Maria Stover, chair and professor of the mass media department, will give her talk, “The Curious Case of Celebrities as Politicians” at noon Nov. 20 at the International House.

The presentation will focus on western media’s coverage of Ksenia Sobchak, a famous TV-personality who became Putin’s rival in the 2018 Russian presidential elections. Ksenia Sobchak is often referred to as Russia’s “Paris Hilton” and is the daughter of Putin’s mentor, Anatoly Sobchak.

“The presentation will focus on how politics and popular culture interact,” said Stover in an email. “I will explore the history of this interaction, and then address concerns on the overlap of celebrities and politics.”

Stover made it clear that she will not be discussing the current U.S. political climate Wednesday afternoon, yet she stated that some of her presentation does connect to what the public is experiencing today. 

“The information is relevant to what we are experiencing today,” said Stover. “We have a president who, prior to taking office, was a reality TV star and a week ago there was news that Trump is discussing a continuation of ‘The Apprentice’ post White House.”

International Brown Bag Lectures are always free and open to the public.

For more information, visit the Washburn University Bod Talk Facebook page.

Edited by Jessica Galvin, Adam White, Jason Morrison