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Nepo baby

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Blue Ivy Carter (left), daughter of Beyoncé (right) and Jay Z. Blue Ivy has appeared in albums, concerts, music videos, documentaries and films made by or involving her parents and have been subject to accusations of having benefitted from nepotism.

Nepo baby, short for nepotism baby, is a term referring to celebrities whose parents have succeeded in the same careers. The implication is that, because their parents already had connections to an industry, the child was able to use those connections to build a career in that industry.[1][2] It is usually used pejoratively to indicate a celebrity whose fame and success are perceived as unearned or undeserved.[3][4]

Origin

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was the subject of "nepo baby" discussions in 2022 due to his father, NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, being the head coach of both Jackson State and Colorado, where Shedeur was the starting quarterback. Sanders was accused of having been offered a starting position at both programs due to nepotism and bias from his father.[5]

The term "nepotism baby" was first popularized in the early 2010s, after decades of being used, and was first shortened to "nepo baby" in 2020.[6] According to Nate Jones of Vulture, "One of the earliest instances of nepotism baby being shortened to 'nepo baby' appears in a 2020 post from the blog Pop Culture Died in 2009, which describes Olivia Jade as our era's answer to Bling Ring icon Alexis Haines."[7]

The shortened term became popular in 2022 on Twitter when a user tweeted about Maude Apatow, daughter of director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, starring in the TV show Euphoria.[8][4] This led to the term "nepo baby" trending on TikTok as users pointed out numerous other celebrity nepotism babies.[3] The term gained further popularity after New York magazine published a list of nepo babies, and called 2022 "The Year of the Nepo Baby".[9][10][11] They explored which celebrities were nepotism babies, how they got famous, and the schools such figures often went to.[10] Other publications that have covered the topic include The New York Times,[12] Vox,[13] Forbes,[14] and CNN.[1]

Some celebrities have commented on their status as nepotism babies such as Zoe Kravitz,[15] Kaia Gerber, Lily-Rose Depp,[16] Hasan Piker, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck, and Gwyneth Paltrow.[17]

In 2023, Hailey Bieber of the Baldwin family embraced the term, wearing a shirt reading "nepo baby".[18] Hopper Penn has reportedly said that he rejects being labeled as such.[19] Allison Williams, who worked with Lena Dunham on HBO's Girls, stated in regards to Dunham and others being labelled by many as "nepo babies": "It doesn't feel like a loss to admit it. If you trust your own skill, I think it becomes very simple to acknowledge."[20] Rachael Maddux of BuzzFeed, however, disputed that Dunham could be classified as a "nepo baby".[21]

Analysis

Maude Apatow, daughter of director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, who was the subject of the original "nepo baby" post on Twitter in 2022.

In the Vox article on the subject, Columbia University professor Shai Davidai considered the discourse around nepotism babies to be routed in the way they deconstruct the American faith in equality, even in Hollywood. He explained that the concept of nepotism babies who utilize family wealth and connections to achieve success "deprive us of that feel-good 'American dream' story".[13][failed verification]

Users of the term often claim that nepotism babies, as well as those who came from wealth in general, are over-represented in media, when compared to those of working class or otherwise "normal" backgrounds. For example, in a December 2022 humor piece about "nepo babies" by The New Yorker, actor Adam Driver, who came from humble origins, was noted as a "self-made talent...in a sea of Lily-Rose Depps, be an Adam Driver".[22] In another Vulture article, Kevin Lincoln noted that Driver had been discovered through luck, as well as his own merits.[23]

Such examples are deemed proof by proponents that a meritocracy does not exist, and hard work alone is not enough to be successful.[24]

Industry baby

Lena Dunham at the premiere of Supporting Characters at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. Dunham was labelled an "industry baby" by New York magazine in 2022.[7]

The New York magazine issue also used the term "industry baby" to refer to a number of other celebrities.[9]

The publication defined an "industry baby" as "a celebrity who had a parent or relation that may not have been extremely wealthy or famous, but had achieved some success in the industry, often behind the scenes, which provided their children with connections and opportunities". Vulture defined the term as "[a celebrity who] didn't inherit a famous name, but did inherit connections and knowledge of the business".[7]

Examples of industry babies cited include Billie Eilish, Meghan Markle, Lena Dunham, Chris Pine, Taylor Swift and Daisy Edgar-Jones.[7]

Criticism of the term

Some publications, including BuzzFeed and the feminist publication Jezebel, have criticized the terms "nepo baby" and "industry baby" as too loosely applying social privilege, or special advantages conferred on certain groups at the expense of other groups, to certain public figures.[21][25]

