A new Instagram account is coming under fire for its objectification of male refugees during the migrant crisis in Europe.
The account, @HotMigrants, is self-described as chronicling “handsome men on their journey to Europe.”
The creator of the account, a person in their 20s from Washington D.C. who wanted to remain anonymous, said it’s not meant to be taken seriously.
It was created when “in the midst of all the anguish and kind of disbelief that the migrant crisis isn’t yet resolved, I found myself distracted by one of the gentlemen,” the account’s owner said in a message to Global News.
There’s been major backlash for the creator, who is being criticized for making light of a serious issue.
“Very disheartening to see our struggle reduced to this,” one commenter wrote on a picture captioned.
The response isn’t surprising, the creator said.
“I’m just here posting pictures…not dropping bombs.”
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But there’s another side to the story, the account’s owner told Global News.
“A lot of xenophobes are threatened by this migration, maybe they’ll be less afraid if they think some of the people coming in are good looking,” the account’s owner said in a message to Global News.
“Shallow, but after all…this is Instagram.”
Others on the photo-sharing app share the same view.
“I honestly think it’s a great way to make westerns engage and feel more empathic to these people. If you yourself can’t do much for them, you can at least make people see them as people, not numbers.
The account has been active for one week and has over 2,000 followers.
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