Mashable: Nepotism is not restricted to the cinema, it ebbs and flows in other professions too.

The internet is alight with memes about ‘nepo’ (abbreviation of nepotism) babies, and the recent person to defend this is Kate Moss’ half-sister, Lottie Moss. It is the buzzword of the month that condescendingly describes children of celebrities.

After an explosive cover story in New York Magazine surrounding the same, Lottie took to Twitter to share her thoughts, saying, “I’m so sick of people blaming nepotism for why they aren’t rich and famous or successful,” reported People and The Independent. The article named Maude Apatow, the daughter of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, and Lourdes Leon Madonna’s daughter, as instances.

I can see why you’d think that nepotism isn’t a massive advantage given that Kate Moss is your sister and yet you haven’t managed to do anything with that

— Matilda  (@matildae22) December 21, 2022
“It’s not fair that people who come from famous families are getting a leg up because of that, but guess what? Life isn’t fair,” she continued. “If you put your mind to something you can accomplish anything! So instead of being negative about other people's success go and try and create your own!” Following the backlash, the model deactivated her Twitter. Interestingly, the model was not a part of the cover story but her niece Lila Grace Moss was named in The Catwalk Nepoti section.

The talk around nepotism keeps popping up once in while, before the cover story, another famous individual to fight against this title was Lily-Rose Depp, who said people had “preconceived ideas” about her success as a model and an actor.

Lottie Moss putting herself into the nepo baby debate pic.twitter.com/daeSpXOzIk

— Future Rockstar GF (@fendifaguette) December 22, 2022
“I know my childhood didn’t look like everybody’s childhood, and it’s a very particular thing to deal with, but it’s also the only thing that I know,” said Johnny Depp’s daughter to Elle magazine. “It’s weird to me to reduce somebody to the idea that they’re only there because it’s a generational thing. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

In today’s time, it has become increasingly pressing to address this issue which exists not only in arts and cinema but also in other careers such as law, medicine, architecture, politics, and so on. The reason why it has become increasingly so evident is that we always see children of these stars taking on some or the other project as soon as they are out of college, sometimes, even when they drop out. However, we do not believe that the same privilege extends to other respective fields because, firstly, we do not really care, and secondly, we feel the privilege does not extend in the manner it does in cinema.

More than films, other forms of classical arts like painting, music, and dance have had this practice for generations. It is assumed that one must take on after their parents and carry on their legacy. However, one does not speak of mediocrity, favouritism, or privilege. It is accepted as the norm.

Nepo babies are not only abundant — they’re thriving. How could two little words cause so much conflict? Writes @kn8 in our (over)analysis of the phenomenon: "We love them, we hate them, we disrespect them, we’re obsessed with them." https://t.co/WA22qhdS29 pic.twitter.com/nmWXlrIMNS

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) December 19, 2022
This practice is also evident in other fields, yet, we always say that ‘hard work’ is the reason why they have managed to achieve their position. For instance, a politician’s son’s merit will be his education and the fact that his father has groomed him to take on the mantle. As a result, he is pushed forth in rallies, eventually heading the party. An example is Rahul Gandhi, whose grandfather and mother have been Prime Ministers of India.

While one believes that merit is the sole reason how children from influential families managed to tap into the such field, one must realise that merit is gained through various factors. For instance, one needs wealth, security, a home, food, a social position, and access to networks and cultural know-how. These resources help one to work on their talent or skill, eventually leading them to a job. For instance, today, many popular educational institutions go through background checks on the student before enrolling them. So, parents always use their influence to get their children into the best schools. It is just the most basic example of how privilege works.

like ugh boo don’t call me a nepo baby waah  i hate the term (because i know i am not nearly equipped enough to be in this room and you calling me out on it makes me insecure so i get upset instead of doing the work to live up to my access)

— Aiyana N. Ishmael (@aiyanaish) December 19, 2022
if they wanna talk about nepo babies, bring my man to the table as one of the panel because he has talked about it for more than a decade in many many interviews eventho he is friend with dozen of nepo babies and posh actors. im sure he has a lot to saypic.twitter.com/brWRC93jbN

— elsa (@mcclafloy) December 20, 2022
So, a nepo baby, whether they like to admit it or not, has an upper hand at keeping themselves in power. As a result, there is always an imbalance of power and opportunities, which keeps adding to the chasm of the wealth gap. The playing field becomes narrower, and with it, the chances of anyone from a lesser privileged background to make a mark on the world.