The Jolie effect

Instead of simply promoting herself, movie star ­Angelina Jolie has used her celebrity to help others

Angelina Jolie, who is an ardent human-rights campaigner and a United Nations special envoy, has become a de facto spokesperson for breast cancer awareness. Michael Sohn / AP Photo

We often react with scepticism when we read about celebrities handing out food to refugees in Rwanda, for instance, or singing nursery rhymes to orphans in Malawi. And for good reason. There are instances where well-known personalities agree to highlight human suffering and other issues of concern for the selfish reason of publicity.

However, there are also those who, beneath the glitz and glamour, demonstrate genuine awareness and humanity. As The National reported yesterday, Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, who is an ardent human-rights campaigner and a United Nations special envoy, has become a de facto spokesperson for breast cancer awareness since she announced last year her decision to have a preventive double mastectomy because of her high genetic risk of breast cancer.

According to research in Britain, her extraordinary public declaration has influenced others, with the number of women seeking potentially life-saving genetic breast-cancer tests more than doubling.

By using her fame to advocate this and other important issues, including the rape of women in war zones, Jolie has brought some humanity and dignity to the often shallow world of celebrity.