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In 1958, a photographer named Tazio Secchiaroli took a picture of King Farouk of Egypt in Rome. The King became upset after being photographed with two women, neither of whom were his wife. Thus began the role of a new type of photographer.
An Italian film producer named Federico Fellini was working on the script for a movie about the current culture in Rome during this time. Fellini reached out to Secchiaroli to name the photographer character in the movie after him, choosing Paparazzo. This film was later released in 1960 and was titled “La Dolce Vita.”
“Paparazzo… suggests to me a buzzing insect, hovering, darting, stinging," Fellini said in an interview with Time Magazine.
In today’s society, the paparazzi is a controversial topic. Some celebrities say that the paparazzi are beneficial since they bolster their popularity, while others say the paparazzi are invasive and treat humans as objects.
Arguably one of the most famous influential figures in pop culture, Kim Kardashian used to enjoy the paparazzi.
“Every time I’d go to the gym or go eat, every paparazzi would ask me questions and I would be like: ‘Hey guys!’ Like, I so wanted the attention,” Kardashian said in a video shared on her website and app.
Kardashian used to go wherever the paparazzi were located so that she could be photographed to boost her platform. Occasionally, she would even call the paparazzi to where she was in order to get photographed.
On the other hand, musical icon Britney Spears has had a very different experience with the paparazzi. The paparazzi took pictures of her coming out of a public restroom and stalked her while she was on vacation in Miami.
“The paps know where I am and it’s really not fun! It’s pretty hard going anywhere cause these silly faces keep popping up to take my picture… but not only do they take my picture… they distort my body and mess with the image and it’s embarrassing! I know my body is not perfect but I definitely do not look like how they portray me,” Spears said on her Instagram page.
This wasn’t the first time Spears had accused the paparazzi of using Photoshop to edit her body to look “heavier” in the photos. Spears also once punched a paparazzi in 2007 and attacked them with an umbrella.
Around the 1990s, the role of the paparazzi changed into a more aggressive business. However, in today’s world, the paparazzi have become more understanding and have given celebrities more breathing space to live their lives.
“I used to be a cool chick but I feel like the paparazzi have taken… the way I used to live my life [away from me],” Spears said.