Ever since booktok became one of the most popular TikTok niches, everyone has been obsessed with reading AND the reading aesthetic. Back in March, I made a video about *that* GQ article that claimed we were all pretending to be bookworms to look smart, but I didn't really touch on how celebrities play into this.
Luckily for you (???) about a month ago I found out that Dua Lipa started a book club. After pulling at that thread for a bit it turns out that a lot of them either have started one or are currently recommending books through their social media - complete with affiliate links.
So I started to think about what this means: can celebrities - people whose entire public existence is monetized in some way or another - genuinely claim that they're just sharing their favourite books online for the sake of connecting with their fans? Or is this just another business move?
Are book clubs the next step in the celebrity brand empire?
As usual, I don't mean any hate to any of the people mentioned and I hope that my comments come across as what they're intended: a critique of phenomena in popular culture and not criticism of individual people. Hope you enjoy!
My other video about the reading aesthetic and 'bookish girls' on TikTok and Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6krVYT0Jo4
Other creators mentioned:
Alice Cappelle (@AliceCappelle) - the video I mentioned here is no longer available but I wholeheartedly recommend all of her content!
Jack Edwards (@jack_edwards) - he has a whole celebrity book club playlist but you can start here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6uQ-SlL2C4&list=PL-UUknsYiXig_fE21FaXNYolXiR4Uu9Sp&index=5
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