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Is there any ethical way for a child to be famous?
By Jessica Bracken — Written on Jun 07, 2023
Blue Ivy Carter and North West are two of the world’s most famous children. Seeing as their parents are some of the wealthiest, most influential celebrities alive, it was basically inevitable that both would grow up in the public eye.
However, Carter and West’s parents have taken slightly different approaches to managing their children’s images. People online adored Blue Ivy's Renaissance performance, but accuse Kim Kardashian of exploiting North West whenever she makes public appearances — so what's the difference?
Why is Kim Kardashian accused of exploiting North West while Beyoncé's praised for letting Blue Ivy perform?
The two appear to have different approaches when it comes to how much the public sees of them. Not only that but the environments surrounding the two are separated into different industries.
During Beyoncé’s ongoing Renaissance Tour, her 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy joined her onstage multiple times to dance in front of hundreds of thousands of audience members. Fans loved her confident, striking stage presence, and it seemed like Blue genuinely enjoyed performing with her mother — she did an amazing job.
But, she wasn't immune from naysayers. Some users online criticized her dancing and commented on her body. Though they were in the minority, there's no denying the inherent lack of protection that comes with putting your preteen child on display for the world to see.
That being said, besides these recent appearances, Blue usually stays out of the spotlight. The 11-year-old has no social media presence beyond the occasional appearance on a family member’s account. Beyoncé likes to keep her personal life private, and that includes her children.
In contrast, Kim Kardashian gets slated for her daughter North West's public childhood.
There are countless videos of North West online, including posts from social media accounts that the 9-year-old runs in collaboration with her mother.
In many of her public appearances, North has expressed discomfort with the paparazzi hounding her. At the 2022 Jean Paul Gaultier fashion show, North even held up a sign saying “Stop” to photographers.
In both North and Blue’s cases, neither child could have conceivably had much of a normal childhood. Being constantly hounded by paparazzi and facing scrutiny from strangers online would have an effect on any child’s psyche.
However, Blue’s public appearances have largely been met with praise, while Kim has been criticized for North's.
Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian have both spoken about wanting their daughters to have relatively normal childhoods.
In reality, though, North has already spent much more time in the limelight than Blue, already regularly posting TikToks at 9 years old. While it’s normal for kids to want to express themselves online, doing so when you’re already as famous as North means heightened scrutiny.
The murky ethics of childhood social media fame are relatively new territory, as social media is still such a recent development. With virtually no restrictions on how children can be featured on social media, it’s largely up to parents what kind of a presence they want their kids to have. In the case of celebrity children, their choices are amplified.
Where do parents draw the line between sharing their lives versus preserving their children’s privacy, or allowing their kids to express themselves versus keeping them safe from online harassment?
In the cases of Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian, it seems that their respective praise and criticism are drawn from whether or not their kids want to appear in public. While Blue’s performance looked to be a positive experience for her, North’s appearance at the Jean Paul Gaultier fashion show suggests that she may not be comfortable with the amount of attention she’s getting. Kim has also practically built her career off the back of criticism and lives in the world of reality television.
Without talking to either of the girls, we can’t really know how they feel about their publicity. It’s also impossible to know how their fame will affect them as they grow up. We can only hope that their parents are keeping their best interests in mind.
Jessica Bracken is a writer living in Davis, California. She covers entertainment and news for YourTango.