Christina S. Beck - Celebrity Health Narratives and the Public Health

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

e-ISBN: 978-1-4766-1907-1

2015 Christina S. Beck, Stellina M.A. Chapman, Nathaniel Simmons, Kelly E. Tenzek and Stephanie M. Ruhl. All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Front cover 2015 Shutterstock

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
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Christie: I am very grateful to my co-authors, Stellina, Nathaniel, Kelly, and Stephanie for collaborating with me on this project (as well as to Tim McKenna for his contributions to our earlier article about celebrity health narratives). Work on this book has spanned several years, overlapping with other professional and personal adventures, but, especially given that celebrity health narratives have become even more prominent and intimate (with the advent of social media), Im glad that it has taken some time to finish. I appreciate the continued support of the faculty in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University and the many conversations that I have had with colleagues and students about this endeavor. Feedback from reviews of our article in Health Communication and conference presentation at the Central States Communication Association conference has enriched and advanced this book. On a personal note, my husband, Roger C. Aden, has, quite literally, made my role in this project possible. Thanks so much to Roger for everything that you do to make sure that everyone in our family has what they need, when they need it, including time for me to finish up a book only a few weeks after our oldest daughter got married. I am also so blessed for my daughters Ellie-Kate (age 6), Emmy (age 13), Chelsea Meagan (age 19), and Brittany (age 27) and grateful for their patience and sacrifice, especially during the last few weeks of the project. Ill work on our trip to DisneyWorld now Finally, I praise God for all of His many blessings!

Stellina: Just when you think you know who you are, something comes along and makes you a stronger, better person. May we all have the courage to tell our story and encourage as many people as possible to be proactive about their health. To everyone who made this book possible: Past teachers, professors, family and friends, especially my mom, dad, and husband Aaron, thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement throughout my educational and professional careers. To the coauthors of this book, Christie, Kelly, Nathaniel, and Stephanie: You are all brilliant scholars and I thank you for your valuable contributions, immense encouragement, and inspiration throughout this journey of crafting such a beautiful book.

Nathaniel: I would like to thank the various celebrities both within and beyond this book that shared their health experiences with the public. Although this may not have always been their choice or desire, their stories continue to make a difference. I would also like to thank my coauthors for all of their feedback and hard work throughout this entire process.

Kelly: I would like to acknowledge and thank my colleagues who provided support throughout the process and listened to ideas and challenges during the writing process. I would like to thank the local coffee shop who provided the space for creative thought and a full cup to keep moving forward. I would also like to thank my family, who never stopped providing encouragement and support even when trips home were cancelled, travel plans changed, and I needed extra help with Maggie, our dogs, care. I hope that with this book and the difficult health conversations that are brought up, if the readers are experiencing similar situations or need help, they find the courage to seek support to find physical and spiritual peace.

Stephanie: I dedicate this work to some of the most significant women in my life: my mother, my sisters, and my mentors, Lynn M. Harter, Mary Albert Darling, and Suzette Turpelyour lives, your work, and your love are beautiful examples that we do not need celebrity status to make extraordinary contributions to our world.

Christina S. Beck

I admit it. Every now and again, my eye drifts wanders away from my rather boring cart of groceries and up to the enticing racks of magazines that line the check-out aisle. Yes, I have an Inquiring Mind, and, sometimes (not always, though!), I skim headlines about the rich and famous, observe less than flattering photographs of celebrities, and note captions that question the health status of people whom I know but have never metall while waiting to pay for my weekly shopping.

As I was working on my book Communicating for Better Health: A Guide through the Medical Mazes (Beck, 2000), I realized that I wanted to include a chapter on public dialogues about health. As I gathered material for that portion of the book, I recalled those images from the check-out aisle and started to think about other celebrities who chose to share their private health-related sagas with the publicAnnette Funicello, Christopher Reeve, Tracey Gold, among others. I realized that their private-turned-public health narratives constitute important contributions to broader conversations about health, wellness, illness, and even death.

What began as the collection of a few examples for a small section of a chapter in another book has morphed into the development of a data set over the past 17 years that currently encompasses information on over 200 celebrities who have confided personal health details through television and print interviews and, increasingly, interactions with fans on various forms of social media. As time ensued, the stacks under my office desk grew. After obtaining and enlisting an apprentice from the Honors Tutorial College to pursue more leads and print transcripts from various news programs and talk shows, the mound under my desk expanded even more, especially given that this data collection dovetailed with the emergence of social media and reality television and proliferation of television outletsa perfect storm, if you will, for intensified attention to the personal concerns of public figures, particularly with regard to health issues.

As I continued to clip, buy, and tape items that could be related to this research, my life continued to unfold. Since my work on this project began in 1997, I have welcomed two more daughters (for a total of four children), co-edited another book, and served as editor of Communication Yearbook, president of the Central States Communication Association, and first vice president of the National Communication Association. Although I never would have intended to drag the celebrity health narrative project out for so long, I am grateful that something always seemed to come up and distract me from getting back to it, given that these years have enabled me to gather data as this unique phenomenon in both pop culture and public health communication unfolded.