For several years, “nepo babies” – these children of famous personalities whose careers would be facilitated by their last name – have regularly been the target of criticism on social networks. A label that rightly sticks to the skin of Lily-Rose Depp, worthy heir of her two star parents. However, this family notoriety is far from being a free pass, according to Vanessa Paradis. These blood ties could even become disabling, according to her. An opinion shared by psychologist Amélie Boukhobza.
“You are judged so much more than others”
When she came to the set of C to you
present her new film, Vanessa Paradis finally wanted to speak about “nepo babies”. Because while having a famous name can open a few doors, it does not guarantee success, says the actress.
“I wanted to reflect (…) on the fact that it is a privilege. I don’t completely agree. From what I have experienced, because I also have “nepo babies” at home, it opens doors because our names carry you, but afterwards, you are judged so much more than the others. I find it a handicap“, she estimated.
In other words, having famous parents wouldn’t only have advantages. Worse still, the singer believes that it is also a “handicap”.
“You still have all the work to do, just like the others, and I even find it more than the others“, she explained.
An opinion shared by his daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, who had already spoken on the subject. At the end of 2022, the actress recognized that a well-known last name could help land a first audition, but that it did not guarantee any role or career.
“Nothing will get you the role, other than being good for the role (…) There is a lot of work that comes after that“, she declared.
“You have to constantly prove that you deserve your place”
For Amélie Boukhobza, the criticisms addressed to “nepo babies” are based on a reality… but not on the whole reality.
“It’s true that they clearly have a starting advantage. A well-known name opens doors, facilitates meetings and attracts attention more easily; it would be difficult to argue otherwise. But that’s not all. We also grow up in an environment where we already know the codes, the workings and the expectations. We have access very early to a network, to a way of functioning, to a universe which often remains inaccessible to others. And that’s not nothing“, says Amélie Boukhobza.
But this advance also comes with pressure that we often forget. Because these “children of” also inherit a particularly demanding outlook.
“Every success can be attributed to one’s parents’ name rather than one’s own work, which is deeply unfair. Each error also risks being further commented on. And you must constantly prove that you deserve your place, where others “simply” have to prove themselves.“, confides the practitioner.
Difficult to build yourself when you are constantly compared
Ultimately, the real issue is perhaps there: succeeding in existing for oneself. Because when a parent is very well known, it becomes difficult to escape comparisons.
“We blame you for having been helped, but we forget that this help is accompanied by permanent comparison. The public doesn’t just watch what you do: they constantly compare you to those who came before you. “He sings better than his father, she is less talented than her mother, he is still less charismatic”, and so on…“, indicates the expert.
However, this constant comparison can end up weakening one’s own construction as an individual. Because we are evaluated through someone else.
“So it becomes difficult to be yourself. To build an identity that is not just an extension of an already famous name“, specifies the expert.
Finally, the psychologist recalls another difficulty, often overlooked: the children of stars also suffer the consequences of the controversies which affect their parents.
“If a parent is publicly attacked, implicated or at the heart of a controversy, children are never far away. They are questioned, scrutinized, sometimes judged indirectly, even though they have chosen nothing. He has been seen on several occasions with families of public figures. I’m thinking, for example, of Patrick Bruel’s children at the moment, for whom daily life must be very complicated.“, concludes Amélie Boukhobza.