Do celebrities have a place in Politics?

Politics has changed significantly from what it used to be around 10 years ago. Today, it is no longer solely down to those in and around the political elite to influence voters. It has extended beyond the walls of Westminster, of political commentators, analysts – and, it has landed into the hands of individuals, typically with no political experience: celebrities

Since 2016 we have seen an abundance of celebrities raising their voices on contemporary political issues such as Brexit, the UK General Election,  and across the pond the Presidential election.

In 2018, Taylor Swift posted a lengthy Instagram picture explaining the importance of voting and ensuring you form an educated decision when doing so. Swift mentioned in her post the reasoning behind her decision to vote for Democrat representatives re-igniting the argument whether celebrities have such a place in the political landscape given their hegemonic power over their audience.

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I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! 🗳😃🌈

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Oct 7, 2018 at 4:33pm PDT

Celebrities, like most people, hold opinions of their own and are entitled to them like any other person. That’s how it should be, for politics is personal. Typically the only people given such a platform to influence voters are the politicians in Westminster.

However, today celebrities have become more vocal on their opinions and their platforms have become an easy way to influence voters. Most celeb-politician endorsements are rarely successful and often cringe-worthy. In recent years we have seen celebrities come out in support of contemporary issues such as Brexit, announcing their support for remain or leave, and even party leaders. Something that, arguably may not have such an impression on those actually within the voting demographic, but their engagement could shape a new generation of voters.

Speaking from experience, if Taylor Swift had told 14-year-old me “jump”-and if said 14 year old hadn’t fainted from speaking with Taylor Swift – she would’ve responded: “how high?”, so any endorsement from a popular celebrity with an impressionable audience can have quite an impact.

Throughout the 2017 snap election, there was an increase in focus on youth engagement from celebrities, like Jme, Novelist and Stormzy who used their influence to encourage young people to vote. It is good to see celebrities reinforcing the importance of voting, and explaining politics because as of yet there is no curriculum educating those in school on such topics.

What’s the issue?

This is not where I take issue, for me, it is when celebrities push an agenda with little to no education or reasoning behind their decision for their audience to form a conclusion upon. Recent endorsement’s from the Kardashian-West’s highlight my distaste in politically-illiterate celebrities joining in a scene they have little knowledge of, allowing politicians to use them in order to win back public opinion.

Swift in her Instagram post detailed her core beliefs, and examples where her vision of America is reflected in the party representatives she decided to vote for and stressed the importance of doing your own research. Stormzy is no stranger to using his platform to share his opinions, he has called on Theresa May to do more for Grenfell victims whilst performing at the Brits in 2018 and more recently whilst performing at Glastonbury encouraged a crowd to chant ‘F*ck Boris’ a line featured in his song Cold.

Celebrities are awarded immense influence in the job they do and it is absolutely right that they can express their opinions which will influence generations to get involved and raise there voices too. However, as we have seen with the recent expose with Jo Brand, celebrities have to be careful with what and how they say things with a political message.

Celebrities thankfully have a much smaller influence in politics than those in and around Westminster. Whilst some can influence political opinion, it is still up to the party, media perceptions and their own policies that influences voters. Celebrities have a right, like the rest of us, to share their views – and, I wouldn’t wish to restrict their freedom of speech. We also have a duty to form our own opinions, and whether we want to take on their message.

When celebrities call for their fans to vote one way or the other, they promote politicians from political parties or comment on current affairs, it is often they are not calling for their audience to read-up on policy and weigh-up the arguments the same way Swift does. Rather they are calling on individuals to trust them because they are the celebrity. This isn’t the same as advertising a code for overprices vitamins.

So, should celebrities have a place in political influence? Absolutely. But do I wish that they approached the issue in the same way as say, Taylor Swift? Yes.

Educating those within the 16-25 age bracket is crucial if we are to see voter turnout reach post-war levels again, and this is something I am passionate about. But I think that if celebrities are to enter the political stage, they must approach it with the same approach a politician would, and they must understand the power they hold. If a time comes where we reject any notion from the political elite and turn to everyone’s favourite celebrity for their take on the hot topic of the day or what position to take in an election, I will watch with bated breath as informed decisions turn to influenced ones.

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Ellie Varley is a freelance writer and a graduate of politics having just completed her final year at university.