Celebrities from Marilyn Monroe to the Kardashians have all been clipped by the infamous hoards of paparazzi who follow them. These glorified stalkers wait for celebrities in any location hoping to snap a good picture to sell to entertainment news stations and pop culture magazines.
However, the chase of celebrities that paparazzi participate in has led to some very unfortunate incidents. This is due to the insane lengths many paparazzi will take in order to get even a half-decent shot.
The biggest incident of the paparazzi going over the top and causing danger was the death of Princess Diana Spencer. On Aug. 31, 1997, the paparazzi was blamed as a factor in the car crash that killed the princess, Dodi Fayed and the car’s driver, who swerved, resulting in the collision.
Paparazzi are also notorious for taking pictures out of context and allowing false information to be spread. This opens up the opportunity for people to attack and judge celebrities as a result of mere rumors.
Another major incident involved pop princess Britney Spears. Throughout her entire career, which began at a young age, she has been surrounded by hundreds of paparazzi at all hours of the day. In November 2006 she was upset because her kids were being taken away from her. Paparazzi seized the opportunity to surround her, which resulted in major stress. This ultimately led to her shaving her head and breaking down, which led to her conservatorship.
These are just two examples of the harassment celebrities deal with in their everyday lives. Many celebrities have gone so far as to fight with and hide from the paparazzi just to gain an ounce of privacy. Why is it too much for them to ask to receive the privacy everyday people enjoy?
A popular example of celebrities fighting back is when Tobey Maguire yelled at the paparazzi. He was leaving a restaurant when he was ambushed by cameras and flashing lights. He told them to get out of the way before someone got hurt.
Taylor Swift has been involved in very creative ways of trying to hide from the paparazzi. Over the years she has used things like umbrellas and a very large security presence to hide from the snaps from the cameras. Some conspiracies suggest that she has hidden in a suitcase and has a stunt double who pretends to be her in order to escape from the paparazzi.
Over the decades, with hundreds of incidents and many celebrities who have complained, why hasn’t any action been taken? Other than a few laws being passed regarding the excessiveness of the paparazzi, it has yet to be illegal. At this point, it is nothing short of stalking, which is otherwise illegal in the US. It’s time for the era of paparazzi to end.
Chase Borland is a freshman studying marketing and journalism at Ohio University. The views and opinions of this columnist do not necessarily reflect those of The Post. If you have any thoughts, questions or concerns then you can contact him at cb297222@ohio.edu.
