Cross-Cultural Adoption

Rise of a Celebrity Nation. Can Money Really Buy You Anything?

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

It appears Hollywood is gaga over African babies these days. Is this a new status symbol, or a way for celebrities to use their status to bring attention to the plight of children in Africa? And on that note, are celebrities going through all the legal processes necessary to go through such a complicated adoption? Or are they carelessly cutting corners because of their high income and social status?

Signed,

Can Money Really Buy You Anything?

 

 

A:

Dear Can Money Really Buy You Anything?

Yes, non-white babies are a trend in Hollywood. This is only relatively new, and was summed up in a British television comedy called Absolutely Fabulous! when upon learning her single daughter is pregnant, Edwina, one of the middle aged, fashion director leads in the show gets wildly upset — only to do a 180 degree turn when she finds out that the baby is bi-racial, because having a bi-racial baby is much more chic than a Caucasian baby, and will make her a very trendy grandmother. It’s comedy, but it’s grounded in truth much of the time.

The non-white baby craze is the celeb way of addressing their own infertility limitations and/or their open-mindedness and charity. Non-white babies used to be very difficult to place by adoption agencies because most families wanted white babies. The same way fashion shifts and hemlines change, Hollywood suddenly embraced bi-racial and non-white babies, and American loves celebrities, and followed suit.

What about American children awaiting adoption?

They will be adopted by other people who cannot afford the exotic adoption trips that stars with money can take to Africa, India, China, and other countries … until adopting foreign babies becomes blase and adopting American children is a new trend.

What is it that bothers people about this adoption? Is race an issue?

The reason people are bothered by Madonna’s adoption, is not because she is adopting a baby who’s race is different from hers and her husband’s. There is a sense that because she is wealthy and famous, she was able to avoid laws and rules that most people without her resources abide by.

The bother has nothing to do with race. It’s all about disparity of income and lifestyle. She’s rich. Most people aren’t that rich. She gets to do things most other people can’t. That is hard for some people to accept.

While there's nothing at all wrong with wanting to help children of other countries and adopting children of a different race, do it because you truly want the child, and not because it's the latest Hollywood trend!

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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