We’re all a bit obsessed with someone famous – whether it’s our favorite movie star, the musical artist at the top of our playlists, or even just someone in the public eye who we idolize and look up to.
Having our favorite arty celebrity is just fine, but the idea of a role model works so much better if that special someone is someone doing good things – we’re talking about the celebrities who actively use their status to make the world a better place, say, through engaging with politics, working with fantastic charitable causes, or simply just using their voice to promote change.
Here are some celebrities under the age of 30 who we should totally be inspired by.
Jaden Smith
Other than just being ultra-cool and proudly sporting gender-neutral clothing, Jaden has also been wildly outspoken in a range of other cultural issues. As well as being vegan, his foundation has joined forces with EMA (Environmental Media Association) to help promote positive and sustainable changes in the relationship that pop culture has with the environment. This includes working with the eco-friendly water company, JUST Water.
Taylor Swift
Swifties often like to sing Taylor Swift’s praises for her, highlighting how much philanthropic work she does for a variety of different societal and cultural causes. She’s always the first to lend a helping hand when natural disasters cause devastation, and most notably she’s a loud and clear voice in the movements of equality. These include education for the poor, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights. Listen to her latest pride-single, ‘You Need To Calm Down’.
Chance The Rapper
Chance is known to be “one of the nicest guys in the music industry”, and his activist work clearly shows this is true. He’s been a strong advocator against gun violence over the years, and he’s also worked with a range of different charities in support of keeping the homeless safe. Chance is also an avid critic of He Who Shall Not Be Named (the current president of the USA).
Emma Watson
Emma is a known feminist. She’s worked directly and actively within the women’s rights movements for years, and this activism stepped up to an even higher gear when the #MeToo movement first started to come shine its lights on the entertainment industry. In July 2014, she was appointed the role of UN’s Goodwill Ambassador for Women’s Rights, and she’s since traveled all over the world fighting for equality.
Shailene Woodley
Up and coming actress Shailene Woodley is an activist chameleon, working religiously on a variety of different issues that she finds important. In 2016, she joined the board of Our Revolution, a political organization that aims to educate young voters. She also works with environmental and climate organizations, most notably protesting against the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline. After she pleaded guilty to criminal trespassing, she was sentenced to a year of probation. Now that is what you call commitment!
So there you have it. Look past the glitz and glamor of the music awards and the movie sets, and you’ll see an army of non-complacent celebrity do-gooders. The names on this list aren’t satisfied with the damaging wrong-doings, prejudices, and injustices going on in the world, and you shouldn’t be either. Change is coming, and these celebrities are at the forefront of the all-important movements aiming to make the world a better place, for us all.
