In conjunction with the recent events occurring in the world, a new movement has emerged on the popular social media platform TikTok, and it is called the ‘Celebrity Blockout’. The Celebrity Blockout is similar to the cancel culture movement, in that people are calling out, canceling, and not supporting anyone who is not speaking up about the genocide in Gaza.
As this controversy breaks out, it is all in perfect timing with the Met Gala. At the 2024 Met Gala hosted by Anna Wintour, many celebrities showed up in their most extravagant, lavish, and craziest looks yet. Despite this being a constant trend at the Met Gala that dates way back, this year, it especially took the internet by storm, anger, and backlash. The Met Gala is known for inviting only the most elite or relevant celebrities, prompting the internet to question this exclusivity.
At the time of all of this, Palestine and Israel are at war, and with the Met Gala and a genocide going on simultaneously in Gaza, the internet splits over the ethics of the gala which shifts attention away from it.
For years, the internet has compared the Met Gala to the dystopian movie and book saga written by Suzanne Collins, “The Hunger Games” due to its similarities with the fictional malicious characters that reside in a fictional place called “The Capitol,” in which the rich frolic in their lavish and obscure fashion, while the poor are fighting a war on the sidelines. Although this comparison is not new, this year it has undeniably reached an all-time high, as the increasing conflict in Palestine and Israel has reached much larger audiences.
If all that wasn’t enough, TikTok influencer, Hayley Baylee recently posted a video of herself at the Met Gala wearing an opulent, flowery outfit with a flashy hat. This look mirrors the fashion shown in “The Hunger Games,” but to top it off, when posting this video, Baylee decided to use an audio to lip sync to that goes “let them eat cake.” This is a quote by Marie Antoinette, a dictator who starved her people, but allowed them to only eat cake. This use of the audio proved distasteful to TikTokers, and received hateful impressions by the masses. Although the TikToker did apologize in a separate video, explained that she was only an interviewer at the gala, and used the audio with no bad intentions, it did not stop the TikTok community from taking action by blocking all celebrities like her with a large following who have not yet spoken out or supported those who are suffering in Gaza.
“Are the missiles from Israel just going to turn around and go back to the bunker because you decided to block Ariana Grande? No.” Keppel senior, Alice Wang shares her opinion on this matter. “I think its all really pointless. Everyone partaking in these activities are just chronically online [and] this whole thing is just performative activism. We are not in the Hunger Games. I feel like if people really do care about this matter, they would know blocking celebrities is completely ineffective, and should rather be actively donating to Gaza instead, because that makes far more of a difference. The next time you block a celebrity for not contributing, ask yourself how much you’ve contributed first.”
While some have expressed their disapproval of this new and rising trend stemming from TikTok, others have become so invested in it that there are now public blocking lists. These lists include a large number of big names, from TikTok content creators, and influencers, to actors and celebrities, and are intended to convince watchers to add these names to their blocking list as well. The celebrity “blockout” aims to strip said celebrities of their fame, and deny them a platform and audience any longer in a boycott fashion.
What do you think? Do you believe that boycotting celebrities is pointless, or do you think it is effective and will bear positive results in the end?