Nepo Babies

Although the concept and disapproval of nepotism have been around for years now, “nepo-babies” seem to be a common topic in today’s media. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, nepotism is “favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship,” which means that friends and relatives, mainly children, of successful people will likely have an easier time becoming just as successful because of others’ automatic bias towards them. This term is often used in references to Hollywood celebrities, with the “nepo-baby” term alluding to children of celebrities specifically.

The reason these nepo-babies are causing such an uproar is because many people think their easy success takes opportunities away from less known stars who have more “real talent.” They think that because these celebrities were born at the top of the socioeconomic ladder, it takes away jobs from other people just as good, or better, at the craft than these nepo-babies. And even though all of these points are valid, is it really all that bad?

Just because someone is born into fame does not mean they do not have talent. Take Nicholas Cage for example: as a part of the Cappola family, he comes from a whole line of nepo-babies, but that should not take away from his acting talent. Cage has given amazing performances in movies such as “National Treasure” and “Ghost Rider,” earning himself an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Similarly, actress Zoë Kravitz, daughter of actress Lisa Bonet and singer/actor Lenny Kravitz, has been in major motion pictures such as “Divergent,” “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Batman,” and has been nominated for many big acting awards. 

Even though many see nepo-babies as not gaining the job through their own hard work, that is not necessarily true. Although there are many who profit from nepotism, several people, such as the ones above, are only able to showcase their talent because the spotlight was already on them. Many people, like Nicholas Cage, have made a name for themselves because they have considerable talent, and nepotism has just allowed them to pursue what they wanted. So, even though it may be portrayed as awful, if so much good has come out of it, can it really be that bad?