Celebrity Health Narratives and the Public Health - Paperback

by Christina S. Beck (Author), Stellina M. a. Chapman (Author), Nathaniel Simmons (Author)

We follow celebrities on Twitter and Facebook, watch them on television, and read about them in supermarket checkout lines. Our relationship with celebrities has never been so immediate. Their personal trials are news headlines and water cooler talk.

Offering the first extensive look at celebrity health sagas, this book examines the ways in which their stories become our stories, influencing public perception and framing dialog about wellness, disease and death. These private-yet-public narratives drive fund-raising, reduce stigma and influence policy. Celebrities such as Mary Tyler Moore, Robin Roberts, Michael J. Fox, and Christopher Reeve--as well as 200 others included in the study--have left a lasting legacy.

Author Biography

Christina S. Beck is a professor and associate director of graduate studies in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University. She has authored or edited 11 books, in addition to multiple book chapters and journal articles, and her current research interests are at the intersections of health communication, fandom, and media studies. She lives in Athens, Ohio. Stellina M.A. Chapman teaches media and strategic communications full time at SUNY New Paltz and is an adjunct professor at Ohio University and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She lives in Ohio. Nathaniel Simmons is a communication faculty member within the General Education Department at Western Governors University. His research primarily explores public-private negotiations within health and intercultural contexts. He lives in Columbus, Ohio. Kelly E. Tenzek is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Communication at SUNY Buffalo, where she researches and teaches content related to difficult conversations. She lives in Williamsville, New York. Stephanie M. Ruhl is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Clemson University. Her research interest is in the communicative experiences of health and healing. She lives in Clemson, South Carolina.