Celebrification, Authenticity, Gossip: The Celebrity Humanitarian

Abstract

The article discusses the celebrity humanitarian as media construction. Departing from a discussion of celebrification, the article argues that celebrities in public roles outside the field of entertainment are inevitably framed by and structured in accordance with celebrity logic. The article discusses how celebrity humanitarianism is a contested field, which, in order for a particular activity to support the celebrity persona, relies heavily on strategies of authentification. Finally, the article shows how information about a photograph of Angelina Jolie from her trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in March 2013 is transformed and translated into gossip about the star’s private life when discussed by users on a celebrity site.

Keywords

• celebrification
• celebrity humanitarianism
• authenticity
• gossip
• angelina jolie