In November 2022, Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter of actors Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, as well as the lead actress in the 2023 television series The Idol, criticized the terms "nepo baby" and "industry baby" as sexist and misogynistic.[26] Arwa Mahdawi of The Guardian disputed Depp's claim, stating, "I haven't done detailed data analysis of gender-based applications of the term, but I can think of plenty of men who have been called a 'nepo baby', Brooklyn Beckham and Jaden Smith being two very high-profile examples."[27]

In 2023, magicians Penn & Teller said that they believed the term was "another way for the Internet to be resentful." Penn Jillette said he disliked that the term was being applied to his daughter Moxie.[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Andrew, Scottie (22 December 2022). "Why everyone's talking about 'nepo babies'". CNN. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  2. ^ Kambhampaty, Anna P.; Issawi, Danya (2 May 2022). "What Is a 'Nepotism Baby'?". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b Jones, Nate (2022-12-19). "How a Nepo Baby Is Born". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  4. ^ a b Gorman, Alyx (2022-12-22). "Nepo babies: what are they and why is Gen Z only just discovering them?". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  5. ^ Kasabian, Paul. "Deion Sanders Says Nepotism Isn't Influencing Son Shedeur's Status as Colorado QB". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  6. ^ Eiseman, Jakob. "'Nepo Baby': Meaning and Origin". YourDictionary. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Jones, Nate (2022-12-19). "An All But Definitive Guide to the Hollywood Nepo-Verse". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  8. ^ Franks, Josephine (30 December 2022). "What is a 'nepo baby', and what do celebrities have to say about being labelled one?". Sky News. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  9. ^ a b Mantha, Priyanka. "On the Cover of New York Magazine: Extremely Overanalyzing Hollywood's Nepo-Baby Boom". New York Magazine. Vox Media. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  10. ^ a b "The Year of the Nepo Baby". Vulture. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  11. ^ Lowe, Lindsay (23 December 2022). "What are 'nepo babies' and why is the internet talking about them?". Today. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  12. ^ Kambhampaty, Anna P.; Issawi, Danya (2022-05-02). "What Is a 'Nepotism Baby'?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  13. ^ a b Abad-Santos, Alex (2022-08-31). "One weird trick nepotism babies have for success". Vox. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  14. ^ Placido, Dani Di. "The 'Nepo Baby' Debate, Explained". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  15. ^ Dubey, Shivani (2022-11-21). "Batman's Zoë Kravitz Defends Being 'Nepo Baby'". ELLE. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  16. ^ Truffaut-Wong, Olivia (2022-11-16). "Lily-Rose Depp Objects to Being Called a 'Nepo Baby'". The Cut. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  17. ^ "Gwyneth Paltrow Says Nepotism Babies Have to Work "Twice as Hard" Once Foot Is in the Door". E! Online. 2022-07-27. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  18. ^ "Hailey Bieber Wades Into The Nepo Baby Discourse". British Vogue. 2023-01-07. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  19. ^ Alter, Ethan (February 23, 2023). "Hopper Penn on acting opposite mom Robin Wright in 'Devil's Peak' and why he rejects the 'nepo baby' label: 'I don't give a s***, because I'm not one'". Yahoo!. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  20. ^ Sanchez, Gabrielle. "Allison Williams recalls nepo baby discourse—and how it was different—when she was on 'Girls'". AV Club. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  21. ^ a b Maddux, Rachael. "Stop Blaming Lena Dunham's Success On "Nepotism"". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  22. ^ Arimoto, Jenny; Park, Brian. "Nepotism Babies You Probably Don't Know About". The New Yorker. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  23. ^ Lincoln, Kevin. "How Did Adam Driver Become a Movie Star?". Vulture. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  24. ^ "What are 'nepo babies' and why is the internet talking about them?". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  25. ^ Ashcraft, Kady Ruth. "Having a Creative Parent Is a Privilege, But It Isn't Nepotism". Jezebel. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  26. ^ Bergeson, Samantha. "Lily-Rose Depp Slams 'Nepo Baby' Label: People Want to Define Me 'By the Men in My Life'". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  27. ^ Mahdawi, Arwa. "Lots of things in life are sexist – but the phrase 'nepo baby' isn't one of them". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  28. ^ Campbell, Tina (2023-06-08). "Penn and Teller star slams 'nepo baby' label as way for 'internet to be resentful'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
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