Welcome to Outrage Watch, HitFix's semi-regular rundown of entertainment-related kerfuffles. Not anxious enough already? Get your fix of righteous indignation below, and stay posted for outrage updates throughout the week.
Kristen Stewart is just the latest white celebrity to get in hot water for her tone-deaf comments on the #OscarssoWhite controversy, thereby joining the ranks of such luminaries as Charlotte Rampling, Michael Caine and Julie Delpy. The only problem? Kristen Stewart never commented on #Oscarssowhite.
In a new interview with Variety from the Sundance Film Festival, the Twilight star can be heard castigating those who “sit around complaining” about inequality to “do something” — and the comments have widely been put in context of the debate around the 2016 Academy Awards and its lily-white group of acting nominees. That would be hugely offensive! And yet anger was stoked by the vague wording of the article accompanying the video, which originally read “diversity” as opposed to “gender equality” before being corrected by editors. Bottom line: Stewart was talking about gender inequality — not racial diversity — in Hollywood when she made the following comments:
“It's hard for me to speak to that, because — it's awkward. I'm so fucking lucky and so stimulated and driven and not bored. And I have something in front of me all the time. So it sounds weird for me to sit around and be like 'It's not fair!' Guys make more money because their movies make more money. Let's start making more movies…If you're bored or if you feel like there's a lack of something in front of you, it's silly for me to say 'Go do something'…instead of sitting around and complaining about that, 'Do something.' Go write something, go do something for yourself. And then that's easy to say, like fuck, it's hard to get movies made. It's a huge luxury. Who gets to just make movies? But that subject is just so prevalently everywhere right now, and it's boring.”
Here's a brief sampling of the outrage before the correction was made:
You should work on diversifying your facial expressions before talking about diversity in Hollywood, Kristen Stewart https://t.co/QcI2TJ4kZO
– Professor Snape (@_Snape_) January 25, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
*sees Kristen Stewart is trending* *sees why Kristen Stewart is trending* pic.twitter.com/wbIXdYSqnw
– Stacey Gotsulias (@StaceGots) January 25, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Oh Kristen Stewart. Damn. I really like you but no. Next time just say no.
– roxane gay (@rgay) January 25, 2016
And here's a sampling of outrage from those who still take offense at the comments in light of their new, correct context:
Interesting to see how Kristen Stewart fans are ignoring the “it's boring” at the end. “Boring” is not how I'd describe gender inequality.
– Andi (@andi_m_m) January 26, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Now the defence for Kristen Stewart is she was talking about gender inequality, not race… HOW DOES THAT MAKE WHAT SHE SAID ACCEPTABLE!?
– D. Davidson-Amadi (@TheSplinterCell) January 26, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Ok so I'm failing to see how Kristen Stewart's comment on diversity being directed at gender vs race is any better? Still trash
– relationsheep (@TheVaginalist) January 26, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
I know #KristenStewart was talking about gender equality & NOT diversity in Hollywood but it still came out wrong. Sounded privileged. (1/2)
– Debra Palermo (@debrapalermo) January 26, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Women “do something” every day and for decades and it's still unfair and uneven. It's not that easy! I'm disappointed but still ?? her (2/2)
– Debra Palermo (@debrapalermo) January 26, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
See? You can still be mad at Kristen Stewart after all. Just don't call her racially insensitive.