Cinema: but by the way, what is the phenomenon of "nepo babies"?

It was his first media appearance. Anna Biolay, 20, posed in front of photographers on Thursday with her father, Benjamin Biolay, at the presentation of the film "Rosalie" in Cannes, in which she takes her first steps as an actress. The young actress, who is also the daughter of Chiara Mastronianni and the granddaughter of Catherine Deneuve, has suffered a deluge of hate messages on the networks. Some have castigated the "piston" from which the young woman would have benefited, like other children of known stars such as Lily-Rose Depp (daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis) or Suzanne Lindon, daughter of Vincent Lindon and Sandrine Kiberlain.

Faced with this wave of hatred, Coralie Biolay, Anna's aunt, who "never stops reading horrors about her" posted on Instagram a long message defending her niece. "She doesn't take anyone's place. She has passed 50 castings, she has read, worked, analyzed tons of films, she does not leave the street, certainly, but she does not have to suffer so many ignominies from the top of her twenty years, "she writes. Like others before her, Anna is referred to by her detractors as a "nepo baby". The term, contraction of the English nepotism ("nepotism") and baby, refers to the "sons" and "daughters of" relying on the notoriety of their parents to succeed, especially in the cultural environment.

"She has her mother's eyes. And his agent"

In recent months, the hashtag #nepobaby has been one of the most shared trends on social media. So much so that New York Magazine devoted its front page to it last December. "She has her mother's eyes. And his agent," headlined the American magazine, returning to the meteoric rise of several young stars, such as Zoë Kravitz (daughter of the musician, Lenny) or Maya Hawke (daughter of American actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman). On the front page, a tasty montage depicted the faces of these celebrities each attached to an infant's body. Enough to tense the Hollywood industry.

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

Since then, the sarcastic formula has fueled curiosity among many Internet users. Many searching the Internet were then able to discover, sometimes bitterly, that the celebrity of the moment or their favorite stars were themselves from a family working in cinema or music. Examples rain down in France: Laura Smet, Marilou Berry, Louis Garrel, Félix Moati, Suzanne Lindon... But this hunt for social reproduction seems to be taking on a particular scale in the United States. If the inter-self and the privileges linked to inheritance are not new in the milieu, the debates around this favoritism meet a new echo.

Especially since some reactions of privileged may have irritated, like Gwyneth Paltrow (daughter of television producer Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner), who believes that being a "nepo baby" "forces you to work twice as hard". Others like Lily-Rose Depp, actress and Chanel muse like her mother before her, deny any advantage for their career. "It seems strange to me to reduce someone to the fact that they're only there because it's a generational thing. It just doesn't make sense," she told Elle magazine.

Privileges fought by Generation Z

In addition to these clumsy reactions, other reasons explain the tensions that arise today the "nepo babies". First, because the phenomenon of social reproduction seems to be increasing in cultural circles in the United States. The successive changes in American industry would not be unrelated. "Since the dismantling of the studio system in the 1960s and 1970s, producers have lost influence to agents. It is the latter, today, who hold power in Hollywood and negotiate contracts, "says to Le Monde Anne-Marie Bidaud, author of "Hollywood and the American dream". Thus, an agent will always have more interest in working with someone already with a famous surname than an unknown beginner.

Above all, the condemnation of these privileges is part of a global movement to denounce inequalities, driven by an ultra-connected Generation Z. But if social reproduction remains particularly obvious in the art industry, the phenomenon affects most circles. Starting with elitist circles, as pointed out by singer Lily Allen, herself daughter of actor Keith Allen. "The only nepo babies you should worry about are those who work in law firms, banks and politics, if we're talking about real-world consequences and stolen opportunities," she said after the New York Magazine article appeared.