Friends star Jennifer Aniston donned a simple black mask and took to her Instagram to write: “I really do believe in the basic goodness of people so I know we can all do this. BUT still, there are many people in our country refusing to take the necessary steps to flatten the curve, and keep each other safe. People seem worried about their ‘rights being taken away’ by being asked to wear a mask. This simple and effective recommendation is being politicized at the expense of peoples’ lives. And it really shouldn’t be a debate.” And for more outspoken stars, here are 7 Celebs Who Shut Down Racist Comments on Social Media. Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, were among the first celebrities to contract coronavirus. Both actors have recovered from their March bout with the disease and have spoken out since about the precautions the public must take. In a virtual press conference for his upcoming Apple TV film Greyhound, Hanks called for people to maintain social distance, wash their hands frequently, and wear a mask in public. “Those things are so simple, so easy,” he said. “If anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things—I just think, shame on you,” he added, as reported by People. For more on the importance of masks, check out These Were the First States to Mandate Masks. Here’s How They’re Doing. Though he left Grey’s Anatomy back in 2015, Patrick Dempsey, who played Derek Shepherd on the medical drama for nearly a decade, used one of the show’s most famous lines in the mask selfie he posted on his Instagram. “It’s a beautiful day to save lives,” the actor captioned the photo, following it up with the hashtags #WearAMask and #YourActionsSaveLives. Typically chic, Scandal star Kerry Washington wore an animal-print face mask in a June 27 Instagram post. She referenced her sunglasses from Rihanna’s fashion line in her caption, saying, “Throwing (@fenty) shade if you’re not wearing a mask.” Washington’s Little Fires Everywhere co-star Reese Witherspoon modeled a gingham mask in a post to her Instagram. “Hey Everybody! Wearing a mask is not a political statement,” she wrote to her fans. “It means you care about other people’s health and safety. Be KIND, wear a mask!” Later, she sent a similar message with a meme from her beloved 2001 comedy, Legally Blonde, in which her character, Elle, a fashion-conscious sorority girl, heads off to law school. “You got into Harvard Law?” Elle’s arrogant ex-boyfriend asks in the movie. In the meme, the line has been changed to “You wear a mask in public?” But Elle’s answer remains the same: “What? Like it’s hard?” “En route to Paris. Paranoid? Prudent? Panicked? Placid? Pandemic? Propaganda? Paltrow’s just going to go ahead and sleep with this thing on the plane,” Gwyneth Paltrow wrote in an Instagram post way back in early March. It’s no wonder she was an early adopter of masks; the actress starred in the 2011 film Contagion, about a pandemic that sweeps across the globe. “I’ve already been in this movie,” her caption continued. “Stay safe. Don’t shake hands. Wash hands frequently.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “I wear a face mask because I care about others,” actress Anne Hathaway wrote in an Instagram caption that covers several social justice issues as well. Like Witherspoon, she also shared a meme inspired by a romantic comedy she starred in. A fan photoshopped a face covering onto her character from The Devil Wears Prada, Andy Sachs, and captioned it with some altered dialogue from the film: “Face Masks. During a pandemic. Ground breaking,” Hathaway captioned that one, co-opting another of the movie’s most well-known lines. And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. “The CDC-recommended face covering because we’re still in the middle of the global COVID-19 pandemic? Yeah, I am.”
