Celebrities are pulling out all the stops to get you to vote in November—even getting naked. In an Instagram message on Monday, Katy Perry announced she was going to use her body as clickbait to bring about global change. The next morning, she released a video in partnership with Rock the Vote to encourage America’s youth to get out of bed on election day and vote.
“I’ve got some great news,” Perry says as she rolls out of bed with smeared makeup and popcorn in her hair. “This year, you can look like s*** when you vote.” As she strolls through a polling center, she points out how you can come as you are, whether you sleep in a grown-up onesie or in briefs, just show up and vote.
“Or, if you’re like me,” Perry says as she rips off her clothes. “I sleep naked. Yep, let those babies loose!”
This isn’t the first time a celebrity has stripped down to get people to vote. Lena Dunham sent out a topless photo in 2014 when she partnered with Planned Parenthood to “inspire” voters to show up at the polls.
Going to extreme lengths to get out the vote isn’t anything new in American politics, though the naked part is a modern-day, post-sexual revolution phenomenon. In the mid-19th century, groups of militant men took to the streets carrying torches and lighting bonfires to get people to the polls. The campaign of fear resulted in nearly 80 percent of Americans showing up on election day.
Whether it’s a show of force or a peep show, people concerned about social change will tap into the most primal motivators to get people to vote.
Watch the video on the next page.
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