Zac Efron: Intelligent, Educated and Purposeful Environmentalist — But He’s Known for Being Hot

How Hollywood and the media fails celebrities whose greatest assets aren’t their looks, but their minds

On July 10th, 2020, Netflix released a new series called “Down to Earth with Zac Efron.” If you stream movies and TV shows frequently, you probably saw Netflix recommending this show. It’s too early to conclude how many people watched it so far, as it’s barely been a few weeks, but it has a chance of gaining a lot of viewers, as it centers around an important topic: the environment.

Regardless of you being a Netflix subscriber, you may or may not know who Zac Efron is. If ecology and environment interest you, there is a chance you will enjoy these series. It has only eight episodes, just under an hour each, that are filmed at various beautiful locations: Iceland, Peru, France, and others.

I thoroughly enjoyed this show. What I did not enjoy is the way media reacted to it. The thing I never condoned was sexualizing artists and performers to make more money. Hollywood has a long history of “selling” sex, and despite it being 2020, this culture has not changed even a bit. Today, I would like to attract attention to how society still treats talented and intelligent individuals like pieces of meat, as opposed to focusing on what’s actually important. We need a change.

Actors are More than Hot Guys in Speedos

The key actor in the TV show, Zac, has endured years of being sexualized and exploded for his looks and his body. To be fair, you cannot expect to see fully closed actors in movies like “Baywatch,” where the entire plot is based on lifeguards. Naturally, the consumer is going to see actors and actresses wearing bathing suits.

But unfortunately, many movie producers take advantage of the actors’ looks. If you were to search for billboards and other marketing materials showcasing movies Zac Efron stared in, you’d find many half-naked pictures of him:

Is he attractive and sexy? Yes. Does he look amazing, and are there people who want to be like him? I would assume so. However, actors are more than just hot guys running around in Speedos and showing their 6-packs. The way I see it, Hollywood’s toxic culture of exploiting the human body and placing so much value on the conventional standards of beauty has failed many people.

The Media Has Failed Actors

We all know how important it is to have a catchy title and picture when publishing an article. People are more likely to click on things that attract their attention — and a handsome young man certainly does the trick. If that guy also has no shirt on — get ready to see a bunch of views. What do views translate into? That’s right: money!

Media outlets make their living off “selling” the audience the images of hot Hollywood stars. Once in a while, they also make fun of not-so-hot celebrities who aren’t taking care of their bodies. The point is, it’s not always easy to find an outlet which focuses on what’s actually important. Why would they, if they can slap a photo of smoking hot Zac Efron on the main page?

If you search for articles about Zac, you will also see that many of them feature him half-naked, and they focus on his “hot bod”: The Chronicle, GQ and Vulture.

“They Asked for It”

Some might say that actors “ask for it” when deciding to join Hollywood. We all know that sex sells, and Hollywood has been selling talent short for many decades, if not centuries. But it doesn’t mean this is how it’s supposed to be. Actors and actresses don’t ask to be treated like prime cuts at the butcher shop. They don’t ask for the entire world to see them as products to be consumed. What they want is to play roles, share their talents with the world, and earn a living.

No one asks to be famous for their body, not their mind and talent. And while there will always be people who focus on physical attributes, it doesn’t mean that creative performers ask to be sexualized.

Actors Who Use Their Voices to Do Something Meaningful

People are very different, and Hollywood stars are people too — shocker, I know. Some spent their days enjoying wealth and having no care in the world. Some put the value on expensive outfits and pricey mansions. And then there are stars trying to use their voices to do something good and truly meaningful for the world.

Zac Efron didn’t film a stupid comedy show running around half-naked. He stared in and co-produced an entire series dedicated to the environmental problems around the world. Instead of staying home and laying by the pool till 3:00 PM, sipping cocktails and eating shrimp, he invested time and effort into producing a show he believes in.

The guy has 42 million followers on Instagram and many more on other social media platforms. He decided to use his fame to address essential ecological issues. Zac has a cause he believes in, and he wants the entire world to follow him. If that’s not the right way to use your voice, I don’t know what is.

The Man is Smart, Not Just Hot

If you watch “Down to Earth,” you can clearly tell that the actor is intelligent. I’m not sure if there was a script involved, and they show him doing a voice-over after the filming part was done, but most of it seems to be unscripted. There are many scenes where you can hear Zac showing knowledge on the topic.

The camera crew follows Zac and Daren, the other main character, to many different cities and countries, and their focus is on talking to experts and public figures in the environmental field. Judging from Efron’s questions and responses, he knows what he’s talking about, and he has a lot of knowledge about the subject. If he doesn’t, he poses questions to the experts. But, again, what is he known for? Right! Being hot.

When Will We Say “Time’s Up!” to Sexual Exploitation?

I want to see the time the society is going to say “Time’s Up!” or “That’s Enough!” to sexual exploitation. There may come the time when we’ll cease focusing on the physique and switch to intelligence. By the end of the day, it’s consumers who “vote” for what do you want to see.

Feminism has done a lot of good for women, and I feel like we see less sexualization of women in the media — at least compared to how it was 10 to 20 years ago. But I also have a feeling that it became worse for men. It might be just my perspective, but I see fewer and fewer women being exploited, while men become victims more often. Not only is this unfair, but also horrible.

We need a change. We need to stop treating people like objects and start seeing them for their minds and intelligence. Objectification should stay in the past for everyone, regardless of their gender. Recognizing someone for their brains and character is significantly more important than prioritizing their bodies.

What Can We Do? A Lot!

There is a lot of we can do to change the current way we view celebrities — and all people in general. Let me propose a few ideas:

• Focus on what people have to say, not what they look like.
• Encourage people to speak their minds and express their opinions.
• Stop encouraging the objectification and sexualization of public figures, celebrities and everyone else, regardless of their public image.
• Quit viewing Hollywood as a “hot body factory” and focus on celebrities’ talents.
• Encourage actors and actresses who use their following to get more attention towards important causes, including environmentalism.
• Learn to see people for who they are, not what kind of bodies they have.

Is there a chance to see a swift change in the years to come? I certainly hope so. A decade ago, we barely talked about mental health, but look at us now! If we welcome change and keep educating ourselves, we might change the world.