Variations on the adage that celebrities are just like us but with better hair, teeth and diets have been put to the test this week as a number of actors, singers and reality stars have made their way onto social media with content inspired by their time in quarantine. They have ranged from public-broadcast-style announcements from Arnold Schwarzenegger to unusual beauty tips from January Jones and digital singalongs with Gal Gadot and friends.
Some celebrities’ content has been altruistic and, from a public health perspective at least, helpful, focusing on practical guidelines. Gloria Gaynor, for instance, posted to TikTok a video of herself lip-synching to I Will Survive while lathering up .
I believe simply, frequently, properly washing your hands can go a long way toward accomplishing what’s best for my fellow man
“We’re all in this crisis together,” Gaynor told the Guardian. “I for one want to do what’s best for myself, my family and my fellow man. I want to make sure I’m doing what I can to encourage other people to do the same and that is the reason for my TikTok video. I believe simply, frequently, properly washing your hands can go a long way toward accomplishing that.
“For generations, I Will Survive has become the anthem of the world, to give hope, encouragement and inspiration, and I will continue to make sure that happens.”
Mariah Carey also washed her hands to a song from her back catalogue: she and her children posted a video to TikTok of themselves washing their hands to a remix of her 1995 number 1 Fantasy.
On Thursday, the American singer JoJo posted a reworked version of her song Leave (Get Out), changing lyrics to give an instructional message the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US would be proud of. Foregrounded by a bowl piled high with shiny lemons, she chides younger viewers who may not be taking isolation warnings seriously: “Tell me why you’re acting so confused when the CDC laid it out for you. Come on I know you’re not dumb/ to go behind my back and hit the bar/shows how immature you really are/ keep exposure to a minimum.”
Best way to wash your hands? Watching this video while you do it 🧼💦 Stay safe and keep washing those hands!! #SafeHands #REACT pic.twitter.com/BaWESDWSc2
— Nicole Scherzinger (@NicoleScherzy) March 14, 2020
The Pussy Cat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger took the opportunity to promote her band’s new single, React, to wash her hands while singing along dressed in latex.
Other celebrities have been offering lifestyle tips specific to their age group. The 72-year-old Schwarzenegger has been posting advice focused on how fellow over-65s can stay fit and well.
In one, he poses in front of a giant mural of himself in his flexing heyday while explaining the benefits of cycling as a self-isolation-friendly exercise option. More recently he has extolled the stay-at-home message from in his whirlpool bath while smoking a cigar.
January Jones’ Instagram video of her “detox bath” falls into a more corona-adjacent than practical class of celebrity produced content. The former Mad Men actor’s beauty routine is quarantine friendly by dint of being time-consuming. In it she stirs lavender bubbles, baking soda, organic-apple cider vinegar and two scoops of sea salt into a bath tub. One person on Twitter called it a “thrush cauldron”, while another described the video as “January Jones teaching how to turn your coochie into salt & vinegar crisps”.
One of the best tonics this week came from Lizzo who, forced to cancel her appearance at the Houston rodeo, posted a 30-minute mass meditation to her Instagram followers instead. The video opens with her playing the flute surrounded by crystals, before going on to offer some words of calm: “Fear can spread so much hatred … I wanted to empower everybody and let you guys know that we have power, you have the power to eliminate fear.”
