An argument broke out in the Mamamia office this week when the subject came up of celebrities who use their children to make money. That makes it sound awfully exploitative but here are two examples that make you think. The first is Brad and Angelina who are said to be launching a kids’ clothing range based on the style of their own kids, the proceeds of which would go to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation which supports humanitarian causes.
According to the Herald Sun
The look?Pitt was already attending meetings in Italy to complete the deal, which will set up a line following the trends set by the oldest four of the couple’s six children – nine-year-old Maddox, six-year-old Pax, five-year-old Zahara and Shiloh, four.
It was estimated the collection could boost the foundation’s coffers by millions.
Now, it’s unclear whether this is in fact true but let’s for argument’s sake say that it is. To me this is very different to, say, a situation. Cool by you for celebrity kids to have a clothing line if it’s for charity?
Then there’s Octomum who also has a real name and that’s Nadya Suleman. I watched the Liz Hayes 60 Minutes interview with her a couple of weeks ago and was struck by many things (the most pressing of which was her lips which looked painfully inflated but I digress….). Putting aside for a moment the manner by which she became a mother to 14 young children including one year old octuplets, watching the interview prompted me to open my mind to the idea of her selling access to her children’s lives.
I mean, she says she wants privacy and I think I believe that. I do. Because most of the attention she’s had has been horribly negative and who courts that? But she is not an attractive proposition for sponsors who might have otherwise provided some financial support to her family in exchange for the association with America’s only suriving octuplets.
So without an income and needing/wanting to be home with her 14 CHILDREN each day, how is she going to provide for her family?
By selling media interviews and photo shoots. And is that such a bad thing REALLY?
Someone in the Mamamia office thought it was appalling but how else can she pay for childcare and rent and nappies and food and all the basics (let alone luxuries) her family require? It’s fine to say “she should have thought of that before she got inseminated with 8 embryos when she already had 6 kids” and you would be right but the kids are here now and the babies have been born and this is her reality. And THEIR reality.
What would you do?
Top Comments
I think both situations are fine. I can't condemn parents for involving their children in charity work, I just can't! I encourage my children to help charity too, what on earth is the difference?
As for the mother of the octuplets, I think good on her. She has mouths to feed, and clearly she has boundaries on what she will and won't do to make money. I'm sure people wouldn't be happy to see those babies go without.
I really don't understand why we always need to form some sort of jury around parents! 'Oh, this is ok, but that's not...'
I really don't see these two scenarios as child exploitation at all. I just don't.
I think it is important for celebrities to have control over their children's images and the way to do this is to sell a shot. If you don't give at least one shot of your wedding or baby you will be stalked and papped. I wouldn't like that, so I can understand and think it makes sense in a crazy situation.