“Rich woman’s privilege.” Martha Stewart and the banned photos of the Sistine Chapel

Martha Stewart was accused of representing “a rich woman’s privilege” after violating the Vatican’s ban on taking photos in the Sistine Chapel.

The photographs taken by Martha Stewart during her visit to the Vatican Museums, which the presenter and influencer published (and has since removed) on her profile are not causing controversy.

The American presenter is being accused of abusing her “rich privilege”after taking dozens of photographs inside the famous Sistine Chapel, despite the strict rules of the Vatican Museums, which prohibit visitors from doing so.

According to , Stewart, a former cooking show host, talk show host, awards show host and even Comedy Central guest, had gone to Rome with her family in late November during Thanksgiving, and visited the Sistine Chapel as “one of the things on his bucket list”.

“Just some iPhone photos of what we saw during our quiet hour in the Sistine Chapel,” Stewart captioned his Instagram post. “I love the painting and the biblical story that is portrayed in the Chapel. This should definitely be on your list of places to visit.”

Stewart showed his followers “a unique perspective on the historical work” of Michelangelohighlighted by a painting of God and Adam’s fingers almost touching the “Creation of Adam“.

The use of photographic flash is “strictly prohibited” in the Sistine Chapel, and a guard is on site to ask visitors to delete photographs or videos taken inside the chapel.

Other banned objects on the list include selfie stickslaser pointers, tripods, drones and professional equipment, unless they have been authorizedaccording to the museum’s website.

On social media, users quickly began to draw attention that visitors are prohibited from taking photographsfearing that camera flashes negatively affect the majestic and massive piecewhich has been on site since the chapel was completed in 1512.

“The NO TAKING PHOTOS rules should apply to everyone“, commented an Instagram user under her photos. “These flashes can ruin the paintings. Please respect the rules so the next generation can see them too.”

“My husband and I were there a few weeks ago and all the tourists were informed that we were not allowed to take photos in the Sistine Chapel. I love Martha, but this is a prime example of special treatment for the privileged and rich. Very disappointing,” wrote another woman.

“Rich privilege“, wrote a third person.

But not all users think it’s wrong that Stewart took the photos of Michelangelo’s iconic ceiling. One user commented that he knew people who they also stole photographs do interior.

“Martha is Help raise awareness with your post“, suggested someone. “Who better than the queen of aesthetics to attract attention for the beauty of Italian art and for the fact that we should support museums in Italy?”

“Incredible!!! Thanks for sharing what should be shared!!!”, exclaimed another person.

The controversy comes at a time when Stewart is targeted in a documentary from Netflix about your life, his legacy and condemnation for insider trading in 2004, which led to her imprisonment for five months.

Despite having participated in “Martha”, Stewart was not satisfied with the documentary, directed by RJ Cutler.