A Critique on the Moralities of Social Media and Celebrity Culture that Every Woman Should Read: “When the Filter Fades” by Janine Jellars
As I was coming to the final hours of my first solo trip, a life-changing trip to Cape Town, South Africa, I stopped in a bookstore at the airport, my favorite airport past time. I have always been invested in and a consumer of South African culture and media, and find their media landscape intriguing while complex. I picked this book up because I was enthralled by the cover and the title. But when I tell you-I had no idea what I was really signing myself up for!
“When the Filter Fades” by Janine Jellars is easily one of the best books I've ever read. Its ability to critique the mindset and the innerworkings of contemporary media from three contrasting yet synchronous perspectives is nothing short of brilliant. As a journalist and filmmaker, I could relate to these characters on an ever deeper level. What this book does so wonderfully, is makes you question the nature of morality and how big of a part our morals play into how we move through the media space.
The novel follows three main characters: Lin a modest, loveable, “goody-two-shoes” fashion influencer, Lebo, a South African teen celebrity icon turned substance abuser, turned “irrelevant”, and Mbali, the founder of South Africa’s juiciest and top celebrity gossip site. Chaos and drama ensues as these women’s lives are all intertwined through various media mediums and some messy real-life run-ins.
This book is so unbelievably juicy that you will not want to put it down. Working full-time in the government while also pursuing full-time careers in film, fashion and media, I don't have a lot of free time on my hands. But EVERY free moment that I got, I was reading this book. Honestly, I am a bit sad that I read it so fast because I was so invested in the world of these characters and loved the poetic writing style of the author.
Cover of “When the Filter Fades” by Janine Jellars.
Not only was this book juicy, but it truly shifted my perspective of celebrity and influencer culture. I study these topics heavily espeically within Black cultures in the Americas and the diaspora, but being able to be in the shoes of these three women, and see how their roles in media have such a ripple effect on each others lives, is a truly unique experience. It makes you question the true meaning of “fame”, followers, status, reputation, what they all mean and why/if they all matter. It’s real deep.
It brings me back to the time that music sensation Chloe Bailey talked about the facades within the industry, specifically the music industry, and how so many artists flex their fake private jets, luxury cars and fancy vacations, but are actually millions of dollar in debt to their record labels until they fulfill their years long contracts. The time where popular cosplayer, Snitchery, with 4.1M followers on Tik Tok and 1M on Instagram talked about how she can only afford a studio apartment and went broke trying to start a small fashion line, that she is still recovering from. Or when veteran actress Cameron Diaz made a video titled “Fame Won’t Bring You Happiness”, and questioned the publics desire for fame. She stated how fame can often be lonely and does not equate to success. “If you are looking for fame to define you, you will never be happy” she proclaims.
Chloe Bailey giving “Music Industry Tea” on the Terrell Show.
These videos are reminders that in a world seemingly run by influencers and celebrities, and influencers becoming the new celebrities, we have to remind ourselves that everything is not what it seems online and in the media. You often hear these days that we don’t have “big celebrities” or “icons” like we used to. In recent years, micro-influencers and celebrities have gained more traction, as opposed to macro influencers and big name celebrities. This has likely occurred due to more individually catered content, and just an oversaturation of content in general. You can find this to be true on social media, in TV, music, literature, and all other areas of media, changing the media landscape yet again.
One small critique of the book is that I wish colorism was touched on a bit more, because it often felt very graced over. Addressing colorism is a great way to critique the media sphere, especially when some of the characters in the story benefit from it and colorism is a problem amongst almost all cultures of the world.
While in South Africa, I noticed how the influencer culture permeated the media landscape even more than it does here in the U.S. as influencers at the moment are even more revered than the typical celebrity. As someone in the world of media myself, my hope is that this book can land on our shelves and teach our millennials, gen z and gen alpha the important lessons this book teaches about morals within the media space.
My biggest wish for this book is that it lands on the shelves globally! I really wanted my Black and Brown U.S. Government workers book club to read this book, but we can't because paper copies aren't sold in the U.S. yet. Can't even order from the fascist monopoly Am*zon (Seriously, don’t shop there. Buy from small and growing businesses, especially book stores). If this book came to the Americas, in hardcopy, it would be flying off of the shelves. I hope that in some way, I can help the book penetrate the western market.
Thank you Ms. Janine Jellars for this incredible work of art.
The book is available in countries outside of South Africa on E-book.
