Before we begin, let's take a collective deep inhale and exhale. Alright! Let's begin.
On Sunday, one of the stars of the show Riverdale, Lili Reinhart, tweeted that she found her Halloween inspiration. She included a photo of someone else painted in all black to be some type of ghoul-demon-monster character.
The backlash prompted Reinhart to address the issue, and she apologized for it "being racially insensitive."
I did not mean for my tweet to come off that way. I can see how it was interpreted as being insensitive, completely… https://t.co/IdEKVr5FXR
I apologize. Never meant any harm. I can see how it could've been misinterpreted.
The public apology was not enough for initial critics.
@lilireinhart I knew this tweet was coming 😂 nice try lili
@lilireinhart You see what it says here?! NO FECKIN BLACKFACE EVER
However, the actor's apology has now actually prompted even more reaction and discourse. This time, however, people jumped in to challenge the initial reactions, and suggest that they were misguided and misplaced.
@savannxhjoy @lilireinhart It’s not blackface? The costume wasn’t a black person it was a demonic creature? Demons… https://t.co/UXvKLP7W53
"This isn't blackface," many commented. They noted the original photo depicted someone representing a "demon" and not a black person.
@shbagwe712 @ravishhme @tinyspacebean @savannxhjoy @lilireinhart Well I think she looked like a demon out of a horr… https://t.co/yGHqTeIBCB
This then spurred the first round of reactors to defend their reactions. "If people were offended they have the absolute right to speak up and say they find something offensive!" one person responded.
@savannxhjoy @ravishhme @lilireinhart Regardless of intent, if people were offended they have the absolute right to… https://t.co/9d9lhdPVd0
But then second round reactors, many of them black people, said, "wayment, did first round reactors just equate a photo of a demon to black people?" Ironically, this prompted larger discussions of racism.
@ThePerezHilton @pinaacoladass @lilireinhart Blackface?!? So YA’LL you looked at this and instantly thought of blac… https://t.co/a0I7KQ86m9
You guys accusing Lili Reinhart of blackface because she’s all black as a demon for Halloween is more racist than your accusation
Some said they were "more offended" by the accusation of blackface.
@enews This isn't even offensive...I'm actually more offended that other people think this is an imitation of a black person.
In fact, tweets which attempted to break down the multi-layered backlashes, became hugely viral on their own.
Dressing up as demon = not racist Comparing a demon to black people = racist Lol this wasn't racist until y'all… https://t.co/qKxJrNdO7f
Only thing offensive here is that someone thought this was a representation of Black people https://t.co/teupOyQdyy