Does celebrity memoir harm or do well to them? In 2021, Will Smith also became one such celebrity to write it. When a trend becomes a hit, everyone begins following it. Writing memoirs has become one such thing among celebrities, and more and more of them have begun writing it. A memoir is a person writing encounters and stories of their own life and journey. Often, it means having to reveal things on a very personal level that they would not bring out otherwise.

Known for his media presence, the actor promoted his Will memoir across all social media. While the basic idea of a memoir has remained the same, the purposes and outcomes have certainly changed through the decades.

How the 2021 Will Smith memoir fares in comparison to older memoirs

Good or bad, any kind of publicity help celebrities gain attention. According to LitHub, French actress Sarah Bernhardt was one of the earliest celebrities who released her memoir. It was called My Double Life and spoke of her struggles and how she overcame them. The success turned into a new way for actors to garner attention at the cost of placing the most intimate details of their life out in public. Today, actors like Will Smith write a story that is more like a perception of themselves. Perhaps it is an artificial narrative that they have created of themselves.

Instead of authentic accounts, it’s a carefully articulated character of themselves that is put out in the books today. Manipulated by the agents and advisors, the primary reasons for releasing memoirs today are to gain sympathy or make money. For struggling actors, that is a way to regain fame or end up with a dead end after barring it all. Back then, memoirs would become famous after years of the celebrity’s death, like in the case of Marilyn Monroe.

Even Smith’s book tried to tell a crafted version of his experiences, just a couple of years before the Oscar slap gate drama.

What is the 2021 memoir all about?

The Smiths are known for being overly open about their personal life, as individuals or together. Winding into the past, the actor spoke of his violent upbringing. While he himself turned into a much-loved comedian, he saw his father physically abuse his mother growing up. What perhaps remained common through the years was glorification after admitting to the hardships and mistakes. But does putting something out of that sort help them positively? Only society knows.

What are your thoughts on these comparisons? Share your thoughts in the comments.