This article was written by staff writer Caroline Ponticelli.

Nepotism is the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.

Nepotism refers to privileges that ordinary, non-famous people simply don’t have access to. Tons of well-known celebs we know today have benefited from nepotism. Many get their start from their famous parents/family members, where fame gets passed down almost like a genetic trait. 

One example of the impact of nepotism is Bella Hadid, an American model and daughter of a Palestinian real-estate developer Mohamed Hadid and Dutch super model Yolanda Hadid. She started her modeling career early in her teen years, modeling for major designer brands. In 2016, she was even voted Model of the Year by industry professionals for Models.com. Yolanda Hadid said that her daughter, “didn’t have a clear understanding of her identity” when she started modeling at 17, and felt immense pressure to come off as a “sexbot” as a teenager.

Bella’s sister, Gigi Hadid, started her modeling career at just two years old, after getting scouted for Baby Guess. The sisters went on to be some of the top 10 paid models, modeling for brands such as Victoria’s Secret and Givenchy. 

Bella’s net worth, as of 2021, is $25 million; Hadid is also the seventh most paid model. Her sister Gigi is sixth. 

Many argue that without their parents’ connections, the Hadids wouldn’t be as big as they are now, which is probably true. They were born into a family that was already famous and didn’t need to do much to become discovered. 

Nepotism can be tricky. Sometimes you can’t tell if someone has a true talent or is honestly just pretty. Hollywood is filled with lots of people who haven’t put in nearly as much effort as the person sitting next to them, and because of this, it’s important to think about who you support and look up to.