Bringing out the trolls
Internet trolls are still doing what they do best: troll … of course, but this time they turned their attention to cosmetic company MAC’s Instagram account. Recently, MAC cosmetics shared a backstage photo of a beautiful black woman (Aamito Stacie Lagum) wearing its “Matte Royal” lip color at the New York Fashion Week. The close-up picture focused on the model’s lips. Soon after, the image was bombarded with hateful comments about the models naturally full lips.
A simple lipstick advertisement
“Ni**a lips,” read one comment. Another comment read, “Them fish lips.” One user even wrote they, “thought this was Jay Z.” Meanwhile, other users came to the models defense. One wrote, “It amazes how these people can turn a post that was simply advertising lipstick into a whole race issue.” Another added, “Her lips make a perfect heart,” with others highlighting the model’s beauty.
Another MAC model, Maryse Kye, 19, who worked the same show, had her own response to the trolls, “As I turn 20 in a couple days this is a reminder of what I endured in the past and if I survived middle school in America I can get over this. The bullying and alienation from others solely based on my features and skin color did not stop me from doing what I want.”
Royal romance at @ohnetitelny #AW16. #MACBackstage #NYFW
A photo posted by M?A?C Cosmetics (@maccosmetics) on
All ages, all races, all sexes
MAC is known to push the boundaries on beauty. The cosmetics company has shared epic images highlighting an array of women in bold, beautiful and at times outlandish looks. Likewise, their Instagram account is usually a spot for makeup lovers to bond over the latest lip color or view DIY tutorials. However, this time, it seemed MAC went too far for the internet.
Following the backlash, MAC cosmetics released a statement to Digiday saying, “MAC stands for and respects All Ages, All Races, All Sexes. We do not tolerate any abusive comments in our community.” Indeed, the brand’s Instagram bio also reflects the same stance: “The Official M-A-C Cosmetics Instagram. All Ages, All Races, All Sexes.”
When trolls attack
Nowadays, it’s more about “when” your name or brand will be attacked, then a question of “if”. It was only last week that Adidas was experiencing similar backlash in response to a picture it posted that depicted two women kissing on Valentine’s Day. The brand responded to its haters in the best way possible, with a kiss emoji.
