In Fredrik Backman’s book, Us Against You, he poses the question: “Was it worth it? How are we supposed to know that in advance?”
When I read that sentence, my mind immediately went to celebrities. Most of the time I feel sorry for celebrities. I would hate to not feel comfortable leaving my house, go out to eat, run up to Target, go to the drugstore, whatever, without feeling the cold glare of the public on me. However, I then thought to myself that a lot of celebrities these days don’t really care what they look like when they go out. We have tons of magazine photos of celebs pumping their gas, grocery shopping, walking their dog, every-day type of things, and they look just as normal and disheveled as I do when I am doing all these things (insert giggle giggle). Celebrities of the golden era I guess I’m really thinking about or maybe people like the newly crowned, Catherine, Princess of Wales. These old Hollywood stars and royal figures are/were “made up” everywhere they went, no choice. So, yay for the celebs of today! - throw on your sweats when you want to and go get your coffee – bravo!
But really, privacy of famous people is an interesting topic. And now that I typed the word “famous”, just what does that even mean anymore? Famous people nowadays can mean anybody that has a true talent for something all the way to someone who puts something on YouTube, a blog, TikTok, or maybe are just rich kids (or a rich family) that decides to put a camera in their house and air all their dirty laundry to the world. In a previous Giggle Chog about Gossiping, I asked the question: why did the general public become fascinated with ordinary families’ lives and problems? I mean, most of us could put a camera in our own home and be just as funny OR unfortunately have just as many problems as some of "these" family's shows.
But truly – take the Kardashians….I know their father was a prominent attorney in Los Angles and obviously the family had fabulously famous friends and ran in an elite circle (and the whole married to Bruce Jenner and then the Caitlyn transition and all), but when they decided to put a camera in their home and make themselves “famous”, why did we care? None of them at that time had “done” anything…they had no talent, and still don’t. The Real Housewives of (Everywhere) is another case in point. This is a ridiculous show, an embarrassment (in my opinion) of these women actually. People watch to pretty much make fun of them, but now they are all filthy rich – why? The Chrisley family, I think they maybe lived in Atlanta at some point, exactly why did anyone watch that show or care what that family was doing? I think I might just decide to make myself a billionaire and put a camera in my home….makes as much sense as anything (insert giggle giggle). It seems that most of these people and families would be so embarrassed, but they aren’t – they are laughing all the way to the bank. Just what will some people do for fame and money? What levels of privacy are they willing to sacrifice? How ridiculous are they willing to look? And why are we interested enough to make these people rich – what are we getting out of this?
When my son Hayden was in his mid-20s, he had some photos, just random type photos taken by friends, that were stunningly handsome (I thought) and so did a ton of other people I showed them to. I took about 6 of these photos, printed them out in various color, sepia, and black and whites, and I told him that I was going to send them off to modeling agencies (against his wishes I might add), you know, just for fun and to see what may happen. If you know us or when you read my book, you are totally gigglying at me since you know me and my relationship with my boys (insert giggle giggle). Well, I just put it off and 10 years later, I have all the packages of photos in a box that I just ran across a few weeks ago – he’s 32 now and still just as handsome. So, no modeling career for Hayden (insert giggle giggle!). There have been various times from then until now that I have said to him, “Thank goodness I never sent in those modeling photos” when I have seen the destructive force of fame, celebrity, and money befall yet another person (because for sure he would be a famous model or actor by now!!). Yes, I would have been “that” mother who pushed or pulled or encouraged (whatever term you want to use) her child to do something that maybe they would have never thought of doing themselves and ruined their life in the process. You see that too with child actors who grew up in a totally adult world, never getting to be a child, succumbing to drug addictions, maybe a victim of child abuse. You see young beautiful girls that succumbed to the “casting couch”, seeking fame and fortune. And all the while their lives, secrets, successes, and failures are played out in public. We eat it up with unsatiable ferociousness.
But then what happens when all of a sudden, these same people who have made their fortunes on sharing the most intimate aspects of their life, want privacy? Are they entitled to it? They advertise themselves in their worse moments, in sexual contexts, fussing, cussing, coming out of the shower, birth scenes, lying in bed after their wedding night, cosmetic operations, selfies of themselves in their underwear for some reason - you name it – nothing is private! So how do they get to choose when they want privacy. WE have made them RICH beyond measure by being invested in their PRIVATE lives where seemingly nothing was off limits for them to show us. Put the brakes on now when something especially juicy comes up – I don’t think so binkie…..
But wait. Is that fair? Haven’t they “suffered” enough by all the things I mentioned in the beginning that they can’t do without an audience gathering? Well, maybe. But again, they created that for themselves. They carefully and scandalously pulled us into their every secret and base desire to be famous at all costs. We are the meager humans, the serfs that bow down to these people. Their lives and riches are unattainable to us and the fact is that WE made this possible for THEM. So, it would naturally follow that WE are entitled to whatever we want out of them. Is that a correct way to look at it? I just don’t know.
I confess to being as empathetic towards celebrities as I feel towards anyone else going through a tough spot or a tragedy in their lives and I truly feel that they deserve their privacy. I agree with them. But just when I made that decision, we have a (unnamed) celebrity posing for photos of themselves in crisis over the miscarriage or death of a baby. I know, I know, this can be seen (and was) as helpful to others, but I’m not totally sure I buy that. I mean if this is not a time for privacy, I don’t know when is. A blog or post about it (after a respectful amount of time), what you were feeling, and maybe how you are dealing with it I think should be sufficient, informative, and even comforting to the consuming public. Posed photos – no. It’s too much in my opinion. I lost a child at 23 weeks and it would have never occurred to me to share photos of that moment, of me or of my baby – I repeat - my sorrow was too much for it to have occurred to me to even take photos, much less share them….with people that I don’t know…with people who really don’t actually care about me but are just noisy about my business. I don’t think so. But that’s me (again read my first Chog about what goes into forming your opinions). I am 63 years old, this type of sharing is considered obscene to most my age. Too Much Information used to be considered uncouth.
So, what are celebrities entitled to as regards their privacy? I don’t know. I guess whatever they think they are ~ turn it on, turn it off whenever the mood strikes. That’s what they’ve gotten away with from the jump – whatever they want is okay and we and even the authorities accept. Just take the spectacle at the 2022 Oscars.
Next Up....Do You Care What People Think About You?
Always remember to share and insert a giggle giggle - Kay 😊
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