Blake Lively angered Instagram fans on Wednesday after she posted a photo of her pert derrière to the social site with the caption: “L.A. face with an Oakland booty.”
The image shows the pregnant-again star walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, where she’s been for the past several days promoting her new Woody Allen-directed film Café Society. She’s wearing a stunning gold Atelier Versace gown.
Her chosen caption is a line from the hit song “Baby Got Back” by Sir-Mix-A-Lot, which became an anthem for curvy women in the ’90s.
Many derided the post for being racially insensitive because the tune was inspired by – and meant as an ode to – booties like Jennifer Lopez’s.
At press time the post had acquired over 15,500 comments, many saying things like “Unbelievably problematic, using women of color’s bodies as a joke. I guess you just want people to know you’re racist and you don’t give a shit,” and “Used to like you Blake… turns out you support rapists and appropriate black culture #unfollowed.”
Others took to Instagram to support Ryan Reynolds’ wife by saying “People are so hypocritical… How is this racist but Becky with the good hair isn’t? Whats the difference as both are portraying stereotypes of each race?,” and even joking, “Call her a racist and she laughs at you while diving her hot ass into a swimming pool filled with money.”
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This isn’t the first time a celebrity has faced backlash on social media for posting something that fans found questionable.
Chrissy Teigen fights off near-daily barrages of negative comments for the way she’s choosing to parent her newborn daughter and for her figure post-delivery, while Britney Spears was recently taken down by fans for posting a possibly Photoshopped pic of herself laying poolside.
Lively has yet to comment on the issue.