Jl. Knight et al., Famous or infamous? The influence of celebrity status and race on perceptions of responsibility for rape, BAS APPL PS, 23(3), 2001, pp. 183-190
Although an extensive literature has explored the effects of race, socioeco
nomic status, and attractiveness on perceptions of rape defendants, few stu
dies have considered the influence of celebrity status (and its potential i
nteraction with race) on people's perceptions of events related to rape. As
part of a 2 x 2 between-subjects design, 71 undergraduates (32 men, 39 wom
en) read a fictitious newspaper account of an alleged rape that varied the
defendant's race (Black or White) and celebrity status (famous or nonfamous
), and they were then asked to make judgments in response to the event. As
predicted, being a celebrity had distinct advantages for White defendants,
whereas for Black defendants, being a celebrity was a liability. This appar
ent backlash against Black celebrities is consistent with aversive racism t
heory (Gaertner & Dovidio, 1986), which proposes that although most people
today are not openly racist, a subtle form of prejudice appears when people
feel safe to express it and when they can justify their feelings.