Have we become the ‘impossible to please’ parents of the Nepo baby?
We all know the pressure of living up to our parents’ expectations, but what is it like to live up to both the media’s and your parents’ expectations? One thing is for sure, it takes an emotional toll on the individual, usually erupting in a public way. If you’ve read all of Brooklyn Beckham’s stories following his family feud, you are either deeply empathic or deeply resentful towards Nepo babies, or maybe just have the time on your hands. The six-slide statement gave a personal insight to what it is like to feel the weight of the title “Nepo” on his shoulders.
Upon reading the six-slide statement, you’ll find Brooklyn mentions lifelong anxiety, control, and performance. Most of which the general public does not endure. And while Brooklyn’s expectations of his statement are unknown, the public seemed to take it as either a sign of independence or a sign of searching for pity. What people could not seem to agree upon was if they were mad at Brooklyn as an individual or Brooklyn as a Nepo baby.
If people were mad at Brooklyn, it revolved around the concept of family loyalty. There are many commenters who live by “blood is thicker than water” and view Brooklyn’s family estrangement due to a toxic partner. A common assumption, many people know all too well. Some online have been angry that he is choosing a woman over the family he has known his whole life, usually disregarding the fact that she is his “wife” and would equally fall under the term ‘family’. They see the privilege his family has given him and view his anger as ungrateful. And then there are those who subconsciously dislike him, as he never gave the public what the senior members of the Beckham family gave the public, as in entertainment.
Leading us into the real anger we have seen circulating online regarding Brooklyn, his “painfully mediocre” persona, according to @istherightword. One of the creators who gave her two cents on the Beckham estrangement explored the complexities of Brooklyn’s place in his family. But why would people be mad at Brooklyn for being mediocre? The whole point of being a Nepo baby is that you have an inherited access to success. For Brooklyn, being the son of one of the most famous English footballers and a former Spice Girl, the Beckham name has entertained the public for years.
For Brooklyn to have access to all of the resources possibly needed to succeed, it is frustrating to the public that Nepo baby, who has tried an obnoxious amount of occupations, can not seem to fulfil the public’s desire to be entertained. Arguably, we expect the ultimate entertainment from Nepo babies, where we as a society seem to think having access to all the resources is a straight path towards success. The frustration comes from our lack of the same access rather than their use of it. It is not like Brooklyn has not taken advantage of these privileged resources, however Brooklyn is an extreme example. He has, in fact, attempted both football and modelling- the occupations that led to his family's fame. People don’t seem to be angry at his ‘wasting’ of his privilege; they seem to be mad at his lack of performance.
The Nepo baby conversation is inherently comparing the ability of the parents’ performance to the child's, and the bar is never the same. Let’s take the recent criticism of Kate Moss’ daughter, Lila Moss, who walked her first Victoria's Secret runway this year. Lila Moss received much criticism, along with her mother, who were questioned as models due to their height and character. Or Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter, Apple Martin, where the criticism quickly moved from Apple as a ‘mean girl’ to Gwyneth as an ‘unprofessional actor’. So the relationship does not necessarily stem from an inherited gene of talent, but from a comparison of an ability to please and entertain the public.
So do Nepo babies work twice as hard to gain credibility? Or is their credibility their wall? Lily-Rose Depp has definitely proven herself to be given the title of actress, but is she proving she is as good an actor as her father, Johnny Depp or that she is as good as to be critically recognised? Neither the Nepo baby nor the public seems to know where the bar lies.
Lily-Rose Depp has shown exceptional skills in Nosferatu, earning her nominations for the Satellite Awards and Critics’ Choice Super Awards, among being her most recent film. People, despite the relevant and notable Depp name, seem to be accepting of Lily-Rose Depp’s nepotism. In fact, people have gone as far as calling her a Nepo baby with positive connotations, calling her their ‘favourite’ Nepo baby. For a title so inherently negative, it is up to the public to unburden the title. But for some, like Brooklyn, being unburdened is not being an accepted Nepo baby but walking away from the title altogether.
It makes you wonder if Lily-Rose Depp is only accepted as a Nepo baby because she is specifically a successful actress like her parents. Would the public accept her if she had pursued a different career? Part of the entertainment the public finds in Nepo babies is this image of perfect harmony- an aspect we often lack in our daily lives. How satisfying it would have been to us to see a dynastic family of Beckham footballers? To look at Brooklyn and know that we aren’t up there because we aren't a Beckham, not because we weren’t lucky enough to know the right people. Brooklyn shatters that whole illusion.
Nepotism in itself is not black and white. It is a complex and nitpicky aspect that often ends up affecting the Nepo baby the most. As the famed parents and viewers, we are merely going back and forth about where the bar is, losing patience as they figure it out.
Writer: Sophia Arceo
Editor: Alex Kelleher
