Over the course of history, celebrity photographers, commonly known as paparazzi, have become a dangerously normalized aspect of modern-day pop culture. Even though exploitation is a natural aspect of the celebrity lifestyle, dangerous behavior from the media shouldn’t be normalized as much as it is today.
Most individuals in the public eye are given inhumane disrespect and seen as undeserving of basic human treatment. Due to the overt nature of their occupations and constantly in the spotlight, it can be hard to prove why their privacy has been invaded.
Whether it’s invading their personal space while walking on the street, or hiding behind bushes to sneak photos of their homes, celebrities are given no individual limits from paparazzi. They are expected to tolerate the invasive behaviors, and not say a word about these photographers.
Not only is the paparazzi an invasion of privacy, but also a serious issue of safety. A significant example of the dangers of celebrity photographers was the tragic death of Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, in the late ‘90s.
Press and paparazzi have problems with safety and violations, and it has become increasingly difficult for public figures to carry out day-to-day tasks without interruptions from photographers.
There is also concern when dealing with both children of celebrities and underage celebrities due to the vulnerability of their age. Young individuals have had multiple altercations with celebrity photographers, whether it’s photographing without consent of the children and their parents, purposely shooting inappropriate angles, or generally just being creepy and perverted.
“‘I remember on my 18th birthday I came out of my birthday party and photographers laid down on the pavement and took photographs up my skirt, which were then published on the front of the English tabloid [newspapers] the next morning,” said Emma Watson.
Paparazzi have even found loopholes to photograph minors, such as the incident with Watson previously mentioned. Their actions would’ve been illegal if they were taken only hours earlier, according to the Protection of Children Act 1978, that protects the restrictions of audacious photos of minors.
In most places of the world, and throughout the U.S., it is perfectly legal to take photos of anyone, including minors in public without their consent. Fortunately, there are places in the world with legal exceptions to not photograph children of celebrities publicly, including California. Outside of the state though, it is limited on these legal acts and free reign for these celebrity photographers.
An unfortunate example of paparazzi harassment would be just a few decades ago, with celebrity singer Britney Spears and her son Jayden James Federline.
Celebrity photographers purposefully seek out personal privacy, unflattering angles, and exclusive moments that any person, celebrity or not, should not blatantly endure.
Now to a certain extent, paparazzi isn’t always a negative presence. Capturing certain events such as red carpets and other meaningful moments are some positive aspects.
Despite the positives, there are certainly more cons when it comes to photographers.
According to Variety magazine, “[during] the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this year…Variety caught the moment on video, where [Chappell] Roan responded to a yelling photographer who yelled at her to ‘Shut the f*** up,’ by responding: ‘You shut the f*** up.’” Most celebrities, unlike Roan, don’t usually confront rude behavior from photographers. At red carpets, or even on a public street, it is just a basic standard to uphold a stoic image and ignore the hateful commentary from such photographers.
With the overall standards laid on celebrities from both the world and paparazzi, it creates an open environment for insolent behavior, language, and a sick profession to continue.
As a society, if we stop normalizing these crude and unsafe manners, it would bring light to the importance of treating others with respect and dignity, regardless of their status.
