The media heavily covered the death of legendary singer Whitney Houston. There was much speculation about the circumstances surrounding her death all of which were reported on in the media. The latest story about the singer’s death is the National Enquirer publishing a photo of the late singer in her casket. There is an article on Celebritology on the Washington Post which reports on this latest media frenzy. Where do we draw the line when it comes to respect of the deceased? Is showing their body in a casket appropriate, especially when her family did not authorize such a photograph to be published let alone taken?
The singer’s entire life was in front of paparazzi as is any other celeb’s. But is this same extreme invasion of privacy acceptable after death when the star is no longer her to be a voice for herself? The media feeling the need to publish such a picture is extremely indicative of how we view bodies. Whitney was famous mostly for her voice, however the voice went with the face and body. At one point in time she was a model, however her notoriety came from her vocal skills and stylings. So following death people do not separate the two? The deceased corpse is no longer able to produce the angelic sounds that it once did, however there is such a focus on the body.
In my opinion it is extremely disrespectful of not only the celebrity but her family as well to post pictures of her body in a casket. Why does the media feel such a need to be so intrusive into the lives of people? There should be more of a line drawn between reporting on what needs to be known or what is of interest and respect of the privacy of those being reported on.
Unruly Bodies 