Fans defended Blue Ivy after two journalists made rude remarks about her appearance

Even though Jay-Z and Beyoncé largely keep their three children out of the spotlight, they sometimes give us a peek into their family life—and we always feel blessed when they do. So, we were thrilled to see a brand new picture of the couple’s oldest child Blue Ivy as she rang in the new year with her mom and Megan Thee Stallion on January 1st. We can’t believe how grown-up she looks, and how much she looks like her mama. However, others drew negative comparisons between Blue Ivy and her dad, and this is not okay on any level.
Most fans on social media were loving the festive photo booth pictures of what some are calling “the Holy Trinity,” which Megan posted on her Instagram feed. But not everyone was so kind.
In a series of now-deleted tweets, two journalists mocked Blue Ivy’s appearance (remember, she’s 7 years old!).
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6yUnhNFjMN
According to screen grabs captured by fans, Vanity Fair film critic K. Austin Collins reportedly tweeted that he felt “sorry” for Blue Ivy for looking like her dad, adding that she’s “lucky–if it happens now, she’ll definitely grow out of it. Get the ugly duckling phase done early.”
Since y’all wanna be bold and anti-Black on this app, especially when it comes to Blue Ivy: pic.twitter.com/8os61E12V8
— Ms. Kent is HEATED (@IWriteAllDay_) January 1, 2020
Harper's editor Violet Lucca reportedly responded, writing that Blue will "get plastic surgery at 16 a la Kylie Jenner, and we’ll all have to pretend that she always looked that way…I can’t allow myself to feel too sorry for the incredibly rich!"
Of course, criticizing anyone’s appearance—especially a child’s—is never okay, but this instance in particular is laced with racism and anti-blackness, as many Twitter users noted.
The journalists deleted their tweets, but not before fans caught on and expressed their feelings about these awful sentiments.
In case anyone is confused about why people are upset @melvillmatic insults Blue Ivy (a child!) & then @unbuttonmyeyes replies with a crack about plastic surgery. Now he works for @VanityFair & she works @Harpers in case you ever wondered about media influence & misogynoir pic.twitter.com/RqwTPWVvpX
— Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia) January 1, 2020
The racist and misogynistic tweets about Blue Ivy made by the Black male reporter and the White female reporter reminds me of a long quote from bell hooks. She said, "White women and Black men have it both ways. They can act as oppressor or be oppressed.
1/5— Bougie Black Girl (@BougieBlackGurl) January 2, 2020
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https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1212501666471260161
Collins has since apologized, tweeting, “I’m sorry about the Blue Ivy tweet—bad joke, and black girls in particular deserve better.” Lucca addressed the issue in a series of tweets, making a note about “structural racism,” adding separately, “There is nothing that I can say that won’t be written off or projected upon or dunked on, so I choose to say nothing.” false
Structural racism is real. It does not matter how much money a POC makes for them to be affected by it. I realize that when I make fun of another celeb kid—say, Baron Trump—it’s totally different than when I say something about Blue Ivy.
— Violet Lucca (@unbuttonmyeyes) January 2, 2020
Some argue that the apologies aren’t quite good enough. The damage has already been done—and not necessarily to Blue.
It’s not about Blue Ivy seeing this or not. It’s about other young black girls that looks or share similar beautiful traits as her and see the nasty comments you made. Us responding back to your remarks is a form of support and empowerment to them. I could careless how you feel!
— jeklere_ (@gou_beez) January 2, 2020
It should go without saying, but making fun of or commenting on the appearance of a child is a special kind of terrible. It’s a brand new decade, so let’s be better people and refrain from judging others’ looks.
Here’s hoping that Blue had a fabulous time at the party and that neither she nor her parents pay any mind to Twitter trolls like these two.