"We gave them their platforms. It’s time to take it back, take our views away, our likes, our comments, our money."
There's a new movement on social media, "Blockout 2024," in response to celebrities' views (or lack thereof) on Palestine.
To understand the context of the campaign, let's rewind back to last week's Met Gala. In a now-deleted video, influencer Haley Baylee (real name Haley Kalil) posed outside the event dressed in an extravagant floral gown and headpiece. She said, "Let them eat cake," speaking along with a TikTok sound.
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As the story goes, Marie Antoinette was told French peasants had no bread to eat. She responded, "Let them eat cake" — demonstrating her out-of-touch attitude toward her starving subjects. Many historians have stated there's no evidence that the French queen actually said this, but it remains a chilling folktale about severe wealth inequality.
Additionally, pictures of one of fashion's biggest nights flooded social media at the same time as images of Israel's attack on the Palestinian city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The juxtaposition of celebrities dripping in wealth and Palestinian parents mourning their dead children shocked the world.
Aliah Anderson / Getty Images /AFP via Getty Images
On Oct. 7, Hamas killed a reported1,200Israelis and took about 250 hostage. Since then, Israeli attacks have killed a reported35,000Palestinians — mostly women and children — with over 77,000 injured. Northern Gaza is experiencing a full-blown famine, which is quickly spreading, and the humanitarian crisis is profoundly severe.
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People made comparisons to The Hunger Games, where wealthy Capitol residents dressed in opulent clothing while children were murdered in the games. Some pointed out that the idea for the books came to author Suzanne Collins when she experienced something similar: flipping through TV channels between coverage of the Iraq War and contestants competing in a reality TV show.
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In 2008, Suzanne toldPublishers Weekly, "The lines began to blur in this very unsettling way."
Student encampments and protests are taking place around the world, but many celebrities have still remained silent on what's happening in Gaza.
Mohammed Abed / AFP via Getty Images
Fed up with celebs failing to use their platforms and influence to speak out, TikTok user @ladyfromtheoutside decided to spark the Blockout 2024 movement, according to NBC News. "It’s time to block all the celebrities, influencers, and wealthy socialites who are not using their resources to help those in dire need," she said in a video with 2.5 million views. "We gave them their platforms. It’s time to take it back, take our views away, our likes, our comments, our money."
Unfollowing and blocking famous people and their companies prevents their ads from reaching those participating in the Blockout 2024 movement. With enough people boycotting celebs and their products, the goal is to potentially affect their ad revenue, business sales, engagement, and more. @ladyfromtheoutside is calling the movement a digitine (a digital guillotine).
Neilson Barnard/ Tommaso Boddi/Kevin Winter / Getty Images
I've seen several different lists floating around social media, and some people seem to disagree on who deserves to be blocked or not. Folks will likely have their own parameters, such as if a celeb has spoken out against Palestinians, if they've remained silent, if they haven't used their platform enough, etc. For example, some believe that Billie Eilish should be boycotted for not posting about Palestine on social media, while others argue that she wore a Ceasefire pin to the Oscars, making her stance clear.
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In the past week, some celebrities have already spoken out. Haley Baylee posted a nearly 9-minute apology video where she clarified that she didn't receive an actual invitation to the Met; she was a host interviewing celebs as they departed a hotel. "I'm not elite. I'm a normal person," she insisted. Hayley also offered an explanation for why she hasn't spoken about Palestine: "I am not informed enough to talk about it in a meaningful and educational way."
Haleyy Baylee / tiktok.com
Her apology garnered immediate backlash, with many sharing clips of thehome tourthat Hayley — a model who's previously been featured in Sports Illustrated — gave a year ago, showing off her $17,000/month NYC apartment. Others argued that ignorance is not an acceptable reason for silence, and that in the seven months since the recent attacks began, there's been more than enough time to educate yourself.
Three days ago, Lizzo posted a TikTok video sharing GoFundMe pages and an organization dedicated to helping people in Palestine, Sudan, and Congo. The singer said she has personally donated to all three, and she shared the links for folks who want to donate, too.
Lizzo / tiktok.com
People in the comments pointed out the curious timing of Lizzo's post. One comment that received over 85,000 likes reads, "The timing is soooo interesting."
Additionally, many comments noted Lizzo's wealth in comparison to regular people. One person wrote, "Girl bffr..you are a millionaire???? Leave us alone we don’t even have enough for groceries 😭." Another comment reads, "But...you could donate the entire amount without your bank account even noticing..."
It seems like the campaign may already be starting to make an impact. Haley, who previously posted a video over her excitement at reaching 10 million followers, has currently dropped down to 9.9 million. Social media users claim that Kim Kardashian has also lost a number of followers — a week after outrage over her responding, "Free everybody" to a protestor shouting, "Free Palestine."
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
