Emma Watson is facing backlash for her #blackouttuesday posts in which the actress was accused of caring more about her Instagram aesthetic than the message of the movement.
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As we’re all aware of by now, protests have been taking place across America, as well as the rest of the world, after the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed by police brutality.
The murder has sparked outrage across the world as the devastating video has gone viral.
On Tuesday, a platform-wide #BlackOutTuesday took place which was an effort to amplify black voices and silence personal promotion.
Emma Watson was among the many actors who took part in #BlackOutTuesday.
She hadn’t posted anything about George Floyd prior to this, and fans had taken notice.
Emma took to Instagram early Wednesday in the United Kingdom, explaining “I was holding off posting until #blackouttuesday ended in the UK.”
“There is so much racism, both in our past and present, that is not acknowledged nor accounted for. White supremacy is one of the systems of hierarchy and dominance, of exploitation and oppression, that is tightly stitched into society. As a white person, I have benefited from this,” she wrote .
“Whilst we might feel that, as individuals, we’re working hard internally to actively tackle the structural and institutional racism around us…”
“…I’m still learning about the many ways I unconsciously support and uphold a system that is structurally racist,” she concluded.
While fans were appreciative of Emma speaking out, others couldn’t help but notice Emma’s post had a white border around it, keeping it consistent with her Instagram aesthetic.
People took to Twitter to express their disappointment with Emma’s silence prior to this post.
It’s safe to say many people were not pleased with their usually active ally.
“emma watson was the biggest [expletive] feminist from what i remember. she wasted no time speaking up on that but posts a black picture for blm and black out tuesday without a single word from her for over a week???? girl…BYE,” wrote one angry Twitter user.
“hermione granger would’ve bully tf outta her for this.”
“emma watson not saying anything for the whole week and then posting a black blank pic in instagram that won’t help in anything is just the peak of white feminism,” expressed one Twitter user.
A phrase that has come up a lot over the past week has been “performative wokeness” which essentially accuses people posting on their social media about BLM that they are only doing it for social recognition.
“I saw that Emma Watson thing too and I laugh-cried. Performative wokeness is so right,” stated one Twitter user.
However, some fans weren’t down with the Emma hate, and quickly defended the actress with social proof of her activism over the years.
There is no denying Emma has been a vocal member of the Black Lives Matter movement for many years!
Emma’s activism can be seen through her involvement with the HeForShe campaign, becoming a UN Goodwill Ambassador in 2014, and founding the book club “Our Shared Shelf” back in 2016, among other things.
“Wake up these celebrities are not the enemy, focus your energy where you should!”
Overall, I think it’s safe to say Emma Watson is not one of the problematic celebs fans need to be worrying about. It’s clear her heart is in the right place!
What do you think of the controversy?! Let us know in the comments below!
Last Updated on June 3, 2020 by Anastasia Ross
