Jeffree Star, Paige Louise, Laura Lee, Gabriel Zamora, and now Kristen Leanne. These are just a few of the beauty influencers with massive platforms who have publicly and unapologetically used the N-word. Whether it be in anger like Star's abhorrent display of racism or while singing along to a song like Leanne did, social media is the place that non-black influencers seem to think that they are beyond reproach.
So it really comes as no surprise that a night out for Leanne has left her in some serious hot water. Check it out.
This is Kristen Leanne.
She's a big-time makeup Instagram influencer, YouTuber, and founder of popular hair color brand Arctic Fox. The Tennessee-based beauty girl has over a million followers and some pretty dedicated fans.
Well, this is Kristen Leanne screaming the N-word.
At the American Influencer Awards earlier this week in Hollywood, Leanne found herself enjoying the sounds of rapper Saweetie and her hit single "My Type." As she attempted to rap along — we use the word "attempted" because she clearly wasn't too well versed — she proudly screams the N-word repeatedly along with the lyrics. To add insult to injury, this all played out on her Instagram stories where she was chronicling her evening for her fans to see.
And just like clockwork, angry followers caught wind of what they were listening to.
Of course, as every other problematic YouTuber does, she did the general social media press release apology.
"Addressing this head-on. I hear you. I would have put this up sooner. I was on a flight. Please read and hopefully you can forgive me and allow me to grow from this," she wrote along with a photo of a typed-out post that she also posted on Instagram.
"I could make excuses for myself but there's no room for that," it read. "I see your comments, and I do not take this lightly. I'm deeply sorry. I could say I was hyped up, singing along to a song. I could say I was tipsy and in the moment, but that's just unnecessary excuses."
*yawn*
The irony of this all is that she has repeatedly tried to call out other brands for issues of inclusivity.
Or at least kind of. If you recall, this is the same influencer that actually expressed disdain after she said that one of Huda Beauty's highlighting palettes for deeper skin didn't work for her fair skin. The public display of disappointment played right into the popular phrase, "when you're used to privilege, equality feels like oppression." The hypocrisy of it all …
Oh, but it gets better. Did we mention that she has an outrageously offensive tattoo?
News of her using the racial slur has brought out critics who believe that she should have been canceled long ago. "I’m actually really livid right now. I’m so tired of you guys letting people like this have a platform. She really just said that she has a tattoo of a can of beans with her Mexican friend because she calls him b**ner. What in the caudacity is this? #KristenLeanne," one angry Twitter user wrote.
It's really not that hard, folks.
As exhibited here by the fantastic Jackie Aina, not saying the N-word when singing along to your favorite songs isn't rocket science. And while we surely understand that many of these problematic influencers lack the range of understanding to do it on their own volition, we at least encourage them to try in an effort to keep their careers intact.
