Perhaps you saw this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, it was actress Jennifer Lawrence, sitting down with The New York Times <\/em>a week ago for an episode of The Interview<\/em> podcast. The host questioned Lawrence, noting how in the past, she has been politically outspoken, but yet, she hasn\u2019t been making many public comments as of late. Lawrence said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t really know if I should\u2026 as we\u2019ve learned election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for. So then what am I doing? I\u2019m just sharing my opinion on something that\u2019s going to add fuel to a fire that\u2019s ripping the country apart. We are so divided.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Next during the week came actress Sydney Sweeney. She sat down with GQ Magazine,<\/em> who brought up last summer\u2019s attention-grabbing American Eagle jeans ad and how Sweeney was the focus of what became a bit of an incessant political flashpoint. \u201cSydney Sweeney has great jeans,\u201d said the ad. Utilizing a play on the word \u201cjeans\u201d vs. \u201cgenes,\u201d critics scoffed at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed caucasian woman being the focus. GQ <\/em>asked about her political involvement. The interviewer actually began discussing such by saying \u201cyou have become very swept up in politics.\u201d Responded Sweeney:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I\u2019m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And when pressed once more by GQ<\/em> about the ad\u2019s criticism and if there was something more she wanted to say, \u201cspecifically in this political climate,\u201d Sweeney said: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I respect Lawrence and Sweeney, and I respect their recognition that celebrity status doesn\u2019t mean their perspective is any more or less valuable than another. I respect their current resistance to join in the rhetorical fray. Sometimes, unfortunately, it has felt that a celebrity\u2019s insertion of political opinion or endorsement has appeared most as an attempted moral scolding; that\u2019s not effective nor attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It reminds me of the simple wisdom from basketball great, Michael Jordan, some 35 years ago, at the height of his fame. When asked why he wouldn\u2019t publicly endorse a North Carolina Democrat who shared his views years ago, Jordan shrewdly quipped, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We see that in Lawrence and Sweeney, two widely popular actresses who have significant, diverse followings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lawrence added last week that she doesn\u2019t want her political opinions to deter people from watching her films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to protect my craft so that you can still get lost in what I\u2019m doing, what I\u2019m showing. If I can\u2019t say something that\u2019s going to speak to some kind of peace or lowering the temperature or some sort of solution, I just don\u2019t want to be a part of the problem. I don\u2019t want to make the problem worse.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sweeney, too, added, \u201cI\u2019ve always believed that I\u2019m not here to tell people what to think.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It seems each has recognized the potential scolding. It also seems that\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everything has to be about politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everyone needs to speak about politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And how refreshing that can actually be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Perhaps you saw this. First, it was actress Jennifer Lawrence, sitting down with The New York Times a week ago for an episode of The Interview podcast. The host questioned Lawrence, noting how in the past, she has been politically outspoken, but yet, she hasn\u2019t been making many public comments as of late. Lawrence said: … <\/p>\n