I often find myself fantasizing about the lives of famous people, thinking about what they do in their free time and when they are off the screen/stage.  “Should the private lives of celebrities be kept off limits?” is a question I think the most about. When I am debating this controversial question I think about a few things: the person’s age, reason for fame and what is being kept private/secret. 

For the age factor, I personally believe that if the celebrity is a minor then their life should be kept mostly private. With that being said, I do think that it is okay to know some details of the minor’s life. For example, I think it is perfectly okay to know about a relationship between teenage celebs, but knowing personal details about their mental health or family struggles should not be permitted. I can’t even begin to imagine what famous children feel when everyone in the world knows their drama. When I try to put myself into their shoes, I feel trapped, or isolated, never good or happy. 

When it comes to the reason for fame it can vary. If the celebrity is an influencer choosing to put their entire life on social media, then I believe it is okay to know the information they choose to put out. However, it does become a problem when insane fans begin to show up to their houses and harass them on the streets. For example, when Jake Paul was popular in the mid to late 2010’s, his home was notorious for having crazy fans outside. Often the fans would climb the gate to the house, ring the doorbells numerous times or even scream at the house until he would come out. 

When the famous person is an actor or a singer, I feel it is an entirely different experience. Celebrities are constantly harassed by the paparazzi and become uncomfortable due to their presence. I feel terrible for the celebrities who deal with this on a normal basis; I could never imagine going through that. 

When it comes to what is being kept secret, there are a few ways I look at it, one of those being private vs. secret relationships. When celebrities and influencers have relationships they have different options to go about it: secret, private or public. The choice is 100% up to whomever the relationship involves, but I personally feel that private is the way to go. When you have a private relationship, you don’t feel stressed about if someone’s going to see you, you don’t have to worry about going out in public and no one you don’t trust is going to find out any personal details of your relationship. 

While ultimately the choice of privacy is up to the celebrity, fame can still be tough on them emotionally, mentally and even physically. I hope the next time you pick up a tabloid exploiting information about various household names, you will come back to this article and understand the effects gossip can have on a person.