Why are we so quick to believe celebrity health advice?
Celebrities are people just like the rest of us, but for some reason when they make health recommendations the public is quick to buy in.…
People are quick to follow celebrity advice, but why? (Shutterstock)
Celebrities are people just like the rest of us, but for some reason when they make health recommendations the public is quick to buy in.
This phenomenon occurs despite the fact many of these “health tips” aren’t based on any medical research and despite the fact common sense might caution against them.
So why is it that people are so quick to jump on the celebrity health bandwagon?
SEE ALSO: Please ignore Kim Kardashian and the waist training fad
According to Tim Caulfield, a professor at the Faculty of Law & School of Public Health at the University of Alberta in Canada, it all has to do with who we want to be, not necessarily how healthy we want to be.
Celebrities are presented to the world as the epitome of beauty and health. Their lifestyles in the media limelight always show them perfectly made-up, in the current cultural body image, and speaking with all the confidence that comes with being under the scrutiny of millions of people.
Though this image is an illusion resulting from hours of makeup sessions and clever photo editing, it is enough to fool the public into thinking if they do everything a celebrity does, they, too, can look like that celebrity.
SEE ALSO: Bizarre health fads celebrities follow
Its not just about health, its how you want to the world to see you, Caulfield told CBS News, adding that public paranoia regarding Western medicine also contributes. “Theres a growing distrust because of all the traditional sources people are worried about big pharma and big food. Theres some justification of that. I think that growing distrust creates a space for people like Gwyneth [Paltrow].
Paltrow is notorious for giving out health advice on her blog, Goop, and recently came under fire for recommending women participate in steam douching. “You sit on what is essentially a mini-throne, and a combination of infrared and mugwort steam cleanses your uterus, et al.,” Paltrow, 42, wrote on GOOP.
Her advice was immediately rebuffed by experts around the country.
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is known for giving out health advice on her blog, “Goop.”
“I would never tell anybody to do this because the potential risks are much higher than the potential benefits, Dr. Amos Grunebaum, an ob-gyn at New York Presbyterian Hospital, told the Daily News.
Gwyneth certainly isn’t the only celebrity linked to questionable health fads. Celebrities have endorsed everything from corset waist training to anti-vaccinations. Because these individuals have the money to access whatever experts and resources they want, the public is quick to assume they must know what’s best, and if it works for Gwyneth Paltrow or Kim Kardashian, it must work for everyone else, too.
In reality, celebrities do have access to whatever experts they want, but this means they are also vulnerable to scams and individuals looking to become famous themselves. Hollywood is filled with “secret beauty products” and little-known exercise programs in the hopes a celebrity will come along and show some favor.
SEE ALSO: The psychology behind Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘conscious uncoupling’
The bottom line? Celebrities are only human and have their own personal opinions and preferences like the rest of the world.
If you wouldn’t trust a random stranger’s health advice, why should you trust a celebrity’s? Ask your doctor–the real expert–before following a celebrity-recommended procedure.
