Jennifer Aniston’s statement on unvaccinated people could backfire: Experts

Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston last week
revealed she had cut off people who won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine. “I’ve just lost a few people in my weekly routine who
have refused or did not disclose (whether or not they had been vaccinated), and
it was unfortunate,” Aniston told InStyle magazine.

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“It’s tricky because everyone is entitled to their own
opinion but a lot of opinions don’t feel based in anything except fear or
propaganda.”

Aniston furthertold her 37.7 million Instagram followers an
unvaccinated person could infect her even though she was vaccinated.

“I may get slightly sick but I will not be admitted to a
hospital and or die. BUT I CAN give it to someone else who does not have the
vaccine and whose health is compromised (or has a previous existing condition)
— and therefore I would put their lives at risk. THAT is why I worry. We have
to care about more than just ourselves here,” Aniston wrote.

Aniston is the first major influencer to denounce those
who choose to not get vaccinated and this could attract some backfires too.

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Associate professor Joy Parkinson, the research director for
social marketing at Griffith University, said Aniston’s announcement could have
unintended consequences, reports abc.net.au.

“When you begin to make a big statement like that, it
can have those kind of backfiring effects where people then might cut them out
of their life rather than encouraging them to get vaccinated,” Parkinson told the publication.

Parkinson said that Aniston’s followers are huge.

“It doesn’t matter which way, whether it’s positive or
negative. If people aspire to be like that particular celebrity, they will be
swayed — particularly if they are on the fence,” said the expert.

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Jessica Kaufman, an expert on vaccination communication from
the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, told the publication that while Aniston’s decision would
impact some people, it would be hard to measure just how much.

“Cutting someone out of your life because they weren’t
vaccinated, I would say is very extreme,” Dr Kaufman said.

“And of the options that you can take — and it depends
a bit if it’s something where you have a family member who is on the fence — you
can have a much better impact,” added the expert.