The Curious Origin of Paparazzi and Its Lasting Effect on Pop Culture

We’ve all seen them—those sneaky, often intrusive photographers who seem to pop up out of nowhere to capture candid moments of our favourite celebrities. But where did the term “paparazzi” come from, and how did they become such a ubiquitous part of pop culture?

A surprising origin

While gossip about the rich and famous has been an age-old pastime, the term “paparazzi” only made its grand debut in the mid-20th century.

Legend has it that this term burst onto the scene with the release of the 1960 film La Dolce Vita, helmed by Italian director Federico Fellini. In this iconic film, the word “paparazzi” is actually derived from a character named Paparazzo. Like a relentless force, this freelance photographer followed the main character across Rome, bending over backwards and occasionally hitching a Vespa ride or soaring in a stylish helicopter to get that one-in-a-million shot.

The film struck gold with critics and audiences alike, and paparazzi swiftly became the go-to word for photographers who’d do anything, and I mean anything, to snap those coveted celeb pics.

However, the paparazzi were not confined to the streets of Italy alone. They spread like wildfire, invading the glamorous world of fame across continents.

1950s Hollywood

Welcome to Hollywood, California, the land of glitz, glamour, scandal, and the ever-present paparazzi! Okay, maybe they weren’t called paparazzi back in the 1950s, but those pesky photographers were already on the scene, causing a stir.

But come on, can we really blame them? The 1950s were a revolutionary period for the entertainment industry, with Hollywood studios churning out iconic and classic movies like The Blob, Dial M for Murder, Some Like It Hot, and A Streetcar Named Desire.

But of course, what’s a movie without its shining stars?

And oh, what stars they were! Even after a whopping 70 years, their legendary names still dance around our tongues, leaving us in utter awe. Audrey Hepburn, Gary Cooper, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and Ava Gardner—talk about the epitome of Hollywood glamour! These iconic names will forever be linked to the golden age of lights, cameras, and Hollywood glamour.

But there’s a reason why you’ve never seen snapshots of Humphrey Bogart scratching his ass or Sophia Loren with ketchup on her shirt and messy hair.

In the olden days, studios held their stars in a Vulcan grip, pulling the strings like puppet masters in every little detail. They shaped, moulded, and packaged their prized personalities, both off-screen and on.

With the aid of Hollywood’s finest designers, their wardrobes were crafted to perfection. Expert hair wizards spun their magic on their glorious manes, while trainers, doctors, and nutritionists sculpted their bodies into impeccable shapes. The result? Celebrities emerged as flawless beings, shimmering with glamour and leading seemingly picture-perfect lives.

And the studios made damn sure their prized stars remained picture-perfect, even if it involved a little editorial interference. You see, the studios' influence was so widespread in the early half of the 20th century that even independent magazines were caught in their grip. Take, for example, Photoplay magazine.

Founded in 1911, it was one of the original American film fan magazines. Back in the day, it ruled the roost in the 1920s and 1930s with its killer combo of studio tie-ins, exclusive pictures, advice “written” by the stars, and a supposedly independent editorial voice.

They claimed to speak for the fans, but let’s be honest, they were only granted full access to the stars and movie sets thanks to their cosy and obedient relationship with the industry. After all, Photoplay’s gossipy tidbits, if you can even call them that, were incredibly tame, and the magazine had a knack for downplaying scandals.

But alas, this harmonious bond was in for a jolting wake-up call. With glitz and glamour on the rise, the media’s insatiable hunger for gossip, scandal, and tantalising details grew in parallel.

Gone were the days when the spotlight illuminated the stage. Instead, its gaze turned inward, fixating on the secret lives of celebrities. Before anyone knew it, tabloid magazines sprouted like wild mushrooms, popping up here, there, and everywhere in the blink of an eye.

Yet, amidst this swirling storm of sensationalism, there emerged one magazine that outshone them all: Confidential!

No other publication had the guts to spill Hollywood stars' secrets, wrongdoings, and sins as Confidential did, and they did it with raw, unfiltered details. They shamelessly coughed up big bucks to photographers and journalists for the most scandalous stories and shocking captures of celebrities. And with every juicy revelation, the carefully crafted images of these stars came crashing down, while Confidential’s fame soared to heights never seen before.

To Hollywood’s dismay, Confidential became a massive hit, with a staggering circulation of 4.6 million during its mid-1950s heyday, surpassing even Time magazine.

It was clear what the people wanted.

The rise of the tabloid

As the decades sailed by, the insatiable appetite for fame and juicy gossip soared to unimaginable heights never before witnessed.

In the 1970s, supermarkets across the United States began stocking the weekly U.S. tabloids, which covered everything from A-list Hollywood stars to political rumours.

Yet, despite not having the most reliable source of information, people couldn’t resist picking up a copy of The Hollywood Star, People, Weekly World News, The Tatler, or The Globe at the supermarket checkout line. In fact, some supermarket tabloids, such as the National Enquirer, saw their sales skyrocket during the 1970s, with some issues selling more than 6 million copies per week.

But here’s the thing, The National Enquirer’s wild success didn’t come without its fair share of controversy. After news broke of the King’s untimely death, the National Enquirer wanted to be the first to publish a photo of Elvis’ dead body in his casket. They knew how much their readers wanted to see Elvis one last time, and they were willing to go to any lengths to make it happen.

In a plot that reads like a spy thriller, The National Enquirer dispatched five of their reporters to get that photo. With $50,000 concealed in their luggage, they chartered a jet from Enquirer headquarters in Lantana, Florida, to Memphis, Tennessee.

