LONDON: When it comes to stardom, one constant is the omnipresence of paparazzi—their flashes reflecting a kind of fame-induced cat-and-mouse game that has become a central part of being a celebrity. Yet this relationship, often seen as symbiotic, has its darker, more predatory layers, especially when it comes to the treatment of women in the public eye.
Uorfi Javed, the internet personality from India, often in the headlines for her daring and outlandish fashion choices, was newsworthy for an entirely different reason recently. Her love-hate relationship with the paparazzi took a sharp turn when she called them out on Instagram for their disrespectful comments.
A similar narrative unfolded in Hollywood with Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney. In a recent interview with Glamour Magazine, Sydney shared a disturbing encounter where paparazzi approached her family outside her home. The photographers had the nerve to suggest that if the actor came outside in a bikini, they would take their pictures and leave her family alone. It wasn’t just an invasion of her privacy but a terrifyingly casual proposition that turned her body into a transactional object. Both Uorfi and Sydney’s experiences expose a misogynistic undercurrent that defines the paparazzi’s treatment of women they deem “brazen” or hold in lower regard.
