fans to take up the U.N. cause, the celebrity ambassador must be paired in areas of humanitarian work the public perceives as being in the realm of their expertise. In other words, consumers who believe a celebrity is credible are persuaded to trust the star’s declarations about a brand. The celebrity produces a positive consumer response toward the brand if the celebrity is perceived to have pertinent knowledge, abilities, or skills related to the brand (Ohanian, 1990). Similarly, if the celebrity ambassador’s cause is not perceived by the public to be congruent with the celebrity’s image, then the ability to influence those fans toward desired attitude change could be problematic. Yoo and Jin (2013) found that when a celebrity Goodwill Ambassador was perceived to have very little in common with the charitable work, the “ambassador activity was found to have negative effects on all three credibility categories of attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise, which means the audience members find such activities unnatural or unsuitable in light of the celebrity’s image” (p. 14).
