Actress Jennifer Aniston is fed up. She has taken a stand slamming the intense media scrutiny of women celebs and the consequent body shaming they are subjected to. She has decried the sport-like scrutiny that occurs daily under the guise of “journalism”, in a post that has gone viral. Aniston’s post has inadvertently brought into focus the tabloid reader’s voyeurism, which feeds paparazzi and endows celebrity stalking with a legitimacy of sorts.
Paparazzi have been following follow celebs for decades. The word paparazzi entered the English language after the 1960 film La Dolce Vita featured Walter Santesso as a news photographer named 'Paparazzo' (the eponym of the word "paparazzi"). In the late 1960s, the word entered English as a common word for secret photographers.
They’ve thrived since, trying to catch celebs at their most vulnerable and taking snapshots of their private moments in an attempt to get an exclusive. A thousand-dollar prize catch for the paparazzo, perhaps, but often a huge price to pay for the celebrity in question — a ruined relationship or a life snuffed out. Here’s a look at prominent instances where celebs fell victim to paparazzi.
Kristen Stewart's break up with Robert Pattinson
In 2012, photos showing the actress with ‘The Huntsman’ director Rupert Sanders were released by paparazzi in which the two were seen kissing each other in Los Angeles. Soon after the release of pictures, they went viral and made headlines across the world as 'Kristen's cheating scandal' and putting a full stop to her relationship with Pattinson. It also led to the end of Rupert's marriage.
Princess Diana's death
In 1997, just a year after her divorce from Prince Charles, Princess Diana died at the age of 36 in a car accident in Paris. It was reported that paparazzi chased her vehicle at high speed due to which the car crashed into a river. Her rumoured boyfriend Dodi al-Fayed was also killed in the crash.
Jodie Foster 'Taxi driver' episode
In a case of stalking as a “profession” turning to the real thing, after the release of the film 'Taxi Driver' in 1976, actress Jodie Foster was stalked by paparazzo John Hinckley, who constantly tried to make contact with her through phone calls and other means but failed. Hinckley even attempted to assassinate then US president Ronald Reagan in Washington DC in what he thought was an attempt to impress her. Arrested, Hinckley was found not guilty in the case, by reason of insanity, and underwent mental health treatment.
Kate and William’s India visit
In the latest instance of paparazzi crossing the line, when Prince William and Duchess Kate visited India in April this year, a major English daily splashed a picture of Kate Middleton’s skirt being swept up by the wind on its front page. ‘Kate’s Marilyn Monroe moment’, the headline said. Also, in typical tabloid style, newspapers focused on what the couple ate, their touristy jaunts to the Taj Mahal and a rhino safari at Kaziranga, and hardly spoke about the official reasons for the visit.
Paparazzi in India
Bollywood actors too have had their paparazzi moments. Katrina kissing ex-boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor at their Bandra house balcony, Aishwarya Rai and daughter Aradhya’s outings, Meera Rajput and Shahid Kapoor's long drive and Ranveer’s surprise gift to girlfriend Deepika at the airport...all of it brought to you by page-3 photographers. Luckily, no lethal consequences involved.