Are Political Celebrities Inspiring Younger Generations to Become More Politically Active?
In recent years, many politicians have taken a dive into the celebrity social scene. Most recently, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) sparked a conversation on taxes after her appearance at the 2021 Met Gala.
Last week, AOC showed up to this year's Met Gala in a dress designed by Aurora James. It was an all white gown that had bright red lettering on the back that said “Tax the Rich.” At an event where each ticket is $30,000.00, this statement was bound to raise some questions. Many felt that this was an extreme form of hypocrisy, but it is one of the most reviewed looks of the entire event. Since raising the taxes of the upper class is one of her most prominent topics, would all press be good press for AOC?
192.6 million people viewed the 2021 Met Gala across many streaming platforms, including TikTok, which has a primarily younger audience. In turn, this propelled an entirely new demographic to do more research on AOC and to become more aware of different types of prevalent issues.
Another politician that has dove into the social scene is Kentucky State Senator Morgan McGarvey. McGarvey alongside his social media assistant, Piper Burke. They knew that the best way to reach younger people was through TikTok, so they created an account named @kysenatedems.
In the first month of posting on the account, it gained over 12,000 followers and 330,000 likes. This TikTok account has not only been a savvy campaign tactic, but it also teaches younger viewers about McGarvey’s political stances in a simplistic way. This is key for younger participation in political elections.
Kentucky is a fairly even split state in regards to political parties, so all senators and politicians are constantly working together. McGarvey promotes political inclusivity on his TikTok and inspires a young audience to do research and formulate their own opinions on things.
While many democratic politicians are becoming more socially present and appealing to younger audiences, there are a number of republican activists and politicians who are doing the same.
Candace Owens, a Republican activist, author, and talk show host that reaches a variety of demographics. She has amassed over seven million followers across Instagram and Twitter, has written a book called “Blackout,” and is a talk show host of a show that has partnered with the Daily Wire called “Candace.”
Owens has reached many young conservatives through her different media presences, but she also has stepped into the social scene through certain controversies.
Most notably, Owens got into a massive Twitter war with female rapper, Cardi B, over Cardi’s Grammy performance in March of 2021. Owens went on the Tucker Carlson show on Fox News and stated that Cardi’s performance of her hit song “WAP” signified “corrosion” and the “end of an empire.” Then, Cardi fired back over Twitter saying, “Wow. Imagine if WAP caused the downfall of the American empire and not North Korea bomb threats, terrorism, racism, or bad government?!! THAT WOULD BE SO ICONIC!!!”
The two continued to go back and forth over Twitter until Cardi publicized a photoshopped tweet about Owens’ husband cheating on her with her brother. Owens threatened to sue Cardi, and it eventually was established that the tweet was fake.
Even though this was a heated debate, Owens made her name known to an entire new group of people. Similarly to AOC, Owens presented herself and what she stands for to the millions of Grammy Award Show viewers and to anyone who follows Cardi B. Anyone who found themselves agreeing with Owens, but might not have known who she was before, would be more inclined to do research on her. This would allow them to sharpen their political stance, and it may inspire those to take more action.
Ultimately, one of the most blatant politicians that has traversed themselves into the celebrity world is the former President of the United States, Donald Trump. Before taking office, Trump was considered a businessman and socialite. He has taken on a variety of business ventures, such as his Trump Towers, and he has made many social appearances in events such as the Met Gala. However, his Twitter account is what reached millions. While his tweets were known to be over-the-top, they alerted most of America of what his policies were.
In today’s day and age, many politicians are using social media more frequently and establishing a presence in the celebrity social scene. Some of their pushback has been extremely negative, but they get their messages across nonetheless. They have inspired new age groups to play their role in the U.S. democracy and take on their civic responsibilities.