by Cinda Smaagaard

Created on: July 14, 2009

There are laws to prevent paparazzi from invading celebrities' private lives and they would include harrassment, stalking and invasion of privacy particularly with regard to medical information. Human nature being what it is, those who step into the spotlight must realize that with celebrity comes unusual attention. In fact, once a person becomes a "public figure," they are opening themselves up for ridicule and parody which may not be preventable or protected by law if no malice or intent to do harm are shown.

The best way for celebrities to protect themselves personally is to keep their private lives as private as possible. Many hire a publicist who can act as a go-between between the media and themselves to clear, alter, fabricate or otherwise water-down potential hazardous stories about them. Some find the need to hire bodyguards to protect them from physical assault and the invasion of their personal spaces. I find it intriguing the way certain celebrities react to the paparazzi, for example when interviewed by TMZ or autograph seekers. The more seasoned entertainers and actors are usually gracious and fearless and even funny. They set limitations on how many photographs they will sign or how long they will talk about a certain subject. It does not seem to help anyone's public image to be standoffish, silent, elusive, rude or evasive thus allowing some kind of a void to occur where the public can simply fill in the conversational gaps or thoughts of the celebrity.

Hiding faces with masks or use of disguise appear to be a dismal failure as well. Covering one's head with a scarf or face with sunglasses as Jackie Onassis Kennedy did was a stroke of genius. I often hold a book or hand up to my face when stray photographers are around which prevents someone from confiscating your likeness. Some ancient cultures actually believed that taking one's photograph would diminish the soul of the person a little (for example the Amish) and this might be true if the picture is altered or published for illicit profit later on down the road.

Paparazzi appear to be a necessary element of our society because we so love media attention and stories about our favorite movie stars and entertainers and writers. Anyone who has had their 15 minutes of fame can tell you however that it is not as glamorous as it sounds because with fame comes some amount of loss of anonymity. Even one's name can stand out in a crowd - ask anyone who is unfortunate enough to have the same name as some infamous criminal. Mistaken identity can be disasterous as well and ditto for stolen identity which appears to be a growing trend among thieves and con artists. Even the paparazzi have been known to mistake a look-alike or forward on false information from unreliable sources who claim to know the celebrity. Even family members have a tough time dealing with constant media attention and celebrities are always second-guessing who their true friends really are.

Enough laws are in place to protect celebrities, but they may wish to make sure safety and security measures are taken. At the very least they should have spokespeople who can intervene on their behalf when needed and allow them the time to do more important things.

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