Newsflash: Kylie Jenner really was pregnant the whole time and she already had her baby! People have been seeing this all over Snapchat and the tabloid websites constantly. On Super Bowl Sunday, Jenner released a statement stating that she chose to not experience her pregnancy in front of the world.
Instead, she wanted to experience pregnancy in the most “positive, stress-free, and healthy way” and that she knew her baby would feel every stress and emotion during this vulnerable time. Jenner’s wish to stay incognito during her pregnancy didn’t stop the pesky paparazzi from trying to get pictures of her growing baby bump. The obsession with celebrity pregnancy photos has caused Jenner, and many other pregnant celebs, to become quite reclusive during their pregnancies.
The paparazzi aren’t the only ones who relish the opportunity to catch a glimpse of a celebrity’s baby bump, fans also love seeing candid photos of their favorite celebs. Some fans expect their favorite celebrities to live every single aspect of their lives under a microscope.
Many forget that at the end of the day, celebrities are real people and not everyone wants to deal with cameras following them while they’re trying to do simple, everyday activities. Pregnant celebrities, just like “normal” people, want to experience normal pregnancies and enjoy typical mommy-to-be activities. It isn’t unreasonable for them to wish to go to Lamaze classes without being bombarded with photographs and having their privacies violated.
During her pregnancy, Jenner experienced people trying to violate her pregnancy in her own home. Jenner revealed to her mother, Kris Jenner, during an episode of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” that an employee tried to take her picture while she was in her kitchen. On the issue, the momager stated, “You want to be able to trust the people that you’re surrounded by, but we have to really be on alert at all time, and that’s extremely upsetting when you feel like you can’t be in your own bedroom or bathroom.”
To feel unsafe from unwanted photos during your pregnancy, especially in your own home, is a scary feeling. The obsession with celebrity pregnancy photos is causing paparazzi and celebrities’ trusted acquaintances to snap pictures of famous expectant mothers, just so they can sell them or get likes on Instagram. This is all done without regard to the privacy of the expectant mother.
The public scrutiny that pregnant celebrities experience is another reason why the obsession with celebrity pregnancy photos is extra violating. These paparazzi photos are shopped around to tabloids and are often used to comment on the pregnant mother’s appearance.
Regular onlookers suddenly become pregnancy experts and feel the need to comment on if a woman is gaining too much or too little weight during her pregnancy. There’s even an article titled “15 Celeb Women Who Packed On The Most Pounds During Pregnancy” which draws unwanted attention to the stars that naturally packed on some pounds while carrying their child.
There’s also a recent obsession with the “snap back” of recent mothers in which people expect celebrities to instantly transition back to their former shape after giving birth. The notion that just because they are celebrities they should look a certain way during and after their pregnancies makes these women feel self-conscious. These unrealistic expectations can warp a beautiful journey into an uncomfortable and embarrassing one.
Jenner’s wish for a private pregnancy didn’t stop the internet from flooding with baby bump pictures every time the paparazzi were able to snap a photo of the pregnant social media star. When the pictures would hit the profiles that specialize in entertainment news and gossip, the comments would be full of people with negative things to say about Jenner and her pregnancy. Regardless of your feelings toward the Jenner/Kardashian clan, it seems extra problematic to post mean comments about a mother and her unborn child, especially on an unauthorized picture.
Jenner’s pregnant sister, Khloe Kardashian, chose not to keep her pregnancy a secret for the entire pregnancy. As a pregnant public figure, she is currently expressing her disdain for paparazzi.
Kardashian stated that paparazzi screamed rude things at her while she was walking through the airport. “Really wish paparazzi would understand how hard flying is on my body right now,” Kardashian wrote on Twitter, “It’s the only time I feel incredibly exhausted, swollen and nauseous. Screaming rude things and taking my picture when I already feel like crap I can really do without.” Obviously, the paparazzi’s obsession with celebrity pregnancy photos is making celeb’s pregnancies even more stressful and tiring than it already is.
The intuitive “mama bear” instinct that expecting mothers have is a very real thing. Pregnant women want to shield their babies, and definitely don’t want random strangers coming close to their fragile, unborn children. The paparazzi aren’t known for being good with boundaries; they constantly feel the need to get dangerously close to pregnant celebrities so they can get a snap of their elusive baby bump.
The obsession, however, doesn’t stop with celebrity pregnancy photos; celebrities also have to deal with the paparazzi stalking their children as they grow up. In response to this, People Magazine has stated that they do not support paparazzi that take pictures of celebrities’ kids. This comes after many stars in the past complained about how the paparazzi were taking unauthorized pictures of their children.
George Clooney is one of the more recent celebs who voiced their anger over paparazzi violating the privacy and safety of children. He stated, “Over the last week, photographers from Voici magazine scaled our fence, climbed our tree and illegally took pictures of our infants inside our home. Make no mistake the photographers, the agency and the magazine will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The safety of our children demands it.”
