Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk, the assistant professor of sociology in the University at Buffalo, explains that schools and academics often mock celebrity news. But Hanna points to a study that indicates celebrity culture as a great influence to people.
It is considered as a huge influence when it comes to social norms. And if used wisely, it can reach far and wide, according to Buffalo.
The study saw the history for the past forty years when it comes to celebrity news. They found that these news seem to have made contributions to the changes in the traditional nuclear American family. In the report, it helps destigmatize out of wedlock child birthds in the country. Grol-Prokopczyk explains that average Americans used to be embarrassed about having someone in the family pregnant and not married. But celebrities are not even apologizing for their pregnancies. Grol-Prokopczyk adds that the American family model has changed.
The previous model encourages women to marry by the time the child is born. In the years of 2000, the model shifted. Celebrities are now having a kid even without marriage. And most celebrity couples often have a baby prior to getting married. Grol-Prokopczyk uses People Magazine as her source of celebrity news. She considers it to be a reputable source as the publication does not publish fictional covers. She saw the past 400 cover stories of People Magazine. Her analysis saw the evolution of celebrity pregnancies.
According to the University at Buffalo sociologist, celebrity news can act as an agent for social change when it comes to out of marriage child birth.
She uses Angleina Jolie as an example. When the actress confessed to having a preventative mastectomy, the Angelina Effect happened. Which meant 74% of Americans knew about it. This effect was even published in the journal Genetics in Medicine.
Celebrity news can also act as an agent for social change when it comes to de-stigmatizing transgenderism.
