Privacy vs Publicity

I know I have been beating the dead horse formerly known as Kim Kardashian’s marriage past recognition, but this controversy has caused me to think. Lets think about the dilemma Kim and the Kardashian family finds themselves in. This family’s job is to be themselves. They are not actors, they are reality stars. They make millions off of being themselves. They let people in their lives on a weekly basis and it seems nothing is off limits. They have been on numerous blogs, shows, and magazines promoting themselves and profiting off their personal lives. They are their brand. Their brand is in jeopardy. Kim Kardashian made a public spectacle of her marriage. She sold every detail of her nuptials to People Magazine and E! for KUTK and Kim's Fairytale Wedding Special. Now that Kim's publicity stunt marriage has gone kaput after 72 days and $18 million dollars in profits from exclusive stories, ad revenue, gifts, and television specials, public opinion has turned on the Kardashians. The Kardashian family is now asking for privacy and striving to dispel rumors. I find this ironic. This has also made me think: where is the line drawn between private and public lives. What happens when the line is blurred? Do you have the right to redraw it?

There was a time when you actually had to have talent to be a celebrity. One had to sing, act, and dance to even be considered a celebrity. The personal lives of stars of old were pretty much off limits. There were no papparazzi trailing a celebs every move. There were no famous for being famous people. Now with the rise of blogs, daily entertainment shows, social networking, and tabloids, anyone can be famous or infamous. Talent is an option for one to be a celebrity. Even celebs with marketable talent find it necessary to have a carefully crafted image with a bit of personal details, real or fake. Although Beyonce is notoriously private, even she has found it necessary to share details about her pregnancy and marriage to Jay-Z.

When a celebrity's carefully crafted image is question or tarnished with scandal, the fans say "I like their music, acting, or clothes, etc" but when their image is used to sell said product, does the public deserve an explanation? People buy products because they feel a connection with the artist and what they're portraying/ selling. I don't believe that celebs should have to answer about personal tragedies or things they're not ready to speal about, for example sexuality and personal relationships, but the public does deserve the truth. If Kim Kardashian got married for fame, she should say so and move on. I dislike celebrities playing the victim role when something they chose to do backfires. I dislike celebrities opening up their lives to the public then asking for privacy when things go wrong. One of the pitfalls of celebrity is lack of privacy and opening up yourself to the public all but eliminates that. If you're gonna be an opeen book, be an open book.