Enrique Iglesias Kissing Female Fan, Celebrity Entitlement Or Cheap Publicity Gimmick?

Enrique Iglesias shocked fans when he shared a video, which featured him and a female fan getting intimate in Las Vegas. The Bailando singer kissed the fan on the cheek while posing for a selfie during a meet and greet session. It soon turned into a passionate lip-locking. What should we think of it? Is he entitled to do this to a stranger because of his celebrityhood? Or should we think of it as a publicity gimmick? 

Most of the time celebrities feel they are obliged to do it so that their fans won't get disappointed in them. The celebrities also assume their conduct is acceptable to the audience as well as fans. But the question is, what about boundaries? Iglesias could have stopped when things were getting intense. In fact, at one point, he reportedly moved his hands toward her backside, he continued making out with the mystery woman rather than turning away. Being a celebrity, it is his duty to stop and make the right decisions instead of going with the flow. Because millions look up to him and get influenced. What message is he trying to send? 

Also, he has been dating Anna Kournikova for 20 years and has three kids together. In the first place, his personal life is none of our concern but matters as he is a public figure. This is disrespectful towards his partner despite what the culture may be. The world has seen the video. Usually, women are mistreated under the pretext of- she asked for this. Iglesias's video may send this narrative out, so he as a public figure needs to be more responsible than impulsive under his entitlements.

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Enrique Iglesias Kissing Fan,  Consent For Sharing Video

Besides, it feels bizarre how Iglesias shared this video on his Instagram, where 17 million people follow him. Did he ask for the woman's consent featured in the video while sharing it? The lip-locking may or maybe not initiated by the fan girl but sharing it with the world seems more problematic. You are posing a woman directly in the public domain to get trolled mercilessly. It comes across either as a celebrity abusing his power, or using fan love for cheap publicity. Both these messages are inappropriate in their own way.

Iglesias is not only the first celebrity to use his entitlement to get physically intimate with a fan. Earlier, during concerts, singers were caught kissing their fans. The list includes Justin Beiber, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Miley Cyrus, and more. The most controversial case was Katy Perry's Kissing Teenager singer, it questioned consent. Also, rapper Drake fondled a minor and glorified his behaviour. Among Indian singers, Papon alleged to kiss a minor on a reality show which questioned celebrity conduct.

What is common in all of the scenarios is misusing the power of celebrities which is unfair to fans irrespective of gender. Sometimes, fans are coerced into it as there are cameras on them, which they might never want for themselves. That is when celebrities need to be more careful, even while reciprocating fans' wishes. 

The views expressed are the author's own.