Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship is a great example of this shift. In previous years, it would have been unthinkable for a royal in line for the crown to marry an common actress, let alone a biracial, divorced, American one (for example, Prince Edward’s attempt to marry divorced socialite Wallis Simpson caused an uproar in the 1930’s). Additionally, Harry and Meghan’s relationship has been made public in ways others haven’t been. Intimate details about their relationship (i.e their first date) and wedding (even details such as the bachelorette party) are easily googled and available on many pop culture websites. Despite my interest in such news, I’ve wondered what the difference is between the way we as a culture treat the royal family as celebrity versus people like the Kardashians, who both seem to be at the front page of the latest tabloid news. What keeps us from crossing the privacy boundary with the royal family? It seems as though there is a line, albeit a faint one, which dictates that we can have access to the royal family but because of their status there needs to be a level of respect and decorum where certain privacy lines aren’t crossed. For example, paparazzi take pictures of Prince George on his first day of school, yet once they get their shot it seems like they leave the family alone. Contrast that with a family like the Kardashians where the children are followed everywhere they go and are never given a moment of privacy. Maybe this is a national difference in attitude towards stardom: British versus American culture? Yet my main question is, what keeps us, a culture obsessed with those we consider celebrity, from crossing the line? Which celebrities do we decide to “respect” in terms of privacy and which ones do we exploit? Just something interesting to think about in relation to the class.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Supplemental Post #2 - Megan Henckel
I have always had a deep love and intense fascination with the royal family, particularly when considering the interesting relationship between family, duty and celebrity, and the engagement of Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle has once again sparked my interest. I love Netflix’s The Crown, I woke up at 4am to watch William and Kate’s Royal wedding, and I’ve kept track of Prince Harry’s engagement to actress Meghan Markle. Over the last thirty-five years of the monarchy, and arguably even earlier with the advent of radio and television, the Royal family has transitioned from purely an untouchable, almost mythological head of state, to tangible and relatable family accessible to everyone. With such a change has come a movie-star like celebrity that has brought its own challenges to the royal family and blurred the line between Hollywood movie-star and royalty. If you go on any entertainment website, People, E! News, or even Variety, there will be the latest news on the royal family. It seems as though our culture’s obsession with celebrity news and the all encompassing idea of stardom has made its way across the pond, which has contributed to a drastic change in the way the monarchy approaches the world and its people.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship is a great example of this shift. In previous years, it would have been unthinkable for a royal in line for the crown to marry an common actress, let alone a biracial, divorced, American one (for example, Prince Edward’s attempt to marry divorced socialite Wallis Simpson caused an uproar in the 1930’s). Additionally, Harry and Meghan’s relationship has been made public in ways others haven’t been. Intimate details about their relationship (i.e their first date) and wedding (even details such as the bachelorette party) are easily googled and available on many pop culture websites. Despite my interest in such news, I’ve wondered what the difference is between the way we as a culture treat the royal family as celebrity versus people like the Kardashians, who both seem to be at the front page of the latest tabloid news. What keeps us from crossing the privacy boundary with the royal family? It seems as though there is a line, albeit a faint one, which dictates that we can have access to the royal family but because of their status there needs to be a level of respect and decorum where certain privacy lines aren’t crossed. For example, paparazzi take pictures of Prince George on his first day of school, yet once they get their shot it seems like they leave the family alone. Contrast that with a family like the Kardashians where the children are followed everywhere they go and are never given a moment of privacy. Maybe this is a national difference in attitude towards stardom: British versus American culture? Yet my main question is, what keeps us, a culture obsessed with those we consider celebrity, from crossing the line? Which celebrities do we decide to “respect” in terms of privacy and which ones do we exploit? Just something interesting to think about in relation to the class.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship is a great example of this shift. In previous years, it would have been unthinkable for a royal in line for the crown to marry an common actress, let alone a biracial, divorced, American one (for example, Prince Edward’s attempt to marry divorced socialite Wallis Simpson caused an uproar in the 1930’s). Additionally, Harry and Meghan’s relationship has been made public in ways others haven’t been. Intimate details about their relationship (i.e their first date) and wedding (even details such as the bachelorette party) are easily googled and available on many pop culture websites. Despite my interest in such news, I’ve wondered what the difference is between the way we as a culture treat the royal family as celebrity versus people like the Kardashians, who both seem to be at the front page of the latest tabloid news. What keeps us from crossing the privacy boundary with the royal family? It seems as though there is a line, albeit a faint one, which dictates that we can have access to the royal family but because of their status there needs to be a level of respect and decorum where certain privacy lines aren’t crossed. For example, paparazzi take pictures of Prince George on his first day of school, yet once they get their shot it seems like they leave the family alone. Contrast that with a family like the Kardashians where the children are followed everywhere they go and are never given a moment of privacy. Maybe this is a national difference in attitude towards stardom: British versus American culture? Yet my main question is, what keeps us, a culture obsessed with those we consider celebrity, from crossing the line? Which celebrities do we decide to “respect” in terms of privacy and which ones do we exploit? Just something interesting to think about in relation to the class.
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