The price of fame can be a high cost to pay despite the obvious monetary benefits. There is no greater toll to pay than the cost of one’s privacy. Certain types of lowest common denominator media have an obsession with shady methods for their own voyeuristic end. The constant pushing of the limits of personal space to get a reaction is all to encourage the population to crave more than they have. There would not be a demand for voyeurism of this nature if it wasn’t so heavily pushed into the faces of viewers. Our natural instinct is to be intrigued by the unknown and that is used to full advantage by world media.
In case you have not heard the news recently. Intimate photos have emerged online of female celebrities in what is being called “one of the biggest hacking scandals” in the last decade. According to reports, The Apple service iCloud was hacked by a currently unknown 4chan user and provocative pics were uploaded onto the aforementioned site late last night. Currently, Apple are garnering a slew of backlash for this security breach; However some theorize that other companies may also be to blame. Certain pictures have shown indications of coming from different sources such as Instagram. Over 100 names have emerged thus far ranging from famous movie stars to musical performers and sports professionals. All of those confirmed have been female.
Among that particular list is Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence who had 60 of her private personal photos leaked. One of the more vocal people on the matter has been Lawrence’s publicist who has slated this act as a “flagrant violation of privacy”. The authorities have been alerted to this situation and its said now that any website showing these revealing images of the actress will be justly prosecuted.
Emerging from the woodwork of this situation has been a torrent of comments aimed at how these celebrities are now being seen from a whole different perspective. I won’t mention the words that I’ve read about the women in these private photos but you can probably gather what the choice phrases used to the describe some of them were. Discussion has been opened on the fears of security breaches in software and additionally a large amount of negativity has surfaced against the victims of this privacy invasion. Celebrities particularly female ones are subject to being held atop a lofty mantle above all others. They endure round the clock coverage from media outlets and a constant public image that they must maintain. To expect them to uphold this image in their own private lives is a ludicrous prospect and yet those feeling they have morale high grounds leave comments on the internet proclaiming this as a publicity stunt. A tough concept to grasp for some is that behind the glamorous career is still just a person that we are talking about. The person that i am when i am with friends is different to the person i would be at home. To expect conformity in every step of your life is to constrict who they are as a person –The person that they are away from the spotlight should be respected and left alone.
These photos were not meant for public eyes. It is ignorant to judge a person based on what was intended to be shared only between loved ones. The fact that they have been made public does not give a free pass to comment on their morality,what should be commented on is the morality of the person behind the attack. There reaches is a point where fascination with celebrity lifestyle goes too far. This is one case among many others. I feel personally to look upon the leaked photos would be to intrude into a world that is not intended for me. This is a stance I have taken not to take a moral high ground or seem preachy to those who have already looked. It is merely a personal opinion on the matter. The statement that brought me to this conclusion came from Mary Elizabeth Winstead of Scott Pilgrim. She tweeted about the incident today “To those of you looking at photos I took with my husband years ago in the privacy of our home, hope you feel great about yourselves.” We are all prone to curiosity. We are all prone to temptation. Even if there is assuredly thousands or more who have already seen these photos. Sometimes it is best just to say;
This is none of my fucking business.
