Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Dave Hogan
Topics: Emma Watson, Harry Potter, News, World News, UK News
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: Emma Watson, Harry Potter, News, World News, UK News
People on social media now understand the creepy behavior Emma Watson had to suffer at the hands of the paparazzi.
Emma Watson quickly became a household name across the world through starring as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise.
However, with this fame came a rather creepy and disturbing response from the paparazzi as she was turning 18-years-old, after years of being in the public eye.
Back in 2023, the star reflected on how the paparazzi made her feel so awful on what should be a momentous occasion, her 18th birthday.
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The then 33-year-old said: “I mean, I was obviously a child actress who is still making a transition, and I remember on my 18th birthday - I came out of my 18th birthday party and photographers lay down on the pavement and took photographs up my skirt, which were then published on the front of the English tabloids the next morning.
“If they published the photographs 24 hours earlier, they would have been illegal but, because I turned 18, they were legal.”
The actions of the photographers can clearly be described as ‘upskirting’ - the act of taking a sexually intrusive photograph up someone’s skirt without their permission.
But shockingly, the act itself wasn’t officially recognized as its own crime until 2019 after vigorous campaign work. Prior to this, it would genuinely fall under other indecency laws.
The Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019 came into force on April 12 of the same year, and it added two new offences to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to cover the practice of upskirting, making it punishable with up to two years in prison.
Back in 2009, Watson also spoke about how the whole ordeal made her feel violated.
She said: “I realized that overnight I’d become fair game.
“One photographer lay down on the floor to get a shot up my skirt … The night it was legal for them to do it, they did it. I woke up the next day and felt completely violated by it all."
Social media users were utterly baffled by this and commented on Reddit their disgust.
One enraged user wrote: “Paparazzi are legit scum of the earth. If that occupation ceased to exist, the world would be a better place.”
Another said: “Man I feel terrible for women. Having a daughter is equal parts amazing and terrifying knowing she has to navigate this screwed up world.”
With a third adding: “Never forget the countdown multiple girls got to their 18th. People are disgusting.”
With another simply adding: “That's f****** disgusting.”