Have we gone too far?

Is the invasion of privacy simply “part of the job” of being a celebrity? This is a viewpoint that many people, including myself, often assume to be true. It is common to expect that as a celebrity, one will have hoards of paparazzi and flashing cameras following their every move. Although I have not chosen a “side” on this issue, I would most likely agree with the masses in saying that celebrities should expect less privacy than ordinary people. I had previously never questioned the ethics behind this idea until reading a personal article on Buzzfeed about the recent nude photo leaks of actress Jennifer Lawrence. The Buzzfeed article by Rachel Zarrell is a prelude to the article in Vanity Fair magazine which include the exclusive first interview with the actress since having her nude photographs stolen from her iCloud and leaked on internet sites such as Reddit. The article gives a synopsis of what Jennifer Lawrence has to say about the incident.

“Just because I’m a public figure, just because I’m an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. It does not mean that it comes with the territory.” – Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence boldly makes a point that shakes the entire idea that celebrities should expect to have their privacy violated by the media. This article helped me realize that without boundaries being set, the media can easily go too far. This is a prime example of invasion of privacy that has gone way beyond what celebrities should arguably expect. The truth that people often seem to forget is that celebrities are humans just like everyone else. This article does a great job of using key quotes from Ms. Lawrence to make the reader feel empathy towards her. As a reader, I personally began to question what it would be like to go through something like this myself. I found myself questioning my standing idea that celebrities should “expect” to have little to no privacy, because cases such as this simply should not exist. It is clear that everyone has different moral standards about whether or not nude photographs are something to be ashamed of. However, this article focuses on a much stronger, latent issue in the scandal – no one has the right to invade the privacy of another human being and publicize their personal photos for amusement or profit.

November 2014 issue of Vanity Fair in which the interview will be featured in.

November 2014 issue of Vanity Fair in which the full interview will be featured in.

While I cannot speak on behalf of the interview featured in this month’s issue of Vanity Fair, I can say that based on the quotes selected for the Buzzfeed article, Jennifer Lawrence seems to be sending out an important message to her audience. She is speaking up about her opinion that some things simply are not meant to be shared publicly. She seems to be encouraging readers, specifically those who have viewed her nude photographs, to question why they have done such a thing in the first place. There certainly is a major flaw in the system, and this article has helped to raise my awareness of the issue. I will certainly think twice before the next time that I get excited about the latest celebrity gossip. Maybe we simply do not have a right to know every detail of a celebrity’s life. Perhaps it is not “part of the job” after all.

2 Responses

  1. Jessie Ives at |

    Hey Marisa,

    This “common conception” of how society views issues like this as being “part of the job” is very interesting to me. Like you, I have always thought that being a celebrity comes with a lack of privacy. Whenever I hear the latest gossip or read juicy articles about celebrities I never actually thought about how they felt, and how it harmed them. I always imagined that these celebrities could just brush it off their shoulders because they’re used to the constant paparazzi taking away every bit of their privacy. However, I never thought about it as “what if this happened to me?” or “what if people publicized my personal life?” This is because I am not a celebrity, obviously. So in my mind, celebrities almost chose this life. They chose to be rich and famous and wanted to have their name all over the news so I always believed it was their own fault because that was their choice. If they want their name and face all over the news, it’s going to be for bad reasons and good reasons. However, your blog made me realize that this is just how society acts and this is very wrong. Celebrities are humans too and deserve the same privacy as everyone else no matter how famous they are. In the Buzzfeed article you found, Jennifer Lawrence makes a point that “some things are simply not meant to be shared publicly.” As she encourages people to be aware of what they do and say, she is also recognizing the fact that yes, there is some gossip in the celeb world, however, some things deserve every bit of privacy. You’re blog really made me take second to think about the issue of privacy in media! It was really interesting and I think since Jennifer Lawrence is a very well-known celebrity with a good reputation, this article was perfect to use! Great job!

    -Jessie Ives

    Reply
  2. Zuri at |

    Hey Marisa,
    I found the topic of your blog to be extremely intriguing. I like how your picked a blog topic unique of your classmates. Aside from the content of your blog I really like the design and lay out of it. The bright color is eye catching but equally professional and scholarly. In terms of appearance I also like how you made the quote from Jennifer Lawrence stick out in comparison to the rest of your blog, it helps pull the reader in and make them more interested in seeing what you have to say.

    In terms of your blog’s content as I said before I think your subject matter is really interesting. Celebrities’ privacy is often a topic that is looked over and not taken seriously. In a world where society want to know so much about their idols and demands to know every aspect of their private lives it is clear that there comes a point where a line needs to be drawn. A clear example is what Jennifer Lawrence and many other female and now male celebrities are currently going though with this iCloud scandal. Your blogs shows that privacy is extremely important to us all and especially people like Jennifer Lawrence who are put on a pedestal to the public.

    One thing that your blog mentioned that Lawrence said in her interview that I did not particularly agree with was “It does not mean it comes with the territory”. I found this statement flawed, however unfortunate it is that celebrities lack privacy so greatly- this has been going on for years. All celebrities know they are going to photographed constantly, rumors will be started about them and once they become famous their lives will virtually never be the same. Jennifer Lawrence especially as one of the most relevant actresses in the world so it’s almost naive and unrealistic of her to think that things won’t change in her life, however unfortunate it is it does come with the territory. Do you think there are steps that can be taken to avoid future situations similar to this? Do you think your interest in celebrities plays a role in their ultimate lack of privacy?

    Maybe for your next blog entry you could take a look at celebrities who maintain successful careers but have managed to stay out of the spotlight and keep their private lives private. Such as how they do it and continue to remain relevant.

    Reply

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