As the world watches the ongoing protests against police brutality occurring in the US, social media has been a great way to express support for important causes. But for some celebs, it’s landing them in hot water.
With tensions as high as they are, no one really has the patience for any celeb missteps, and they’re being vocal about it. Unfortunately for Emma Watson and Evan Peters, they had to learn it the hard way.
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In Emma’s case, she got caught up in the #BlackoutTuesday controversy. The social media trend started as a way of showing solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement. However, it was criticized by many as coming across as shallow, performative activism and drowning out the very voices it claimed to be supporting.
And no, we still do not know the right answer on that one.
However, the Harry Potter star had been too quiet for many about the unfolding civil unrest, so when she broke her silence only to post three black boxes on her Instagram feed with the tags #blackouttuesday #theshowmustbepaused #amplifymelanatedvoices and #amplifyblackvoices she was immediately dragged in the comments and on Twitter. Specifically, followers encouraged her to “open your purse” and deriding her for adding extra squares for the “aesthetic.”
One commenter wrote:
“Realize this is performative and doing more harm than good. Several Black organizers expressed distress with the black out Tuesday social media movement. The concern is the blackout is a form of silence and it crowds social media and blocks important information.”
Watson did have her defenders though, with one Twitter thread pointing out the actress’s past support for anti-racist activism. They said:
“Imagine thinking Emma Watson is a white feminist. Emma has been uplifting black voices for years when it wasn’t a trend. Y’all are trash and I am NOT here for you dragging an ally #blackoutuesday #BlackLivesMatter”
More proof that Emma Watson is an ALLY. She has been uplifting black voices when y’all werent in on the trend. So quit dragging her. No Emma Watson slander will be tolerated. #blackouttuesday #BlackLivesMattter #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/1iyPAL8dA9
— THEE AALIYAH FAN (@Pogo5673) June 2, 2020
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In the case of Evan Peters, things are even more complicated. Twitter came for him after he retweeted a video of rioters with the caption:
“I could watch these piece of s**t looters get tackled all day!!”
After getting soundly dragged, the AHS actor deleted the tweet and issued an apology. He said:
“I don’t condone the guy watching the news at all in the video which I have deleted. I unknowingly retweeted it. I’m deeply upset it got on my newsfeed. I sincerely apologize if anyone was offended. I support black lives matter wholeheartedly.”
It’s good he took down the post, but as multiple Twitter users pointed out, retweeting is a two-step process. So how could he have done it “unknowingly”? Considering he only had six tweets on his feed before today, it’s definitely a bad look. He also tweeted one of those infamous black squares, so you can imagine how well that went over.
To add insult to (deserved?) injury, even Evan’s ex got in on the dragging.
Halsey (who has been largely applauded for her participation in the protests) “liked” a shady tweet saying:
“is this why Halsey broke up with you”
Oooh.
Damn!
We hope all this backlash makes celebs put a little more thought into what they post. Maybe consider just posting a screenshot of a donation next time? (But make sure it’s a good one!)
[Image via WENN, Instar, Avalon & Nicky Nelson]
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