Paparazzi (singular formpaparazzo) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people, such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities who go about their daily life routines. Paparazzi are often known for their relentless pursuit of celebrities, often using telephoto lenses andelectronic flashes, or even following them in vehicles to capture personal, unflattering, or private moments. The photographs taken by paparazzi are commonly sold to tabloids, gossip magazines, andwebsites, where they are published to attract attention and increase sales. This type of invasive photography is often controversial because it can violate the privacy of the subjects involved.
Paparazzi tend to beindependent contractors, unaffiliated withmainstream media organizations, who track high-profile people and take pictures of them opportunistically.[1] Some journalists have described the behavior of paparazzi asstalking,[2][3][4] and anti-stalking laws in many countries address the issue by seeking to reduce harassment of public figures and celebrities, especially when they are with their children.[5] Some public figures and celebrities, such asAdele,Prince Harry, andKristen Stewart, have expressed concern at the extent to which paparazzi go to invade their personal space.[6][7] The filing and receiving of judicial support forrestraining orders against paparazzi has increased, as have lawsuits with judgments against them.[8]
Paparazzi are often a problem for celebrities, as the latter have become increasingly objectified andworshipped by fans, especially through social and mass media.[9] This happens because constant exposure to and coverage of these figures[10] leads people to treat celebrities like they are their social intimates, whom they admire, gossip about, or copy habits from.[11] A 2009 study which anonymously interviewed a number of celebrities showed that it was a common sentiment that being pursued by paparazzi causes a loss of personal life, lack of anonymity, and a feeling of constantly being watched.[12] This causes them to compensate by forming separate identities, one an image offered to the public, and one reserved for moments of privacy and intimacy.
It is also a common practice for celebrities to willingly invite paparazzi to take photographs of them, the main reason being to maintain or increase their relevance and exposure.[13][14]
Walter Santesso portrays Paparazzo in the 1960 filmLa Dolce Vita, marking the character as the eponym of the wordpaparazzi.[15]
Ron Galella was well known for his obsessive stalking of several celebrities, most notablyJacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Galella has been defined "the Godfather of the U.S. paparazzi culture".[16]
Rino Barillari is an Italian paparazzo known as "The King of Paparazzi" in Italy.[17][18] He was awarded the Commander of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1998.[19]
Tazio Secchiaroli whose career directly inspired Fellini, notablyfor Coriolano Paparazzo character,and his scoop of the infamous Rugantino night-club scandal.
Intrusive photojournalism has existed since the nineteenth century. The invention of quicker and more portable cameras facilitated the process of capturing unauthorized celebrity photographs and publishing them in illustrated newspapers, which started appearing in the 1890s.[20] One of the first instances of a "snatched photograph" was in 1898, when two photographers were able to capture a photograph ofOtto von Bismarck on his deathbed through bribery.[21]
A news photographer named Paparazzo (played byWalter Santesso in the 1960 filmLa Dolce Vita directed byFederico Fellini) is theeponym of the wordpaparazzi.[22] In his bookThe Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, Robert Hendrickson writes that Fellini named the "hyperactive photographer ... after Italian slang for 'mosquito'".[23] As Fellini said in his interview toTime magazine, "Paparazzo ... suggests to me a buzzing insect, hovering, darting, stinging."[24] Those versions of the word's origin are sometimes contested. For example, in theAbruzzo dialect spoken byEnnio Flaiano, co-scriptwriter ofLa Dolce Vita, the termpaparazzo refers to the local clam,Venerupis decussata, and is also used as a metaphor for the shutter of a camera lens.
Further, in an interview with Fellini's screenwriter Flaiano, he said the name came from the bookSulla riva dello Jonio (1957),[25] a translation by Italian poetMargherita Guidacci ofBy the Ionian Sea,[26] a 1901 travel narrative in southern Italy by Victorian writerGeorge Gissing. Flaiano states that either he or Fellini opened the book at random, saw the name of a restaurant owner, Coriolano Paparazzo, and decided to use it for the photographer. This story is further documented by a variety of Gissing scholars[27] and in the bookA Sweet and Glorious Land. Revisiting the Ionian Sea.[28]By the late 1960s, the word, usually in the Italian plural formpaparazzi, had entered English as a generic term for intrusive photographers.[29] A person who has been photographed by the paparazzi is said to have been "papped".[30]
For the majority of the history of paparazzi from the 1950s–2000s, paparazzi have been viewed as "invasive, aggressive, and greedy men" who would commonly clash with public figures,[31][13] but they have since become calmer and less combative.[6][13]Social media grew in size during the 2010s, which made shooting sensational photos more accessible to the public and allowed celebrities to better control what pictures of them were publicized.[31][6] This in turn cheapened the value of sensational photos, and made the paparazzi industry riskier and less profitable.[32] Although tensions still remain and paparazzi are commonly viewed negatively by the public and many celebrities, more celebrities have begun to regularly (or during a setback) invite, befriend, or ask paparazzi to take photos of them to sustain their careers, such asKim Kardashian andRihanna.[6][14] (However, since the mid-2000s, social media has contributed to the industry's growth inHindi cinema and more invasion of privacy there.)[33] Public distrust has also increased around staged paparazzi photos.[13]
Due to the reputation of paparazzi as a nuisance, several countries and states restrict their activities by passing laws and by holding events in which paparazzi are specifically not allowed to take photographs.[34][35][36][37] In the United States, celebrity news organizations are protected by theFirst Amendment,[38] which means that taking photos or videos of people in public areas without their consent is legal.[39] This standard extends to even potentially embarrassing situations. For example, in July 2012, when Australian supermodelMiranda Kerr leaned over to buckle her son into a car seat, herthong underwear peeked over herjeans to create awhale tail. Because she was in a public location, the streets ofNew York City, the photographer not only had the right to take photos but also circulate them publicly.[40] However, to protect the children of celebrities,California passed Senate Bill No. 606[41] in September 2013. The purpose of the bill is to stop paparazzi from taking pictures of children or wards in a harassing manner because of their parent's occupation. This law increased the penalty for harassment of children.[42] California Civil Code sections 1708.7 and 1708.8 explicitly address stalking and invasion of physical privacy.[43][44]
In 1972, paparazzo photographerRon Galella suedJacqueline Kennedy Onassis after the former First Lady ordered herSecret Service agents to destroy Galella's camera and film following an encounter in New York City'sCentral Park. Kennedy counter-sued claiming harassment. The trial lasted three weeks and became a groundbreaking case regarding photojournalism and the role of paparazzi. InGalella v. Onassis, Kennedy obtained a restraining order to keep Galella 150 feet (46 m) away from her and her children. The restriction was later reduced to 25 feet (7.6 m). The trial is a focal point inSmash His Camera, a 2010 documentary film by directorLeon Gast.
