In our current age of extreme celebrity obsession, paparazzi seem to be above the law. They present a narrative that stars have sold their souls to fame and are no longer entitled to private lives, sinking as low as crashing their weddings, breaking into their homes, and stalking them on streets just for photographs and videos that could make them some money. Often, they will even harass celebrities verbally, so intensely and unkindly (to put it lightly) that the celebrities become violent, and then the paparazzi make even more money because they sue them, or get even better stories about how violent and crazy they are when they are only trying to defend themselves.

But who’s really to blame for the wreck that is paparazzi stalking? Is it the photographers themselves for following the celebrities around so obsessively? Is it the tabloid magazines for marketing and selling these stories, along with very nasty, borderline slandering articles about the stars’ private lives? Or is it the public’s fault for being so interested in the details of celebrities’ lives that they do not give consent for people to know/write about?

Much of the public does not know what goes into the work of obtaining the photographs (i.e., borderline stalking), nor are they the ones doing it themselves, so they can not be blamed for that aspect; however, without public encouragement, of course, the tabloids would receive no profit from the photos and stories, so to a certain extent it is the public’s fault. Although celebrities often have a lot of money and success behind them, they are also widely, openly, and cruelly criticized, as well as followed around to the point that they often can not even go to the grocery store without being swarmed. Actress Jennifer Garner, for example, was stalked by a man who was able to find her by following the mobs of photographers that surround her when she goes out in public, and the man told her he was going to cut the babies out of her stomach during her pregnancy . Later the same man was arrested for stalking her, having been caught outside the preschool of her young daughter standing among paparazzi.

Following celebrities and photographing them and their children who are often terrified of the mean, yelling photographers is morally wrong whether the celebrities chose to be famous or not. By supporting the disgusting, horrible tabloids that slander celebrities and expose (often untrue) details of their private lives, you are encouraging them to continue stalking and terrifying celebrities and their families. And keep in mind that some of these celebrities themselves are only children, such as Demi Lovato, who at 16 years old was bullied by online bloggers and tabloids and developed an eating disorder because of it, or Miley Cyrus, who at 16 had private photos she had sent to a significant other of her in the shower or in her underwear, leaked on the internet for the entire world to see . Therefore, I encourage anyone reading this article to stop supporting tabloids, put an end to the paparazzi, and support the humanity of celebrities who have rights and families and deserve their privacy.