Celebrities as Philanthropists

What a celebrity chooses to do with his or her fortune after rising to stardom is entirely up to him or her. Some celebrities devote their time to doing more work in the industry to perfect their craft. Others venture into different careers after some time of fame, and there are also stars who lose their fame for different reasons.

Society’s most valuable stars are perhaps those who choose to use their fame outside of the entertainment industry to do something else that would benefit society. These are celebrities who use their influence for humanitarian and philanthropic causes.

One of the most prominent humanitarian celebrities is Angelina Jolie. While active in her career as a movie star, she embarks on field missions, meetings with refugees, environmental conservation efforts, and many more.

Another example is Leonardo di Caprio who is a strong advocate of climate change. His philanthropic work involves promotion of awareness on global warming, preservation of biodiversity, and support for renewable energy.

One more of Hollywood’s most bankable celebrities who do humanitarian work is Matt Damon. His work together with fellow celebrities George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, David Pressman, and Jerry Weintraub involves stopping mass atrocities such as the War in Darfur. He also supports causes for combating AIDS and poverty around the world.

Humanitarian work among celebrities is not exclusive to the Western celebrities. Famous Asian celebrities like Jackie Chan also engage in charity work. South Korea also has many celebrities who work for various causes. Examples are Ha Ji-won, Lee Seung-gi, Lee Min-ho, and Jang Geun-suk.

The fame and public attention attached to movie stars make them powerful instruments of society. They can affect people’s decisions through advertisements and endorsements, they can shape public opinion through their statements or sentiments, and they can popularize an idea or a trend easily. The bottom line is that they can persuade people to do things more easily than a common individual would. However, beyond all these stereotypical roles of celebrities, celebrities can do more.

Many celebrities choose to do charity and humanitarian work that benefit society, and they should be commended for it. Celebrities who go the extra mile in their line of work as TV or movie stars show that there is more to celebrities than the glamorous side of being a star. They send strong messages to the public that fame and fortune are not everything that matters especially when there are people who suffer. Despite the many horrible events happening to good and innocent people around the world, they also symbolize optimism. Most importantly, they remind society that there is hope for humanity.