An Introduction to the Celebutante Effect: A Rhetorical Analysis of the HeForSheCampaign

In 2014 Emma Watson launched the HeForShe campaign with her well-received speech about gender inequality. After the speech the campaign received generous media attention from traditional and social media. The goal of the campaign was to recruit as many men and boys as possible to join the fight for gender equality. The focus of this rhetorical analysis is specifically directed toward Watson’s kickoff speech. With today’s technology it is important to understand the effect and influence celebrity endorsers have on the general public. What I term the “celebutante effect” explains how celebrity endorsers persuade their audiences. This research looks at celebrity mobilization and recruitment tactics through framing perspective as well as Debord’s Spectacle in order to analyze discursive formations of feminism in the HeForShe campaign. The research revealed that, while Watson used her celebrity status to gain numbers, the campaign failed to move beyond the social movement phase of emergence.