The time of 'The Jade Goody Effect'

I was watching the news and I was pleasantly surprised that Jade Goody hadn't yet graced my screen. I thought too fast. "Coming next...Jade says goodbye to her boys" was what i heard and saw Jade herself getting out of her wheelchair and into a car.

The media is in a frenzy about the reality TV star, who made her millions by doing Big Brother and many work-out DVDs as well as a few spin-off documentaries, the latest being a fly on the wall documentary about her coping with her illness.

Amongst my disagreement about the constant media attention that she is subjecting herself too, I had a slight change of heart after I saw an episode of Tonight with Trevor McDonald, which shone a whole new light on the situation.

I realised that apart from the most part of Jade's appeal (ie: making more money for her children), there is an angle which is very worthwhile indeed.
'The Jade Goody Effect' is the new term used to label the media frenzy, but it is also used as a tag to a more serious note. Figures have shown that since the beginning of the media marathon describing and analysing Jade's every move, more women have been going to get checked for cervical cancer. Upto 20% more in fact.

Smear tests may be a bit of a taboo subject, but they are nevertheless an important part of any woman's well-being. In the light of it all, maybe what Jade has done, or what the repercussions of her publicity has done, is raise awareness to all about the dangers of cancer and the hidden symptoms that it can have.

'The Jade Goody Effect' may be a debated topic, but for those of you who moan about her constantly being in every media outlet possible at present (myself included), just remember maybe this is a case where the positive aspects of publicity definitely out-weigh the negative.

Whether she's loathed or hated, Jade Goody sells the news and more recently promotes health awareness. There is certainly nothing wrong with that.