I teach my children to be curious and be skeptical. I am also open with them and they come to me for guidance. If I feel their perspective on things is skewed, I let them know. But it’s really not an entertainer’s job to also be a medical professional. Nor should they be some idol. We need to learn in our society that celebrities are people with a platform and something to say. We have to break the fourth wall and stop imagining they have the answers. They don’t. Skin care? Maybe. Being unapologetic about their aesthetic? Sure. But we need to stop engaging with information from people who are out of their depth.

Jenny McCarthy is the original celebrity anti-vaxxer but I don’t think she did any benchtop research, so I’m not taking her word for it. I will watch reruns of MTV’s Singled Out but that’s the end of it. We need to stop letting unqualified people argue and at the same time, not be sooo mistrustful of people who have established credentials in good standing with an actual educational pedigree. I think we as a society need to do better and elevate our discerning eye.