When models, actors and other celebrities walk the red carpet, they look perfect, almost superhuman. In the age of social media, it has long been rationally clear to many that behind these appearances there are hours, if not weeks, of preparation, teams of several people and what feels like kilos of make-up. And yet it still seems to surprise people that celebrities like Elon Musk look like most people on vacation: already relaxed, but not like a tanned surfer boy.
Earlier this week, the 51-year-old CEO of Tesla and SpaceX was spotted aboard a yacht in Greece with friends. The snapshots, which show Musk in swimming trunks or with a towel wrapped around his waist, had Internet users commenting on them or adding their beginner's skills in Photoshop in no time at all. Among other things, Musk was quickly replaced by the "Pilsbury Doughboy" - the mascot of the Pillsbury Company. Numerous commercials by the US food manufacturer have ended with a human finger poking the stomach of the white dough man in the chef's hat.
Others, however, have vowed to do the same - should they one unlikely day be as wealthy as Musk (Musk isn't yet a trillionaire, but forecasts are that he could be).
The billionaire himself took the taunts with humor and tweeted: "Haha damn, maybe I should take my shirt off more often" and added "free the nip", freeing the nipples - a statement by the women's movement, which, among other things, is a reaction to the ongoing censorship of the female nipple is on Instagram. A few days later, he responded in a good mood to a tweet: "To be honest, it's a good motivation to exercise more, eat healthier and maybe take my shirt off outside more than once a year, haha."
Chasing scantily clad celebrities on vacation is nothing new. For decades, paparazzi have been trying to take photos from the worst possible angles from treetops miles away. For years, the before and after as well as the reasons for the cellulite on the buttocks, the slipped bikini part or the supposedly larger tummy fold were discussed on magazine covers. A phenomenon that seems to be becoming increasingly rare with the body positivity movement. But the Internet wouldn't be the Internet if it didn't also offer room for mockery.
US actor Vin Diesel is known as a fierce-looking, muscle-bound actor from the "The Fast and the Furious" film series or "Triple X". But in the summer of last year, many seemed to realize for the first time: Diesel is over 50 years old. Photos on a yacht off Italy's Portofino Riviera showed the now 55-year-old similar to Elon Musk. One tweet caused particular joy: When a Twitter user posted the photos with the words "Vin Diesel spotted shirtless on a yacht in Italy", another replied: "And you're wearing a shirt without a yacht. Don't pretend he's a loser.”
Diana, the late Princess of Wales, not only knew how to present herself optimally on land. Even when there were waves, every pose was perfect and made for numerous iconic photos that made her immortal again in different swimwear, company and on different yachts - in this case in August 1988 off the coast of Mallorca.
Daughter-in-law and Duchess of Cambridge Catherine, however, seems to have a different understanding of full physical activity on the water. She's more sporty and dressed head-to-toe at the helm, as seen here in New Zealand in 2014 when she helmed an America's Cup yacht against Prince William. However, the scandal surrounding the topless photos of Catherine from France is unforgettable. In 2012, tabloid magazine Closer published paparazzi photos, and the legal battle dragged on until 2017 - the court fined the magazine and awarded Catherine and husband William damages.
Audrey Hepburn always knew how to show her photogenic side - even when scrubbing a yacht, like here in 1955. With a pixie haircut and matching maritime striped shirt, the actress could have passed for a sailor. Only the typical bell bottoms were missing.
Top model Heidi Klum and Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz celebrated their wedding in 2019 – on a luxury yacht. The two got married on the "Christina O" off the Italian island of Capri. This is the former yacht of the Greek-Argentinian oligarch Aristotle Onassis. In addition to Klum and Kaulitz, Rainier III also celebrated. Monaco and Grace Kelly celebrated their wedding on the 99 meter long mega yacht.
The US actress Grace Kelly knew how to present herself on a yacht without the Prince of Monaco. Here during the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, where she also met her future husband.
