Most celebrities decide at one point or another that they would like to step out of the spotlight and live a “normal life”. One of the numerous packages that comes with fame includes constant attention, whether desired or not. Although child stars do not choose this overwhelming life for themselves, the majority of individuals sign up for it by making the executive decision to put themselves in the public eye. This includes singing covers on a public Instagram page, auditioning for acting roles or playing a sport professionally. The industry comes with several pros and cons, and no celebrity can pick and choose the cons that they receive. 

After over 10 years of filming reality television shows, Kourtney Kardashian recently shared that she does not like living the life of a celebrity and that she no longer wishes to engage in this lifestyle. She will never live this fantasy she has created, especially since she starred in a reality tv show, as opposed to a sitcom or a movie. This format promotes an additional layer of publicity and further opportunity for the world to see. Furthermore, Kourtney, along with the rest of the Kardashians consistently post almost every aspect of their life on social media and television. 

“I don’t understand why there’s all this judgment about the way we each want to live our lives. We should be accepted for what we each want to do. It’s not a positive environment for me to want to be in every day when I feel like they’re so critical of me. Every day I’m coming in, I’m like, ‘Why am I choosing to be in this environment?’ And I think I just reached my point of not being able to tolerate it anymore. I, of course, am grateful for all the years of filming our show, but I’ve spent so many years on camera and I’m just in a different headspace. It just was a lot of pressure on everyday life and I’ve just outgrown that. The private moments are so special and I just need more of them,” Kardashian said.

On the other hand, former child Hollywood stars The Olsen twins decided to step out of the spotlight after years. Because Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s parents threw them on the big screen at such a young age in films such as “Full House” and “It Takes Two”, they never received the privilege nor choice to live a regular life. This differs from other types of celebrities because the others possess an awareness of the kind of life that they could possibly live. 

Although stars cannot choose not to receive attention from fans and paparazzi, a multitude of celebrities makes the decision to remove themselves from the media or in public for others to see. This includes posting on social media, living in populated urban areas and constantly making appearances at events. If these individuals do not wish to make this compromise, they should not remain angry at fans who wish to take pictures of them in public. 

“I think that usually, celebrities are famous because of their jobs, like music or film or whatever the case may be. I think that it is their right to say ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’ and I think celebrities have their own set of problems and struggles and I can imagine it would be difficult to maintain that and want to quit that. I don’t think that it would be respected by their fans at all, but I can definitely understand the compulsion to do that. An unfortunate reality of Hollywood and social media is that you don’t really have privacy, so I support their reaction of being upset, but they cannot necessarily control fan’s desire to see them,” American Literature teacher Laura Sunderland said.