If you want to go for extra points – white people really love FAIR TRADE coffee, because paying the extra $2 means they are making a difference."
In this image, Zooey Deschanel is spotted walking down the street: a vente drink from Starbucks in hand.
Many social commentators have pointed out that drinking Starbucks (and other brand-name coffees) has emerged as a status symbol of the upper-middle class. According to Bobbi Bowman, director of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, "the Starbucks customer is upper-middle class, usually white and college-educated. Starbucks created an affluent and vibrant cafe society in upper-middle-class suburbs, high-income city neighborhoods and prestigious college campuses. The green-and-white Starbucks logo is a sought-after status symbol."
Deschanel's star image ties in nicely to the Starbucks image of wealth and 'cafe society.' Indie cinema, of which Deschanel is a part, is associated with intellectualism and off-beat culture. This alternative culture has at its heart the coffee house. Fans of Deschanel may also remember the scene in Elf where Will Ferrell drags Deschanel's character into a diner to have a cup of the 'World's Best Cup of Coffee.'
Fans, seeing Zooey Deschanel drink Starbucks, may want to imitate her consumption habits. Others, particularly upper-middle class Starbucks drinkers, may see Deschanel with her vente drink, and feel a stronger sense of identity with the star. She is not drinking Duncan Donuts coffee, but, like themselves, appreciates Fair Trade, gourmet coffee. Their own "need" for Starbucks is reinforced when they see their screen "icon" drinking Starbucks as well.
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