If you have been an active user on the Internet recently, you have probably seen some comments about nepotism babies, or nepo babies, the popular nickname for the term.
Nepotism babies refer to the children of famous and successful people. As the name suggests, they were born with the privilege of having a well-known parent within the industry, whether it be fashion, film, music, or any other.
The recent popularization of the term leads us to reflect on much more than their talent — which the internet is completely addicted to. Talking about nepo babies also allows us to think about how each one of them uses their privileges and the importance of recognizing this power.
- A NEPO BABY’S LIFE
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Babies of nepotism can be found everywhere, but it is a fact that Hollywood is full of them. And let’s face it, the gigantic world of acting is much easier to face when you have the guidance of experienced parents in the field.
Maude Apatow is one of those responsible for popularizing the term. The young actress became better known when she played Lexi Howard on HBO‘s “Euphoria”, and many people were shocked when they found out that Maude is a nepo baby. She is the daughter of the actress Leslie Mann and the director Judd Apatow.
Even though she is the daughter of famous people, there is no doubt about her being a good actress and how she must also battle in the challenging Hollywood. However, being part of the Apatow family was a great help in her professional life.
When Maude was 14 years old, she had the opportunity to act in the movie “This is 40”, which her father directed and her mother starred in. Not all actors have the chance to get jobs like this.
In an interview with Los Angeles Times, Maude talked about how she wants to be an individual and will spend her whole life trying to prove it to herself. “It’s really important to really show that I work really hard because I do”, she declared.
This situation doesn’t just apply to Maude Apatow. The BlacKkKlansman’s star and Denzel Washington’s son John David Washington told Mr. Porter that he used to lie about who his dad was. “I saw how people changed when they found out who my father was”. - Nepotism is not only in Hollywood
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The model Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid’s sister, and Yolanda Hadid’s daughter told Vogue that she always felt like she had something to prove. “I was the uglier sister. I was the brunette. I wasn’t cool as Gigi”.
Insecurity is a feeling that everyone — even nepo babies — has at least at some point, especially in areas where your body and your appearance are crucial parts of the job. But still, you can’t compare the life of those who get opportunities more easily because of their last name to those who have to earn everything from scratch.
Even with the many benefits of privilege, there are still those who take advantage of it and make ugly mistakes, such as Kendall Jenner, who made a not-so-pleasant comment to Love Magazine in 2018: “Since the beginning, we’ve been super selective about what shows I would do. I was never one of those girls who would do like 30 shows a season or whatever the f*** those girls do”. As if the models who depend on it to survive are super exaggerated.
- Why are we only talking about nepo babies now?
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The truth is that they have been around forever and will always be. But now we talk more about it because society — especially younger people — has started to discuss privilege, which is difficult.
Recognizing that your life is easier than someone else’s in some aspect makes us scared. According to a study, when someone questions us about our privilege, we seek to rephrase our story and highlight challenges that supposedly prove that we don’t enjoy the privilege we have all that much.
According to Chimamanda Adichie, “it is the nature of privilege to blind”. And there is no doubt that turning a blind eye to the inequalities that exist in society is not the solution to creating a world with better opportunities for all.
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The article above was edited by Lívia Carvalho.
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