In 1997,Diana, Princess of Wales and partnerDodi Fayed werekilled in a limousine crash as their driver was speeding, trying to escape paparazzi. Another person, Trevor Jones, survived.[45][46] Aninquest jury investigated the role of paparazzi in the incident, but no one was convicted. The official inquests into the accident attributed the causes to the speed and manner of driving of the Mercedes, as well as the following vehicles, and the impairment of the judgment of the Mercedes driver, Henri Paul, through alcohol.[47]
In 1999, theOriental Daily News ofHong Kong was found guilty of "scandalizing the court", an extremely rare charge where the judiciary find that the newspaper's conduct undermines confidence in the administration of justice.[48] The charge was brought after the newspaper had published abusive articles challenging the judiciary's integrity and accusing it ofbias in a lawsuit the paper had instigated over a photo of a pregnantFaye Wong. The paper had also arranged for a "dog team" (slang for paparazzi in the Chinese language) to track a judge for 72 hours, to provide the judge with first-hand experience of what paparazzi do.[49]
Time magazine's Style & Design special issue in 2005 ran a story titled "Shooting Star", in which Mel Bouzad, one of the top paparazzi in Los Angeles at the time, claimed to have made US$150,000 for a picture ofBen Affleck andJennifer Lopez inGeorgia after their breakup. "If I get a picture ofBritney and her baby," Bouzad claimed, "I'll be able to buy a house in those hills [aboveSunset Boulevard]."[50]Paparazzi author Peter Howe toldTime that "celebrities need a higher level of exposure than the rest of us so it is a two-way street. The celebrities manipulate."
In 2006, Former Brazilian ModelDaniella Cicarelli went through a scandal when a paparazzo caught video footage of her having sex with her boyfriend on a beach in Spain, which was posted onYouTube.[51] After fighting in the court, it was decided in her favor, causing YouTube to be blocked in Brazil. Cicarelli appealed the decision, and the case was finally settled in 2015 with the Superior Court of Justice of Brazil awarding Cicarelli and her boyfriend in the video damages of R$250,000 (US$64,000) from Google.[52]
Following the publication of photographs showingCatherine, Princess of Wales sunbathing whilst topless at the French holiday home of her husband's cousinViscount Linley, it was announced on September 14, 2012, that the royal couple were to launch legal action against the French edition ofCloser magazine. It was the first time that a senior British royal has sued in a court outside the UK. The reason cited for the legal action is that the Duchess had a right ofprivacy whilst at the home—the magazine responded that the pictures had been taken from the public highway. The injunction was granted on September 18, 2012, and the publishers of the magazine were ordered not to publish the photographs in France and not to sell the images. The publishers were also ordered to hand over the original material of the published pictures under threat of a €10,000 fine for every day of delay in doing so.[53] In 2017, the magazine was ordered to pay €100,000 in damages to Catherine and William, and another €90,000 fine to two staffers.[54]
In the United Kingdom,Sienna Miller,Amy Winehouse, andLily Allen have won injunctions that prevent the paparazzi from following them and gathering outside their houses. Miller was awarded £53,000.[55]
In 2013, rapperKanye West faced assault charges after attacking a photojournalist. He stated that he would fight to get the law changed, so celebrities can profit from paparazzi's work.[56][57]
In addition to legal action, celebrities have taken other measures to avoid paparazzi. WhenDaniel Radcliffe was performing in the playEquus in London, he wore the same hat and jacket every day for six months, to make the photos look old and therefore "unpublishable".[58]
Lady Gaga released the single "Paparazzi" in 2009 for the albumThe Fame, which she described to be "about wooing the paparazzi to fall in love with me".[59]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)Under existing law, any person who intentionally harasses the child or ward of any other person because of that person's employment is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding 6 months, or by a fine not exceeding $1,000, or both.
Media related toPaparazzi at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition ofpaparazzi at Wiktionary
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