After hundreds of photographs of celebrities attending the Met Gala, the most important event on the fashion calendar, went viral, social media gave way to another type of image, less glamorous and more heartbreaking: people dying, mainly women and children, while Israel bombed Rafah.
From these two stark differences, TikTok users initiated a movement inviting others to block celebrities who do not use their platforms to denounce the terrible situation in the Middle East.
The movement uses the hashtags #blockout2024, #blockout, or #blockparty2024 and already has hundreds of videos. The initiative is simple: content creators suggest a list of stars and influencers (and the brands they represent) to block on social media. The idea is to stop seeing posts and sponsored content associated with these personalities.
@jazzzstudio Like hello? Is the historical context in the room??
“Celebrities make money from your views, your interaction with their content, and your comments, whether positive or not,” says Jazzy Pignatello, a TikTok creator.
Among the celebrities on this list are some of the most followed on the Chinese app, such as Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Beyonce, Drake, Kim Kardashian amongst others. The movement also seeks to hold public figures somehow accountable for their silence regarding the events in Palestine.
“We’re in 2024, a lot is happening in the world, and I think it’s important to talk about it,” said the TikToker behind the Blockout2024 account on Wednesday.
“When you have millions of subscribers watching your content every day, you have the opportunity to initiate significant changes in the world. Choosing deliberately, every day, not to do that, but selfishly promote your own products, is quite shallow,” added the TikToker.
@mishel_rules #blockout2024 #bloqueomasivo #bloqueocelebridades #celebridades #celebrities #celebrity #popculture #culturapop #bloquearcelebridades
How did it start?
One of the hypothetical reasons why this movement started would have been the outrage of social media users over the serious human rights violations and lack of empathy from the celebrities who attended the Met Gala, where a group of people also protested against the occupation near the event.
However, everything indicates that the starting point of the movement was model and influencer Haley Kalil, who posted a video of herself at the Met Gala wearing a floral dress by designer Marc Bower.
https://www.tiktok.com/@rihabkhaan/video/7367633562906004782?q=blockout2024&t=1715535660100
In a video shared on TikTok, the model uses an audio clip from Sofia Coppola’s film “Marie Antoinette.” During the French Revolution, it is said that the Queen of France exclaimed, “Let them eat cake,” upon learning that her peasants had no bread to eat.
The original phrase, whose origin is unfounded, would rather be: “They have no bread? Let them eat cake!” This phrase cited by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his Confessions represents the disconnect of the nobility of the time from the working classes.
@colbymakeup @haleyybaylee for @The Met Maleup by me #metgla #metgala2024 #haleykalil #makeup #metgalamakeup #makeuplook #gardenoftime #nyc
The video sparked outrage among many internet users, given the context of the invasion of Rafah, on the same day as the Met Gala, and the economic hardships faced by many young Americans.
The video was deemed in poor taste, and the influencer had to issue an apology.
Since Thursday, content creators have been sharing videos of celebrities who have lost followers due to the movement.
This story was written in spanish by Daniel Matute in Cultura Colectiva .
