Who hasn’t had a skim through a magazine and seen a celebrity in a compromising position? Or had a look on HeatWorld or Perez Hilton‘s blog to read the latest celebrity gossip? Many may just think of the images as a crucial element to any article or feature but now there are several celebrities who have said that they want the “stalking” by the paparazzi to stop so they can live a normal life. Should celebrities been granted more privacy or, having their careers made by the public, should they just accept that this is the lifestyle of being a celebrity?
In 1998, two members of the paparazzi were convicted for stalking Arnold Schwarzenegger and his family after these photographers hounded the couple for months and effectively trapped them in their car by surrounding them. This case was a bench mark between the paparazzi and celebrities and many then started looking into the infringement of celebrities privacy.
We may get confused about the celebrities attitudes towards journalists and photographers with reality television stars such as Paris Hilton and Katie Price openly stating that they love the attention they get from the paparazzi. However, many reality television stars decide to be in the spotlight whereas many celebrities are born into it, just wanting to follow a young dream. Britney Spears, 29, has recently requested a restraining order against certain members of the paparazzi and long before then she had a serious problem with them. When she had her traded “meltdown”, she attacked them with an umbrella and blamed them for her meltdown and their influences on her life.
Are the paparazzi finally overstepping their mark? If celebrities are resorting to restraining orders while trying to do their jobs, then this could be negatively effecting the industry.
However, many think that celebrities are becoming too demanding and that dealing with the paparazzi is part of their job. According to the ‘Times online‘, celebrities such as Russell Brand and John Cleese are some of the most popular celebrities to follow on Twitter and these celebrities are keeping themselves in the public eye and many of them rely on paparazzi and the public to continue their careers. If they don’t want the attention then they should shy away from the public eye. We make their careers like on reality television where the audience is in control of their fate.
Should there be more laws to protect celebrities and their private lives or should the freedom of the press be accessible to all? There are many examples from each side to back each view but what people may not be able to grasp is that celebrities are just like people. If it becomes 24/7 surveillance from paparazzi and your personal life splashed across every page of a magazine then wouldn’t you be upset and want privacy for you and your children?
Katie North's Blog 