I’ve woken up this morning, and still can’t believe she, (and her PR team) think that’s an acceptable ‘apology’. The lack of labelling the story in highlights (thank you for the screenshot) just further reinforces this was nothing more than a PR exercise in damage limitation for brand Susie. I get the majority of people in the influencer world are narcissists etc but how does this genuinely sit with BIPOC influencers on Gleam’s roster? Is it just another example of white privilege prevailing?
I was explaining the video to my partner last night (he occasionally asks what’s going on in the Tattle world) he couldn’t understand how she was dismissing the tweets with ‘whether I did or didn’t...’ when they’re all documented here, let alone so many of us saw them before she closed her Twitter down. Then her making out it was performative, steeped in sarcasm, implying it wasn’t considered offensive at the time etc - went back and showed him the full range of tweets people had helpfully screenshot here and he said she was delusional - that it was very clearly offensive to publish those tweets at the time and wasn’t a widely acceptable view only 6/7 years ago. He also said that it isn’t a defence to say/imply ‘oh at the time it was Ok’ as it diminishes the impact it has on those targeted.
Susie had a real opportunity here to put her money where her mouth is in regards to apologising and taking ownership - more so given how she piled in on MOD and was virtue signalling last week. She really could have dismantled it, demonstrated some of the learning she says she’s doing. But instead she centred herself in it, played the victim, downplayed the severity of her tweets and never actually said sorry once. Let alone how it came across as insincere and arrogant at times - she kind of confirmed Instagram is more important than genuinely learning/growing as a person. I just don’t buy that she’s taking the time to genuinely educate herself when the whole video is just a further example of white privilege. It also just smacks of cancelling any criticism - I imagine anyone who DMs her offering a different opinion on her video will just be deleted/blocked won’t they?
metro.co.uk
