It’s no secret that celebrities’ lives aren’t private. Magazines, paparazzi, and tabloids are constantly looking for a story to make their cover. With the internet and all the current forms of social media, celebrities have nowhere to hide. When it comes to large events in their lives such as breakups or scandals, it’s inevitable they will make the news. But tabloids are also constantly nitpicking celebrities and making a story out of seemingly non-newsworthy events. So where should the line be drawn?

Although being a celebrity has its perks, the benefits can be outweighed by its determinants. Most children look up to celebrities without realizing the difficulties they face. Kids grow up dreaming that they will one day be famous. It might seem like stars have perfect lives, that they have everything they could’ve ever dreamed of, but they’re people too. They deal with depression, anxiety, stress, and other issues everyone deals with, even though most don’t realize it.

It’s easy to look at them and judge, but one must put oneself in their shoes.

Celebrities are under constant scrutiny. If their dress was too low-cut, if they get a pimple, or if they start seeing someone new, everyone knows about it. In most people’s cases, they can live their lives without fear of being judged by the public, but not celebrities. Every move they make has to be calculated in order not to upset others.

The smallest thing in an average person’s life, such as going out to dinner with a friend, becomes news in a celebrity’s life. They cannot go anywhere without being followed or having their picture taken. If they go grocery shopping, it makes news. If they leave their house without makeup, it makes news. If they go to a doctor’s appointment, it makes news. Their lives are constantly under the public’s magnifying glass. One must imagine the kind of stress that must put on a person.

Celebrities are treated as objects. They have become forms of entertainment both on and off the movie screen. There are even careers that rely solely on exposing a celebrity, such as the paparazzi. These people don’t care if they are violating the star’s privacy; all they care about is selling their photos. Many people enjoy judging these personalities from afar, which is how tabloids remain so popular. The fact that journalists can make money from writing an article about Kendall Jenner’s pimple is baffling. If everyone were under the same pressure that celebrities are, the world would be a very hostile and scrutinizing place.

When scrolling through one’s social media or reading the news, people should consider how the person being scrutinized must feel. Most people love drama, as long as they’re not involved; which is why it is important that they empathize with the celebrities.

As children grow up in a world where celebrities’ lives are a big part of the culture, it is important that they put themselves in the celebrity’s shoes and stay well grounded. The more attention the tabloids get, the more they will be encouraged to nitpick celebrities. By limiting the amount people feed into these news stories, stars may begin to have some more normality in their lives.