Once there, they took over an entire floor of a Holiday Inn, setting up shop with secure phone lines and enlisting the help of numerous local writers, photographers, and private investigators.

The first hurdle appeared when they realised that cameras were strictly forbidden in the viewing area. Not willing to give up, the resourceful team stumbled upon a local character who conveniently had a priest costume. They struck a deal with him, offering to pay him handsomely to wear the outfit and discreetly conceal a camera within it.

Alas, their ingenious plot was foiled. The fake priest turned out to be rather vertically challenged and could only capture shots of the casket, rendering their efforts useless in obtaining any footage of the actual body.

Nevertheless, the tenacious Enquirer crew refused to accept defeat. They scoured the local watering holes, eventually discovering one of Presley’s relatives in a nearby bar. After paying the relatively tidy sum of $18,000, the team convinced the relative to smuggle a camera into Graceland and snap a picture of Elvis’ lifeless body in his casket.

Despite numerous failed attempts, the determined relative was able to capture the elusive image that the reporters had been desperately yearning for.

And on September 6, 1977, when the Enquirer unveiled this shocking image on its cover, the response was unprecedented. People clamoured for their copy, resulting in nearly seven million issues sold, reaching an all-time record!

Despite their questionable journalism practises, these magazines managed to thrive well into the 1990s and early 2000s, churning out scandalous stories that were too hot for mainstream media. Tabloids grew into a multi-billion-dollar industry thanks to the public’s insatiable appetite for celebrity rumours and scandals, giving rise to new magazines, websites like TMZ, and celebrity-themed TV shows like Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood.

Why Drew Berrymore is to blame

But of course, it wasn’t all rumours and scandals the public was craving. As it turned out, readers liked seeing how the stars were just like them.

It was a time of transition for Us Weekly. The magazine had shifted gears from a monthly entertainment publication to a weekly tabloid bursting with captivating photos. During an editorial meeting in 2002, Bonnie Fuller, then Editor-in-Chief, had a lightbulb moment that turned the celeb news game on its head.

As Fuller flipped through a mountain of vibrant celebrity snapshots snapped by those daring paparazzi, she stumbled upon a gem. Among the glitz and glamour, there was a quirky picture of Drew Barrymore bending down to pick up a penny. And that’s when it hit Fuller like a lightning bolt: “Stars, they’re just like us!”

Suddenly, the sight of an A-list actress stooping to pick up spare change became enthralling to readers and invaluable to editors. These snapshots, depending on the exclusive content and the celebrity’s activities, could fetch anywhere between a modest $5,000 and a jaw-dropping $15,000.

With figures like that, it’s no wonder a swarm of amateur photographers jumped into the frenzy. However, this gold rush mentality didn’t come without its dark side. The influx of new photographers brought about the rise of paparazzi willing to break laws and go to extreme lengths to harass celebrities and, unbelievably, even their young children.

A slow decline

The 2010s saw the beginnings of a decline in the paparazzi’s influence and prestige. This was due to a myriad of reasons, but the rise of social media and digital media was probably the most significant factor.

In the past, paparazzi photos were reserved for tabloids and gossip magazines. However, with the advent of smartphones, anyone could snap a picture or capture a video of a celebrity and share it with the world online.

Take, for instance, Miles Diggs and his partner, Cesar Peña. As the social media era was blossoming in the 2010s, they saw an opportunity and ran with it, creating 247Paps.TV.

Using tweets, Instagram posts, and Facebook updates as their guides, Miles and Cesar honed their skills in tracking down and trailing celebrities. When Kylie Jenner shared an Instagram photo of herself with model Hailey Baldwin, something caught Miles’ keen eye. He recognised the street and a shop in the background, and without wasting a moment, he headed straight to the Bowery.

“We patiently waited behind the trailer long before she even stepped out,” Miles reminisced, eagerly sharing his tale.

Duos like Miles and Cesar seriously turned up the heat on the paparazzi in the 2010s. Because now, not only were they competing against each other but also against an army of amateur photographers just waiting to strike viral gold.

Just when the paparazzi thought they had enough going on, COVID-19 came along in 2020 and delivered another blow. With the pandemic temporarily shutting down the world, photographers could not follow celebrities around as easily when they were sheltering in place.

Then, to make matters worse, the rise of influencer culture further transformed the game. Celebrities started creating their own content, leaving the paparazzi with even fewer chances to capture a glimpse.

And let’s not forget the harsh reality of the seemingly never-ending global financial crisis and the dominance of online media. As digital media surged, the demand for paparazzi shots skyrocketed, but alas, the price media companies were willing to shell out plummeted. This turmoil led to photo agencies consolidating or sinking altogether, forcing the survivors to adapt their business models.

Instead of charging per photo, photo agencies now offer a subscription service where publishers can use as many photos as they want. But this change comes at a cost for the paparazzi, who now only receive a tiny fraction of the subscription fee. That means those exclusive “Just Like Us” photos that used to fetch thousands of dollars now only pay out pocket change.

And so, the stage is set. As time marches forward and the industry evolves, the paparazzi find themselves in a battle for attention. In a world where everyone could be a potential photographer and celebrities hold more power over their image, the paparazzi now have to fight even harder to make their mark.

Conclusion

Love them or hate them, the paparazzi undeniably shape pop culture. Through their intrusive lens, we get a tantalising glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous. Whether it’s for better or worse, they provide a captivating narrative that has kept us enthralled for decades.