Please prepare for extremely cliché introduction to this article.
We now live in a time where celebrities are immersed in our everyday routines. (There it was. Did you cringe, because I sure did!) We wake up, brush our teeth, prepare our oatmeal-and-banana and sit down to eat it; while doing so, we pick up the "newspaper"–Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. While all three can actually be quite credible for news, many of us choose to follow figures of entertainment: movie stars, screenwriters, comedians, the bundle of Kardashians, and a plethora of YouTube mongrels. Most of these celebs tweet and Insta to promote themselves (which is part of their job, whether they like it or not). When times of political or social crises occur, you know, almost every day, some tend to type out a phrase or two of how they feel.
However, many celebs don't truly take the opportunities that lay from their platform to the next level.
Take Selena Gomez–possibly the highest-ranked of social media queens after her Coke-sponsored Instagram picture becoming the most liked in history–during the pop-culture cluster**** of the whole Taylor Swift/Kanye West/Kim Kardashian debacle. Yeah, remember that? That was fun. Here's what she said in response to much of the world calling her BFF T-Swift a snake.
(warning: choice words are displayed in the following images:)
When she received a lil' backlash that brought up the hypocrisy in this thread, she didn't exactly tweet the tweet her fans wanted to see:
A celebrity who knows the extent of her power and influence had just diminished the Black Lives Matter movement into a matter of hashtags and taking "sides". Unfortunately, many celebrities (many of them being white women in particular, or at least a participant in the white women culture) usually take the safe side in times of serious movements and waves for change.
Except one–or at least a really good one. One who time and time again has shown that she will use her still-fresh "It Girl" social power to invoke change over a broad spectrum of issues. She is Brie Larson, and she is Superwoman. I mean Captain Marvel.
1. She is not shy or vague when it comes to Black Lives Matter.
Starting this July 18, Larson began a spread out Insta-pattern of highlighting black millennials by re-posting those who wrote their feelings/opinions on being black and tagged her in such. She is still continuing this manner of recognizing and implementing her white privilege and celeb privilege in a beautiful way.
2. She supports the environment by encouraging local and sustainable companies.
Promoting being cautious about the environment while starring a socially beneficial company WHILE inserting the appropriate amount of adorable emojis???? Brie gets it.
3. She called out harmful Internet trolls while giving their victims some much needed love.
Cyber-bullying and "trolling" has increasingly become an imminent danger to social media users, especially those who have been placed in certain marginal groups. Everything from fat-shaming to slut-shaming to LGBTQIAP+ shaming to Leslie freaking Jones-shaming has been caused by these invisible bullies. Brie gets her fair share like any other celebrity, but she chooses to defend her followers as well.
4. She knows how to use that retweet button for good.
This is just one example of Brie jumping ON IT when it comes to incredible situations such as the publication of dress code and hair policies at Pretoria Girls' High School, in which natural hair was prohibited. Brie knows she cannot fully relate, but that does not stop her from expressing her anger by posting eloquent messages from other influential figures.
5. Obviously, she's there for the ladies.
Brie Larson has taken every opportunity, either professionally in her industry or by just using the hashtag #WCW to spread a fun HERstory lesson on Twitter, to promote feminism and past and current female figures. It is clear she is constantly educating and unlearning on the matter, and she is using her status to encourage others to do the same.
6. She's still funny, too. What a concept, am I right?
Girl still knows how to do a killer #TBT.
7. Finally, just so I can repeat myself, she's playing CAPTAIN. MARVEL.
A gem. Just an absolute gem.
(Also taking a daily prayer that she doesn't screw up her white-woman-ally-ness by pulling a Lena Dunham or Amy Schumer. I love y'all, but come on. None of that was okay in the slightest.)
