You can add talk show host Ellen DeGeneres to our list of celebrities who promote bottled water. Ellen is the newest sponsor of Vitamin Water, joining the ranks of other celebrities like 50 Cent and American Idols Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
The bottled water debate has been going on for some time, so it’s hardly surprising that yet another celebrity is promoting bottled water. However, it has come as a shock to many of Ellen’s fans, who temper their criticism with kindness.
For instance, Beth Terry over at Fake Plastic Fish began her article thusly: “I love Ellen, but I want her to dump her bottled water advertising contracts.”
Juli Borst, a self-confessed fan of Ellen DeGeneres and blogger at PlasticlessNYC , formed the Facebook group Tell Ellen Degeneres To Dump Bottled Water Advertising! On the group’s page, Juli writes, “We love Ellen Degeneres. But we hate that she is lending her personality to advertisements for bottled water–an industry that is damaging to people, animals, and the planet.”
Stephanie Soechtig, the director of the film Tapped, wrote a piece for the Huffington Post just yesterday entitled, “I’m Done with Celebrity Endorsements“. Having extolled the environmental dangers of bottled water waste in her film, it wasn’t long before Stephanie turned her attention to Ellen DeGeneres and her newfound promotion of bottled water: “We’re so quick to condemn the big corporations that pollute our natural resources, yet we glamorize the very people that endorse the product those corporations are selling.”
From all of the comments in the Facebook group and these articles, it’s obvious that many people do glamorize Ellen Degeneres. She’s not glamorized in the same way as the rest of her Vitamin Water compatriots, nor is she a sex symbol for the brand, like Jennifer Aniston is with SmartWater.
No, Ellen’s fans idolize the talk show host for her kindness, quirkiness, and her compassionate voice. Perhaps they see her as a more down-to-earth celebrity, and for that reason they are dismayed at why she of all people would sponsor Vitamin Water. They want Ellen to use her voice for good.
If you want to make your voice heard, Juli has composed a list of ways you can contact Ellen to urge her to stop promoting bottled water.
[…] of Vitamin Water may be disappointed to learn that vitamins may lose potency if stored in water for extended periods […]