Even celebrities have a right to privacy

Well-known actress and television host Kataleeya “Mam” McIntosh stunned the public yesterday by calling a press conference to announce she was four months pregnant. I was surprised, too, but more by the public reaction. The news spread like wildfire over the airwaves, and certain websites were swamped and close to crashing. All of a sudden, society’s perceptions of a woman had been turned upside down.

The public’s interest was understandable; it had been widely reported that the actress had gained a considerable amount of weight. The woman had consistently denied speculation that she might be in the family way.

Hundreds of comments were posted on popular news and community websites shortly after the press conference. The majority of them blamed Mam for having kept the news a secret.
In the eyes of gossip-hungry celebrity worshippers, she had failed them.

Perhaps the question is whether as a public figure, does she have to inform the public of every personal part of her life? And is that the price she must pay for maintaining a high profile?

What if Mam were an ordinary lady? Her pregnancy would have been a happy event to share with family and friends. She would have been busy making plans for the child rather than preparing a speech or planning a press conference.

Unfortunately, Mam is a “star”, and a very popular one at that, and she can’t change that. And she chose to tell the public that she was four months’ pregnant with a broad smile on her face, accompanied by her boyfriend, Songkran Krajangnetra, her mother and her brother, Willy.

To those who are liberal-minded, it looked as if the actress had acted courageously. But it seems the majority of fans didn’t really sympathise with her, as very few messages posted on the Internet expressed supported her or wished her well. Of course, some well-wishers treated it like good news and did wish her all the best. To them, she has every right to a private life like others do.

Some see Mam as victimised by the hypocritical and conservative Thai society. The actress does not deserve sympathy, because “the princess”, as she was always called, due to her “clean”, role-model image, had become pregnant before marriage.
But is that wrong? Mam and Songkran have never hidden their romance. They even signalled that they were seriously considering marriage.

And as for the announcement that the public believes came far too late to satisfy them, do fans have the right to know about every aspect of her life?
Yes, she is a public figure, but she did say, “I promised that I’d tell you guys, so I’m delivering some good news.”

The public reaction reminds us of the old days when superstars like Mitr Chaibuncha, Sombat Methanee or Petchara Yaowarat sacrificed their private lives for the sake of their fans. Mitr had to hide his love life in order to please his public. The same with Sombat and Petchara - they only revealed who their spouses were after their fame had faded.

Despite the fast-changing pace of education and technology, Thai society essentially hasn’t changed all that much. Sad to say, the majority of fans still hold onto a belief that they have every right to encroach on a celebrity’s life, as if they “own” him or her.

In recent years, many have simply left the limelight (meaning no income) and went into hiding abroad after becoming pregnant. Some held abrupt wedding ceremonies, only to end up victims of public criticism when they delivered babies less than nine months later.

Considering all of this, Mam should be proud that she preferred to stick to the truth, or part of it. And marriage is being considered. Songkran told the press that he did propose to Mam but was still waiting for her answer. That information should be enough for the fans. Yet still there’s criticism. The public wonders why she didn’t tell them sooner.

Mam could have had a shotgun wedding and waited for the gossip after delivering a baby a few months later. But she chose this way to tell her side of the story, and she believed it was enough to please her fans. At least, from now on she is free from hiding.

So why can’t we open our minds and respect her privacy? After all, it’s her life. Real fans will be happy for her as a woman who is expecting a child and is probably going to marry her boyfriend. What more do you want from her?

Published on September 03, 2005