AIBU regarding celebrity children and nepotism?

[Rhine]

Ive just read on the DM online that Gordon Ramsey's 13 year old daughter is getting her own cookery show again. Having seen said child on The One Show with her father earlier this year I thought she seemed obnoxious and bratty and can't imagine why anyone would want to watch anything hosted by her, but there you go I suppose it's what happens when you have a famous daddy (or mummy).

It's the same with the Beckham children getting all of these high profile modelling gigs. Are they particuarly good looking children? Not in my opinion, not ugly by any means but not expetional to look at either. Its just because of who they are.

It's all over the industry, celeb kids getting gigs because of eho their parents are. There are probably thousands of kids out there who are far more talented, able and more attractive but aren't gettting a look in because they don't have the connections.

It doesn't seem fair to me.

[mellowheart]

I hate the way celeb kids get their undeserved success because of their parents. It seems to be a case of "let's keep chucking money at this already fortunate family" . I agree about the Beckham kids, was it Romeo earned about 50K for about an hours modelling? Makes me bloody sick tbh. Fwiw there's no way I shall be watching Gordon Ramsays daughter doing a cookery programme.

[Stripeysocksarecool]

mellow who do you think the media should be chucking money at instead?

If you have or know children who want to be models / hosting TV programmes you could help them apply to the right agencies? The majority of people in modelling jobs / acting etc aren't there because their parents are famous.

[hebihebi]

The thing is the Burberry campaign with Romeo Beckham got a huge amount of press. They never would have got that kind of exposure with a non-famous model so from Burberry's point of view it was money well spent. At the end of the day irrespective of who their parents are, if they don't deliver the goods then they will get fired. There are plenty of celeb kids with failed careers.

[Notso]

Meh. It happens in all walks of life. Not just the sleb world.
All 15 year old DD's friends with jobs got them through parents/parents friends/extended family.

[Lurkedforever1]

Yabu. Life is unfair. Deal with it. My dd 'got' her academic gift from me, and that academic gift is why she's landed a great financial package at an independent. And she got a head start at her hobby cos of my involvement, and as a result of her advantage gets more than mr and Mrs averages kid cos they're not in the know. Completely different scales to celebs of course but same principle. Should I perhaps be moaning her friend has better holidays as a result of her parents connections too? Or her friends with other gifts/ talents/ hobbies that are inherited or encouraged by parental involvement?
Nobody is forcing anyone to watch or buy stuff involving celebrities kids.

[mellowheart]

mellow who do you think the media should be chucking money at instead?
Children who are just as or more talented than Gordan Ramseys daughter. I don't know any other 12 year old that gets their own show. I should imagine every school in the country has more talented. I'm aware why they want someone connected to a famous name but it still makes me sick.

The majority of people in modelling jobs / acting etc aren't there because their parents are famous
But a hell of a lot are.

[sanfairyanne]

At least you can use it to teach your kids about the glaring inequalities in uk society. Its sad that most people so far just comment along the lines of 'lifes unfair, get used to it'. I prefer to breed mini revolutionaries :)
The bbc should be ashamed of themselves imo

[Queeltie]

It is one of the ways advantage is passed down through the generations. Parents with connections use them to get their DCs good jobs. Parents without connections have DCs who struggle more to get those jobs. Nepotism is alive and well.

[Charley50]

I agree with you OP.

[mellowheart]

Totally agree with that sanfairyanne...... I think I've always bred "mini revolutionaries"

[TalkinPeace]

Zoe Ball : hereditary
David Attenborough : hereditary
Robert Peston : Hereditary
Peter Mandelson : Hereditary
Peaches Geldof : Hereditary twice
Liv Tyler : Hereditary
Paula Yates : Hereditary
Leonardo di CAprio : Hereditary

twas ever thus

and lets not even start on the married couples who use different names but look after each other even so

[VulcanWoman]

Sounds like she's learnt from the master, I won't be watching either of them.

[AuntyMag10]

If you could give your child all the opportunities possible, then I can't imagine one person here would not do it.

[Pepperpot99]

Yeah it's all nepotism gone bonkers but who would want that life for their DC? with the DM paps chasing them and photographing them 24/7? the famous are welcome to their world!

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

I am far more concerned about the political dynasties than the celeb ones.

Douglas Hogg aka. "Lord Moat"
Hilary Benn
The Johnsons
Stephen Kinnock

At least Harold Wilson's son managed to be successful on his own
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Wilson_(mathematician)

[mellowheart]

If you could give your child all the opportunities possible, then I can't imagine one person here would not do it.
I don't agree, there are many many celebrities whose offspring you never hear about who are making their own way in life. They obviously want to get successful by their own merits rather than who their parents are.

[BrandNewAndImproved]

It's always been not what you know but who you know.

[TalkinPeace]

Sorry, I meant the Dimblebeys and the Jays

but Dave did have the advantage of access to a University all his life where daddy was Principal

[Queeltie]

The amount of nepotism in the media, music and journalism seems to have increased.

[emotionsecho]

It happens and has always happened, OP, does anybody seriously think Stella McCartney would have had the leg up in the fashion industry she got if her father hadn't been Paul McCartney? Has any other committed vegetarian aspiring designer been given a plum job at Gucci straight out of fashion college?

However, the industries/potential careers these children go into are pretty brutal there are innumerable cases of children of actors following in their parent/s footsteps and being chewed up and spat out by an unforgiving industry and a cynical and critical pubic much to the detriment of said children.

[KaraokeQueenOfTheNorth]

Maybe Ms Ramsey really wants to spend a day at Leeds Castle with her dad but he is too busy being famous. But my lucky children who were born into the family they were get this opportunity on a regular basis. How unfair.

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

I was just doing some googling and have found out that Harriet Harman is related to Neville Chamberlain.

Does anyone think the lovely Dan Snow would have walked into a TV job out of university if he hadn't been presenting with his father.

[XCChamps]

I actually think this is less of a "problem" in celeb land than in many other walks of life.

Yes the celeb children often get an entry that isn't open to others but if the public aren't fans, they won't last. In other careers, Law, medicine, business, children often follow in their parents' footsteps without the same degree of talent and will trade off the family name for years

[Tfoot75]

I can think of practically no hugely successful actors, tv chefs, models and footballers etc that have very famous parents, which is surely proof that the exact opposite is true, and that these are the jobs where talent rules