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The Real Problem with the "Pedorazzi"

By Courtney Enlow | Celebrity | February 26, 2014 |

By Courtney Enlow | Celebrity | February 26, 2014 |


For weeks, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have been waging war against the “pedorazzi,” photographers who take photos of celebrity children, as well as the publications and programs that pay for them. Ostensibly, this is a great thing. Children should not have to face that kind of attention or scrutiny. These people are vultures who attack and stalk and it’s terrifying.

Except, they’re not the biggest problem when it comes to children being papped. Their parents are.

Celebrity children are all too often used as a commodity, leveraged with the full consent and involvement of their parents. Whether it’s to appear like a warm, happy family after a scandal, to make themselves front-of-mind during award season or just to get their pictures in a magazine, cute kids sell and these parents know it. That’s why leading up to last year’s Oscars we saw Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner and their adorable offspring out everywhere, happy smiles and cute hand holding. Then within days of a Best Picture announcement, photographers were getting kicked. It’s why we know every Jolie-Pitt child down to their jacket and snack item preferences. It’s the only reason anyone still bothers to photograph Hilary Duff. Kids change a person—and in the celebrity world, the change is that it makes them marketable.

People Magazine announced that they will not support photographers who target children. And you can tell by their meticulous verbiage that they were in a real bind. Because, for those not aware, everything in People Magazine is celeb-approved. People is so celeb-friendly, they have a summer home in the anal cavity of every star from C-list up. So, after public prodding (because, you see, their core fanbase does not understand celebrity PR) People had little choice but to get on board, despite the fact that they *know* exactly who claims to be against the pedorazzi while still keeping the paps on speed dial every time they walk their kids to school. Lest we forget, it is these people who keep an entire People website devoted to celeb kids and babies afloat. Not merely afloat, but thriving.

Lainey Gossip summed this up fabulously. I’ve included the whole thing Read it..

So, as we watch from the sidelines, think about who’s really pulling the strings here. Because as abhorrent as the guy with the camera is, how much worse is he than the parents who put him up to it?