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Justin Bieber faced intense harassment produced by paparazzi due to starting his career at such a young age.

Many people have often found themselves wishing they were famous. The majority of people have a favorite celebrity or someone famous that they look up to. While celebrities’ lives may seem glamorous on red carpets, at movie premieres, and in their income, some unalterable constants remain substandard.

Imagine leaving your house to get groceries for the week; what seems to be a simple, effortless, and unproblematic task is the exact opposite for celebrities. For many well-known figures in Hollywood, an uncomplicated task such as getting groceries involves harassment from hundreds of adults with cameras that are overbearing and confrontational, taking photographs and videos of you.

The exact definition of stalking details as follows: a pattern of repeated and unwanted attention, harassment, contact, or any other course of conduct directed at a specific person (nmhu.edu). The claim that paparazzi, a business that involves photographing, harassing, tracking, and following celebrities, is not stalking is just blatant ignorance.

Cancel culture, whether on social media or among influencers, has gotten out of control. However, on the rare occasion that a celebrity is “cancelled” for a viable reason, paparazzi can be a one-way, direct ticket back to relevance, fame, and money. The number of celebrities revealed to have faked paparazzi photos and called photographers on themselves is astronomical. Countless Hollywood elites have admitted to calling paparazzi on themselves to either gain relevance or monetary gain, or both. 

On the other hand, aside from simple harassment, paparazzi reveal some extreme safety dangers, particularly for child stars. Figures such as Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Justin Bieber all faced extreme persecution as a result of their careers starting at such a young age. Justin Bieber’s experience with paparazzi is often stated to be one of the most extreme examples of harassment, characterized by relentless stalking and “mobs” of photographers at his home (medium.com). 

If it weren’t celebrities being stalked, people tracking and following others around with cameras would have been arrested immediately. So what makes it okay and ethical? Simply because it is someone well-known and famous? 

Celebrities simply standing up and saying, “No,” to paparazzi seems like a simple solution to stop the harassment and stalking. However, as seen with Chappell Roan at the Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour premiere, the VMAs, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, celebrities often face intense criticism from the public, with the news painting them as disrespectful or rude, simply for standing up for their rights. Regardless of Roan standing up to the media multiple times, there were no repercussions or regulations to contain the paparazzi, and she was described as ill-mannered and rude in news headlines for weeks, proving the celebrities’ influence to be ineffective.

Many people can agree that the right to have privacy, even in public, is a basic human right. The ability to go to a restaurant without being harassed is something everyone is entitled to. So, why does that change when it comes to people who are famous or well-known?