It is normal to get caught up with all the media on the top celebrities in this world; but let's forget about Miley Cyrus' crazy ride or whats new with the Kardashians. There are so many celebrities out there who don't get the amount of press as they should be. Don't get me wrong, I love the Kardashians and keeping up with them; however, I like to find celebrities out there who are using their fame to truly make a difference. But since they aren't making headlines for the latest scandal, their difference becomes hidden becoming insignificant. A lot of awareness have been spreaded through social media and has become a huge, significant effect on the charity and donations today.
The following are significant heroes to our world with very little recognition for their serving and too much recognition on their social life.
1. Sophia Bush- Known for her character "Brooke Davis" from One Tree Hill, she is a very serious activist and uses social media to advocate and raise awareness for certain world events and fundraisers. In 2011, she won the Do Something Twitter award. She publicly shares her views politically and helps raise awareness and funds for her favorite charities.
2. Leighton Meester- She is an activist via social media and uses her social media to publicly help support certain fundraisers and organizations along with certain social problems around the world. She has posted about poor counties in America and how to help. She participates in #GivingTuesday on Instagram to help with donations to certain charities and causes. She also performs and attends many events that go towards a specific cause. Most people know her as her Upper East Side character, Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl; however, she is almost the complete opposite as she shares her support and focuses her time on charities.
3. Annalynne McCord- She is known for her character on the remake of 90210 "Naomi Clark." Being the complete opposite of her 90210 character, Annalynne McCord is a "strong believer in working with organizations and giving back" according to Wikipedia. She is a big supporter of the "St. Bernard Project," which is a rebuilding organization for assisting victims of Hurricane Katrina. She is a Goodwill ambassador, which fights to end human trafficking and slavery. She was sexually assaulted once and from there she has become a speaker and activist for the No More Campaign.
4. Emma Watson- As if setting the bar high from graduating from Brown University while juggling her acting schedule wasn't enough, Watson promotes women's rights and education for girls around the world. For being a feminist, she takes a smart take on things and influences women around the world. She was also appointed a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. She has been on the TIME 100 list of world's most influential people and AskMen "Top 99 Outstanding Women 2015." January of 2016, she started a feminist Goodreads book club "to share feminist ideas and encourage discussion on the topic."
5. Kerry Washington- Scandal star, Kerry Washington, is a huge activist who participates in many fundraisers and an advocate for many organizations. She is a huge believer in women's rights and gay rights. She is a member of Creative Coalition (a board of actors, writers, musicians, etc) who research issues at the "forefront" of national disclosure. She is also a part of V-Day, a global movement that brings awareness to violence, specifically in women and girls. She has participated in many Human Rights Campaign videos. In 2013, she was named an honorary chairperson of the GLSEN Respect Awards and received the GLAAD Vanguard award. She is an advocate for her political views as she has participated in many democratic conventions and publicly showed her support towards Obama and showed her endorsement for Hillary Clinton.
6. Demi Lovato- Being a victim of Bulimia, she uses her struggles as a message for those young teenagers that being perfect is impossible and you should be loved for who you truly are. Most people would say she is an advocate who shares her past struggles. Many people look up to Lovato and think of her as a positive pop icon. She is an ambassador for "mean stinks" which is a campaign for bullied girls. June of 2013, Lovato set up a the "Lovato Treatment Scholarship Program" to pay treatment costs for mentally-ill patients. Along with her being an advocate for eating disorders and depression, she shares her views and support for gay rights. She is identified as a feminist and spoke at the 2016 Democratic Convention. Personally, I believe Demi Lovato is one of the most influential, life changing celebrities for this generation.
7. Leonardo DiCaprio- Being a very strong environmental activist, DiCaprio has been a strong donator for many organizations to make the environment better and safer. One of the most significant moments of his activism was when he won his 2016 Oscar and dedicated his acceptance speech to advocate for a safer environment. He is known for donating to the Wildlife Conservation Society, Animal Legal Defense Fund's Campaign, National Resource Defense Counsel, etc. Early 2106, he met with Pope Francis, donating and speaking about environmental issues. From that meeting, the Pope decided to take part of a planned faith-based charity film, where the profits are dedicated to charities in Argentina.
8. Jessica Alba- Along with her donations and participation in many charities, such as, Safer Chemicals Healthy Families, ONE, Habitat for Humanity, Project HOME, etc, she is the cofounder of the Honest Company and known as the face of the company. The company sells non-toxic household products and stresses the importance of the products especially with children. According to Alba, she started this company to "help moms and to give all children a better, safer start" according to the Honest Company website.
This article is a personal thank you to you celebrities who are doing life right! We have a wide variety (and so many more) of celebrities who dedicate their lives and time to make the world a better place. And this just a select few. THANK YOU for being such positive influences!
XOXO,
Alyssa Ellyn
