New Delhi: Bollywood divas Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani became the butt of jokes after they extended support to #BlackLivesMatter campaign.
Netizens brutally trolled these celebrities, who endorsed fairness creams, as they stepped forward to condemn the death of George Floyd in the US.
Priyanka, who endorsed a Garnier skin lightening cream in the past, wrote on social media, “We all have a responsibility to educate ourselves and end this hate. End this race war here in the US and around the world. Wherever you live, whatever your circumstances, no one deserves to die, especially at the hands of another because of their skin colour.”
Sonam, who has been the face of Loreal’s lightening whitening day cream, shared on Instagram, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani, who endorsed Garnier and Pond’s respectively, also supported the campaign to end racism and critics referred to their act as ‘selective activism.’
Criticizing the celebrities, one Twitter user wrote, “It’s not that their views can’t change or that they shouldn’t speak up for what they want, it’s about selective and performative activism especially when they have at some point propagated a colourist attitude in their own country.”
“It doesn’t sit right with me that back home one promotes fairness creams, while speaking about how all colours are beautiful. It’s opportunistic,” she added.
“Just another privileged Indian making money selling fairness cream on one hand and protesting racism on the other hand. Hypocrisy died a million deaths here,” wrote another user.
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra wrote, “If you’re a public figure, try and follow your spontaneity sometimes instead of the balanced advice given to you. I promise you following your instinct will have a journey of its own and branding yourself is too important to leave to those PR guys.”
Besides slamming celebs for minting money by endorsing fairness creams, netizens have also criticised them for raising their voice against racism on foreign soil and not taking a stand for the atrocities in their own country.
