Zoella is a fashion and beauty blogger from London with nearly 30 million followers on three platforms (YouTube, Instagram, Twitter). Earlier this year, Cosmopolitan named the most power social media star in the U.K.
Now, the 27-year-old is under fire after someone unearthed a series of old tweets in which she fat-shamed people and mocked gay men.
Related: James Woods defends his virulent homophobic tweet about a young boy
The tweets were written from her account in 2010, 2011, and 2012, before she was the social media superstar she is today.
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One tweet from 2010 read: “I find it funny when gay men spit…it’s like they’re trying to be a bit macho but never works…”
Another read: “‘why are these clothes so expensive’ because they’re designer you tramp, that there in your hand is a dress worth over £2000. Haha.”
Both tweets have since been deleted.
Related: Country Singer Blake Shelton Half-Apologizes For All Those Homophobic Tweets
Zoella released the following statement on Twitter:
I’ve seen a few of my old tweets from 7/8 years ago floating around (which I have now deleted) using words like “chav” “skank” and other words I wouldn’t use now as part of my language and lot of them were taken out of context referring to TV shows but I would never say those things now and I’m sorry if I have offended anyone, that was not my intention. Obviously that is not who I am today and I’d like to think I’m a little older and wiser! I’m not perfect and I’ve never claimed to be, I’m only human!
But not everyone is ready to accept her apology:
Ok, but 7 years ago you were 12? 13? She was 20. If you don’t know not to be homophobic by then, you’re just being an awful person.
— Steph (@steph_howlter) November 15, 2017
I find it so funny how zoella has managed to rebrand herself as some kind of sweet, unproblematic saint pic.twitter.com/aiMpGIe7ER
— its designer u tramp (@LHLX_) November 14, 2017
Seeing homophobic tweets from @Zoella has put me right off her. It may have been 7 years ago but she was 20. Old enough to know better. #zoellaisoverparty #zoella #zoellaadventcalendar #zoellabeauty pic.twitter.com/iskTnvx5fR
— ??????? (@SarraRamirez) November 15, 2017
What do you think? Apology accepted? Share your thoughts in the comments section…
Xzamilloh
The REAL issue is that people like her fans and their parents were pissed that she was selling an “12 Days of Christmas” advent calendar for 50 pounds and it had crap inside, like cookie cutters, stickers, and confetti (all cheap crap). The unearthed tweets have been around for years and now it’s a problem. The outrage rings hollow. But, I see no problem with these money grubbing perpetrators having their fake cutesy bubblegum masks removed to expose the greedy business people that lie underneath
Jaxton
Zoella sounds like an idiot. Some might even say Brit trash….
Heywood Jablowme
“I find it funny when gay men spit…it’s like they’re trying to be a bit macho but never works…”
That’s homophobic? It sounds like something Jack would say on “Will & Grace.”
That second tweet, I don’t even get it.
And can you give us the “fat-shaming” tweets? Those are always fun, lol.
thisisnotreal
I’m so sick of this idea the world has that once you say or do or think something considered offensive, no matter how many years ago it may be your branded as evil for the rest of your life. I was raised in a very sheltered family background and even as a gay man myself I grew up harboring negative feelings towards effeminate gay men. Not because of anything my family ever taught me or said to me or said around me because back then I was in the closet and my family has always been very liberal as far as homosexuality or anything related to it goes, but because of internalized homophobia and the pressures of societies views on men that are anything but macho and tough.
Fast forward to today and I’m 32 and I have gay male friends that are on the effeminate end of the scale and I have no issue with them or negative feelings towards them anymore in fact we get along quite well. This idea the world seems to have nowadays that whatever you thought or said as a younger person means that is exactly who you will always be and how you will always think is WRONG. people CAN change and mature in their thinking as they live life and get older and expose themselves to things outside of their comfort zone or realm of experience. Stop holding shit against people that they did when they were younger and less mature and world wise than they may be today.
Pistolo
This just goes to show you that NOT THAT LONG AGO people felt a-okay about saying these sorts of things openly. At this very same time, Louis CK loved saying f**gott in his act, released a video criticizing the word, and then continued to use it. But if you say you’re for gay marriage or have a Facebook profile photo with a rainbow ribbon, suddenly you’re an LGBTQ advocate or WOKE. Not buying it. For some, social awareness depends on what’s in fashion.
All that said, good lord, I’m so tired of these talentless youtubers pimping their personalities & life issues in the hopes of landing an endorsement deal. Screw off.