Isabella Rossellini’s Assertive Marginality. A Sustainable Paradigm in Contemporary Ageing Culture

This study explores the intersection of celebrity ageing and ecological sustainability, using Isabella Rossellini’s career trajectory as a case study to examine how ageing celebrities navigate the margins of the attention economy, the production systems and the beauty standards. As celebrities transition from cultural centrality to marginality, they often engage in experimental behaviors that challenge societal norms, offering insights both into sustainable personal management and environmental resilience. By analyzing Rossellini’s public roles in the new millennium, this paper uncovers how ageing celebrities influence audience perceptions of ecological issues, drawing parallels between individual adaptation to ageing and broader principles of environmental justice. The discussion situates these dynamics within the frameworks of environmental heterogeneity, salvage capitalism, and sustainable ecosystems, emphasizing the socio-cultural implications of resource scarcity, unequal distribution, and ethical disposal—whether of attentional capital or natural resources. This analysis underscores the interconnectedness of cultural dynamics and environmental challenges, revealing how celebrity culture both mirrors and influences collective attitudes toward sustainability and resource preservation. Ultimately, this research contributes to scholarly debates on celebrity engagement with environmental causes, arguing that ageing celebrities, by transforming their cultural obsolescence into innovative and inspirational narratives, reflect broader adaptive processes within societal and ecological systems.