Do we care what our celebrities have to say about politics? For years, the answer was yes—at least, that is what we were told. Celebrities were more likely to get canceled for staying quiet than for speaking up.
Now, the tide has turned. Just look at two interviews from two Hollywood A-listers in recent days. First, Jennifer Lawrence, who said back in 2015 that a Donald Trump presidency would be “the end of the world.” Last week, while promoting her new movie, she more or less threw up her hands: “Celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for. So then what am I doing?”
In Kat Rosenfield’s latest essay, she says this is a welcome change—and that we need more Jennifer Lawrences. Read it here.
Lawrence is not the only one recalibrating. In a “GQ” interview last week, Sydney Sweeney was asked about that viral American Eagle jeans ad from July—the one some people online claimed had white-nationalist undertones.
Her answer: “I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.” Translation: I’m an actress, not an activist. And a pretty good one at that. Read Suzy Weiss’s review of her latest movie, “Christy,” here.
But that doesn’t mean celebrity influence has evaporated. Sweeney’s ad alone helped push the value of American Eagle’s stock up 38 percent. So what does that say about the current relationship between culture and capitalism? Below, Tyler Cowen lays out the economics of Sydney Sweeney—and explains why we may now be entering a new, mega-superstar economy. —The Editors
Sydney Sweeney is back in the news. And for many reasons: She has two upcoming movies, Christy and The Housemaid, releasing in November and December, respectively. She also recently confirmed her romance with Scooter Braun with their first-ever public kiss.
Naturally, however, the biggest reason is that famous American Eagle ad.
You know the one. It was released on July 23 and featured Sweeney with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” It was clearly a double reference to the jeans being sold and Sydney’s very comely looks (in other words, her “genes”).
