Attn Celebs: Your Social Media Tributes to Victims Probably Shouldn’t Be Sexy Selfies
2016 has been a hard year, but this summer has felt particularly rough. After the loss of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, the officers in Dallas, the celebrating crowd in Nice and citizens of Turkey, social media is currently ripe with tributes to all the lives tragically lost over the past few months. And for the most part, they’re pretty heartfelt.
I don't think Mischa Barton could have picked a worse photo to showcase her solidarity. pic.twitter.com/vHkeGKuUtQ
— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 7, 2016
Earlier this month, Mischa Barton’s post in remembrance of Alton Sterling caused quite a stir and was quickly taken down. While her sympathy may have been genuine, a photo of her in a swimsuit chilling on a boat was perhaps not the right choice. And now it looks as though Lindsay Lohan may have just made the same mistake.
Earlier this week Lindsay posted this photo of her in lingerie alongside the caption, “If history were to be folded… Where would we put the crease? Pray for the ones we lose every day and appreciate every breath take #nice #turkey #turnup and do something (goodnight and sleep with an idea for the future).”
While the idea is nice, it doesn’t feel super appropriate to tag Victoria Secret in the post so as to give a shoutout to the lingerie brand being worn. Celebrities are compensated for sponsored posts all the time (Selena Gomez was just paid half a million for one), but when you’re paying tribute to victims of violent attacks, it feels best to steer clear of all sponsored content — whether you’re actually getting paid or not.
What’s the sweetest social media tribute you’ve seen recently? Share with us on Twitter @BritandCo.