Previously published as ‘Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?’
Author Timothy Caulfield and popular science communicator Science Sam recently joined us for a special evening to share how we can stop the spread of misinformation in our circles.
+ Why Read The Science of Celebrity
In this month's Fall Reads, 2020 Fleming Medal winner Professor Timothy Caulfield sets out to answer Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? As celebrity culture's grip on modern society continues to tighten, we find many of our day-to-day life and healthcare decisions influenced not by professionals, but by social media influencers, YouTubers and movie stars. What's particularly great about this book is the way Caulfield doesn’t just mock those who enjoy celebrity culture (in fact, he loves it!). Rather, with a skeptic’s eye and a scientific lens, Caulfield identifies and debunks the messages and promises that flow from the celebrity realm, be they about health, diet, beauty, or what is supposed to make us happy.
About the Book
Over the past few decades, celebrity culture’s grip on our society has tightened. For Timothy Caulfield, a health science expert, this trend has had a measurable influence on individual life choices and health care decisions.
In typical Caulfield manner, it isn’t enough to simply interview experts and read the current studies (which he does). He tries celebrity-recommended beauty routines and diets. After attending a modeling competition, he enrolls in an assessment/audition for a modelling agency in Hollywood. In his quest to understand the relationship between celebrity and culture and our individual health choices, he follows celebrity Twitter feeds, scans gossip blogs, and forces himself to read every issue–cover to cover–of People magazine, for an entire year. In this fun, factual book, Caulfield separates sense from nonsense and provides usable and evidence-informed advice about what actually works and what is a waste of money and time.
About the Author
Timothy Caulfield is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. His interdisciplinary research on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, the public representations of science and health policy issues has allowed him to publish over 350 academic articles. He has won numerous academic and writing awards and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Trudeau Foundation, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He contributes frequently for the popular press and is the author of two national bestsellers: The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness and Happiness (Penguin 2012) and Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash (Penguin 2015). Caulfield also has a strong social media presence and is the host and co-producer of the documentary TV series, A User’s Guide to Cheating Death.
+ Praise for The Science of Celebrity
“[Caulfield] thinks with an academic’s rigor and precision and knows the health maintenance territory inside out.”
— The New York Times
“Caulfield’s cure for the mess we’re in is this lucid and well-researched compendium of the best-available science about diet, fitness, genetics, pharmaceuticals and alternative medicine. . . . A compelling and timely argument for science and a reminder that science is an iterative process, breakthroughs are rare, and there are no magical cures for everything.”
— The National Post
“Health and science expert [Timothy Caulfield] debunks the most powerful and persuasive messages being spread by celebrities when it comes to our health and well-being: what works, what doesn’t, what is worth our time and money, and what isn’t. A fun and informative read.”
— CBC Books
“An exhaustively researched, hilarious take on how celebrity culture influences everyday life, from ill-fated attempts to make it big on reality TV to celebrity-endorsed diets and beauty regimens.”
— Maclean’s
+ Find a Copy
We invite you to acquire a copy of The Science of Celebrity from your local library, or consider supporting your local independent bookstore.