Listen Live
93.9 WKYS Featured Video
CLOSE

Many of us have childhood photos that bring forth joyful and fond memories. We, as “regular” people, have some control in choosing who judges us or those closest to us, whereas celebrities don’t have this privilege. But we are quickly relinquishing this luxury in the days of Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter.

When you expose your life on social media, you open yourself up to the public’s opinion, whether it’s welcomed or not.

So what happens when this over-scrutinizing, an era where some “live for likes” and more people are concerned with gaining followers than leading their own lives … What happens when this begins at birth?

Enter Blue Ivy.

The 4-year-old is the descendant of Black pop culture simply because her mother is Beyoncé and her father is Jay Z. >>cue classical music over a hip-hop beat<<

What should we do for a young child who has been both blessed and challenged to be born into a family that will always be creators of culture, thus automatically making them newsworthy?

The answer is: We help her thrive. Praise her Spanish-speaking abilities. Reminisce on how her mom revealed her pregnancy through a vigorous MTV Video Music Awards performance. Anticipate the many firsts this child will have.

Yet, of course, in the corners of judgement and the comment section of doom, many spent the 2016 VMAs judging her looks. Whether it is her hair or her facial features or why she doesn’t look more like Beyonce…it’s troubling to see the ease at which adults are able to judge children, who can barely forumlate complete independent thoughts and sentences.

It’s concerning that grown adults are spending time typing insults and creating rude internet memes of a child who is famous only because her parents are media moguls. (I do add, there are also positive things out there, too — lots.)

There are layers to this.

Blue Ivy’s scrapbook is being built by the internet. A Tumblr page can help create and add to the positive narrative, but it doesn’t control it. How are your words, re-tweets, and comments contributing to this girl’s childhood? When she’s old enough to read and understand the internet, how will she be shaped by both the positive and the negative imagery projected onto her? This goes for all celebrity children.

There are layers to this.

Comparison is a thief of joy, yet we often do it to ourselves and others. The constant Blue Ivy, North West juxtaposition is exhausting. Different children. Different vibes. Honestly, Blue Ivy is often spotted looking just like she should: a 4-year-old child. No elaborate furs. No chokers. And when she IS dressed up, it’s like the beautiful Black princess she is.

I noticed a friend never posts images of her beautiful 10-month-old son. Never. Not one. Recently, spending time with her, I asked her to explain why. She told me she wants her child to be able to choose how he is projected in this world and not as an image she has crafted for him.

There are layers to this.

We are just starting to see what it’s like growing up in the age of the internet. There are psychological implications in the age of Instagram, in the era of Facebook. Comparison and competitiveness is becoming a norm. A place where parents post pictures directly from the hospital. What is private? What is sacred? An opinion is a comment section away. When did the society that used to value privacy, become so public?

But back to Blue Ivy … and all celebrity children.

They did not choose this life. They did not choose the magazine covers. They do not choose to be followed. They did not choose their parents’ career. I admit, I find joy in watching Blue be a carefree Black girl, not knowing anything but this life of luxury and excellence. I grimace at the depths of comment section, however, when they are anything but kind.

The internet is a digital scrapbook for all of us — contribute positively.

Think: Is this really what I want to add? Is this really the image I want to present of myself?

Think before you click send, beauties. Think, before you attack a child.

The Layers Of The Internet Judgement Against Blue Ivy And Other Celebrity Kids  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com