Consider the articulation of celebrity anti-vaxxers. Jenny McCarthy has been a long-time anti-vaxxer and has said she believes that vaccines played a role in her son’s development of autism. McCarthy is not the only celebrity that believes vaccines are linked to autism (See Jezebel’s list of them.).

Why are these celeb anti-vaxxers such an influential articulation? They have access to platforms that most people do not — appearances on talk shows where they can share their views and experiences with millions without much, if any, pushback.

McCarthy was a co-host of The View for the 2013–2014 season, not a very long time but plenty of time and opportunities for her to share her beliefs. And guess who’s at home watching? Young mothers — the target demographic of those very shows.

As Slack and Wise said, “articulations, can be made of words, concepts, institutions, practices, and affects,” which I would argue is the most powerful of all (p. 152). Hearing other mothers (and fathers) speak about the painful experiences and ordeals they’ve had to go through regarding their child’s illness strikes a nerve with the audience. You can’t help but feel for that parent. This may cause some to decide they’d rather skip the vaccines than go through that.