Cut the Cameras!!!
It’s 2015. You’re scrolling through Twitter when you come across a zoomed-in paparazzi photo of Selena Gomez in a strappy, fuschia bikini while on vacation with her friends in Mexico. As you scroll down, you see comments like “she’s fat," “she's a mess” and “she's gone off the deep end.” You even find a TMZ article writing, “Things are getting thick down in Mexico.”
Gomez gracefully responded to the trolls by posting a photo of herself on Instagram with a body-positive caption: “I love being happy with me yall #theresmoretolove.” But nobody adequately discussed how hurtful those words were, or how harmful they must have been for her fans.
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Most of us who glance at Snapchat News or the Twitter trending page have seen the pictures of Tom Holland and Zendaya making out, or of Princess Diana’s street style, or of Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson carrying a sex bench into their then-home. Paparazzi pictures air celebrities’ dirty laundry with unflattering angles and overexposed lighting. They infiltrate the personal lives of actors, singers, models and influencers to get these photos and then leave them to fend off the critics themselves. And despite the calm facade they put on social media, these hurtful words are internalized to a certain degree, and fans who look up to these celebrities can get caught in the crossfire.
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Since their quick rise to fame, TikTok stars Charli and Dixie D’Amelio have been constantly followed by paparazzi. Cameras follow the sisters to and from their home, snapping pictures of them in cars and restaurants. Although the sisters initially befriended the paparazzi, they said on their podcast “2 Chix” that tabloid photographers and videographers like The Hollywood Fix, Pap Galore and Kevin Wong crossed a line when they began waiting outside the D'Amelio's' homes. They said they felt extremely self-conscious about doing normal teenage things, like playing loud music in the car, because they knew they were being followed.
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Even reality stars can’t hide from the effect of the paparazzi, as Kylie Jenner proved in April, 2020. Twitter went crazy after photos surfaced of Jenner running errands makeup-free during the pandemic, claiming the star looked unrecognizable without her spray tan, makeup and flattering clothes. While some found it refreshing to see that the star is a human like the rest of us, others were quick to take the opportunity to make fun of her for regularly manipulating her appearance. Some even believe that the Internet bullied Jenner into staging questionably candid paparazzi pictures in full glam in order to rehabilitate her image.
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When young, impressionable fans see malicious comments on photos of celebrities they admire, calling their bikini photos fat and their makeup-free photos ugly, they very well might internalize those words themselves. They may think, “If people think she looks ugly, what does that make me?” The impact of trolls reaches far past the comment section. They make their way into the psyche of celebrities and of their impressionable fans, creating a culture of negativity across the internet.
A study conducted at McGill University affirmed this idea that instances of celebrity fat-shaming have ripple effects on women consuming the media. They showed women 20 examples of celebrity fat-shaming that took place between 2007 and 2015. The researchers analyzed their negative weight-related implicit attitudes, otherwise known as gut reactions, two weeks before and two weeks after showing them the event. These researchers found that despite what people consciously believe and say, celebrity fat-shaming is linked to people subconsciously thinking that "fat" is bad and "thin" is good.
In fact, many researchers have taken an interest in the role celebrity photos play in regard to body image. One 2016 study found that social network sites were related to body image dissatisfaction and a drive to be thin in teenage girls, both when comparing themselves to their friends and to celebrities. Especially today, with social media and reality shows churning out stars left and right, everyone feels as if they are expected to look like a celebrity because they actually have the potential to be one.
Unfortunately, celebrities inadvertently sign up for the paparazzi chase. And maybe paparazzi serve their function in society by helping us normal folk realize that celebrities are people just like us. They don't always wear perfect outfits or a full face of makeup, and they enjoy hanging out with friends and spending time with significant others, just like the rest of us. In a world where social media allows millions of people to comment on celebrities' personal lives, stars have started to reclaim the narrative and by showing their fans their real lives — on their own terms. Now it's up to everyone, celebrities and fans alike, to support one another and make sure that social media is a positive space where people can feel comfortable and good about themselves.