Taking Medical Advice from Celebs - When Will we Learn?

Angelina Jolie is the latest celeb to weigh in on a medical matter. Admittedly, her double mastectomy a few years ago apparently encouraged many women to get themselves checked, and her recent ovary-removing surgery will hopefully highlight the drastic improvement it can have on ovarian cancer prognoses, but as this article points out, Jolie has touted some very dodgy medical claims in the past. (I'm not hatin' on Angie by the way.)

And she's by no means the only celeb to opine on matters that she really has no business opining on. Who can forget Gwyneth Paltrow's recent advice to get thee straight to LA to steam your vag. Or something. I quote - “You sit on what is essentially a mini-throne, and a combination of infrared and mugwort steam cleanses your uterus, et al. It is an energetic release—not just a steam douche—that balances female hormone levels. If you’re in LA, you have to do it.”

Why? Why do they think they have the knowledge to advise others on medical matters? And  more importantly, why do people listen to them? As a selfless act of public service, I have delved into the matter a little further, - reading a meta-narrative analysis from the BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) no less. Apparently we "consume endorsed items to acquire the endorsing celebrities' traits, which have become associated with the product." So in popping off to LA and steaming our va-jay-jays we are subconsciously hoping that we'll get Gwynnie's pert little bum and glossy hair as a by-product. It's called the "Halo Effect" - "The specific success of celebrities is generalized to all their traits, biasing people to view them as credible medical advisors." In short, if we liked Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, we will probably also think she knows what she's talking about in the medical field. 

And when we don't follow their advice, we experience "cognitive dissonance" - mental stress or discomfort experienced when we receive new information (from said celeb) that conflicts with our existing beliefs, ideas or values. So, even if you raised an eyebrow at Gwynie's claim that a vaginal steam douche could "balance female hormones", were you a fan, it would stress you out to admit it. Even worse, we also apparently follow celebrity medical advice to gain social status and shape our social identities. How shallow. 

So - next time you hear your favorite actor talking about how this plant or that cream can save the planet, pause for a second. Not only should you be asking where this person received his or her Medical Degree, you should also be asking yourself what crazy personal need is driving you to act on the faux advice. 

Time for some introspection methinks.