Most celebrity magazines - and websites, for that matter - argue that without the paparazzi, celebrities wouldn’t get press for their movies, and subsequently wouldn’t get hired for more movies.

But Lauren at Portfolio has a different theory that’s slightly more fun:

Celebrities need paparazzi because without them, they don’t get as much free stuff!

“Marilyn Heston, a fashion PR in Los Angeles, explained that all celebrities are not created equal. Who you give the free stuff to depends on the product and if you want a quick hit of PR (think Mischa or Nicole or Cameron) or a slow burn (someone like Jessica Alba or Kate Hudson who isn’t photographed every day). A fact the frequently-photographed celebs are all too aware of.”

Which leads us to two questions:

1. Can’t Kate Hudson afford her own Beaton bag?

2. Once a bag is photographed on celebrities, it’s value seems to go up. But once The Sartorialist and Bill Cunningham photograph it on real people, will its value go down?