Ava Hahn

Senior Natalie Richmiller views Kylie Jenner’s official pregnancy update posted to her instagram.

America’s craze when it comes to celebrities’ personal lives was once again highlighted when Kylie Jenner and Rihanna took to social media to announce their pregnancies.

Many celebrities decide to keep such private information away from the spotlight. Keeping their A-list babies out of the view of fans is sure to cause speculations and drama to arise. Whether it is just for more privacy or a ploy for publicity, keeping the pregnancy a secret has become a trend for celebrities. 

Although the stars may be doing their best to disguise their personal lives, the media and fans will do anything they can to get an in on them. Junior Emma Vaaler is not a superfan but agreed with this. “I find myself looking into celebrity pregnancies,” she said. “It’s exciting to try to figure out people’s hidden lives.” 

As Jenner and Rihanna came out with their social media announcements, the internet went crazy. 

Even before an official statement was made by either of the celebrities, the media wasted no time speculating. News sources theorized everything from the the name and gender, even down to the due date.

This obsession with celebrities is more than just curiosity. Fans follow every aspect of the media presence that an influencer puts out, but their private life is what people find the most interesting. Following a famous person’s personal life may give fans a sense of being closer to them, or even living through them.  

A lot of the media surrounding celebrities is targeted at a young adult audience. Senior Ava Kwak said, “I don’t find myself following celebrities very closely, but I always hear about the bigger things going on. Usually, I see it on social media first, and then hear people talking about it.” Even though she is not actively searching for information and drama, it is seemingly unavoidable by any user of social media. 

Content creators profit socially and monetarily from the exploitation of celebrities. Fans and viewers desire answers to their questions, even if the famous person they follow so closely is not willing to share. This is where rumors and false information start.

Not only are celebrities being exploited for their pregnancies, but once the child is born the attention shifts. The child born into the spotlight has no choice but to have all the attention on them. The psychological challenge of having so many eyes on you starts at birth when you are raised by a famous parent. 

The pressure on such a young child is no joke. Kwak said, “Everyone is watching your every move when you grow up in fame,” she says, “There’s not only pressure on the parents to raise their children perfectly, but there’s pressure on the kids not to mess up.” Growing up in the spotlight is the only life some of these famous children will ever know, but what toll is it taking on them?

Being famous means constantly living in the spotlight. With so many eyes on you at all times, keeping anything a secret would be difficult, but with little to no information put out by the celebrity themselves, it is hard to imagine how the internet gains so much knowledge on their private lives. 

Although most speculations put on the internet are proven to be untrue at some point, some were not too far off. Superfans have no problem picking up on hints and clues, even if they are not intentionally dropped by the celebrity. 

It is only human nature to want to know the ins and outs of our favorite celebrities’ lives. Whether it be a baby bump Instagram post or a dramatic floral pregnancy reveal, the internet is sure to be sent into a frenzy when their speculations are confirmed.