Model Behavior (PLEASE READ POST #1 BEFORE POSTING)

[MulletProof]

The moment you mock someone else, you're fair game.

That is true inside the microscopic notion of mockery that social media and celebrity culture has cemented. Getting away from that a bit, back into the real world, hierarchy is crucial for true "bullying".. bullying itself suggests a position of social advantage, more power, which you use to abuse someone in some way. The idea that anyone.. really ANYONE, especially some model enjoying her 15 minutes or 2 hours, hosting some entertainment show, is bullying a political figure (of all people), which is what Melania is and will be for the next 4 years, is absurd to put it mildly and profoundly populist. Victimizing political figures (or religious ones) with this faux empathy about their humble/regular human beginnings and condemning until its last consequences mockery or satire (which later morphs into any form of criticism) is actually what strengthens the policies of people like Erdogan or Maduro these days.

I think some people should do some evaluation on their foundation (morals, yes) or maybe pursue more education if informal training won't cut it (esp regarding the conditions that support the rise of populism throughout history). Something's off when some are outraged if some two celebrities criticise a presidential couple that has actively pursued a position of ultimate power, but somehow more relaxed if a powerful businessman running for president makes fun of a disabled person.

 

[sixtdaily]

Something's off when some are outraged if some two celebrities criticise a presidential couple that has actively pursued a position of ultimate power, but somehow more relaxed if a powerful businessman running for president makes fun of a disabled person.

You're absolutely right here, sadly. Just to clarify, I don't personally feel offended by Gigi's sketch, I just find it a bit hypocrite for the reason I explained before.

And yes, like you said, satire is important and necessary in a democracy. I just think we should leave this job to comedians.

 

[MulletProof]

I don't think this form of criticism should be reserved for professionals only. If someone's lucky enough to make a living out of it, good for them, but it is not an exclusive form of expression. The more intolerant governments become, the more people from all walks of life resort to different platforms they were not necessarily trained at to stimulate critical thinking or denouncing.. satire, journalism, performance art, filmmaking, music, and all of this seemingly optional, less serious occupations are actually the first to be criminalized, because the impact does trigger questioning in a humorous or easy way even when the viewer tries to resist it.

The thing with their [celebrity] presence is that it is so invasive that it is very normal to blur their actual effect and consider them equals to political figures and the other way around when it comes to power.. and even if IT IS possible to be a celebrity turned political figure or political figure turned celebrity, you can escape a celebrity but nobody can't escape the effects of a system.. so I think people have every right to question those responsible for it in whatever form they wish and regardless of their primary occupation. Just like anyone else has the right to question the motives and medium used for that.. that is not wrong, what's wrong and dangerous is feeling like the action itself is an open call to be attacked. Which it is.. in banana republics.

 

[anlabe32]

Valery Kaufmann bribes her followers??? Omg, that happened quick. She seems like such a nice girl. I knew somewhere there'd be a loophole with all these high count followers though.

There's an Instagram page with screenshots of her profile that shows she gained at least 10k followers within a few hours. The page is called @popigtan (warning: the person behind it is very dramatic...)

She seems very fake anyway. Never liked her.

 

[tigerrouge]

Unless she's considering a second career as a comedian, these things are best left to the professionals. You can come up with convoluted reasons why she was wrong to do it, but in simple terms, she just wasn't any good.

And making your point through humour is also about expectations - hire a funny person to present, and you're ready to hear the humour. But nobody's hiring a model for her satirical abilities, so whatever she said was going to come across as slightly unsuitable.

 

[eizhowa]

^Considering the situation in the US right now, I am happy that there are more people doing satire than just the professionals. The fact celebrities are stepping up at this point is something I consider to be positive.

 

[tigerrouge]

Fighting the good fight is going to take more than a model from one country making fun of a former model from another country.

Most celebrities are dependent on general popularity, so as soon as the public mood changes, so will their stance. Others will just follow the money, and try to glamorise their compromise.

 

[eizhowa]

Fighting the good fight is going to take more than a model from one country making fun of a former model from another country.

Most celebrities are dependent on general popularity, so as soon as the public mood changes, so will their stance. Others will just follow the money, and try to glamorise their compromise.

Well, I would be very surprised if the public mood actually changes, so I guess we disagree on certain things. I also think it is a bit cyncial to assume celebrities will support whomever the public likes, regardless of their own beliefs.

I think it is imporant for everyone to stand up for their beliefs. Ridiculing one person for being too unimportant to have any impact is a bit low in my opinion. Who do you think should be speaking up instead?

I personally value every voice who speaks up against the people in charge I dislike.

 

[Benn98]

That is true inside the microscopic notion of mockery that social media and celebrity culture has cemented. Getting away from that a bit, back into the real world, hierarchy is crucial for true "bullying".. bullying itself suggests a position of social advantage, more power, which you use to abuse someone in some way. The idea that anyone.. really ANYONE, especially some model enjoying her 15 minutes or 2 hours, hosting some entertainment show, is bullying a political figure (of all people), which is what Melania is and will be for the next 4 years, is absurd to put it mildly and profoundly populist. Victimizing political figures (or religious ones) with this faux empathy about their humble/regular human beginnings and condemning until its last consequences mockery or satire (which later morphs into any form of criticism) is actually what strengthens the policies of people like Erdogan or Maduro these days.

I think some people should do some evaluation on their foundation (morals, yes) or maybe pursue more education if informal training won't cut it (esp regarding the conditions that support the rise of populism throughout history). Something's off when some are outraged if some two celebrities criticise a presidential couple that has actively pursued a position of ultimate power, but somehow more relaxed if a powerful businessman running for president makes fun of a disabled person.

Just to put this out there, I'm not at all against the idea of Melania or any other political leader being parodied. And I'm also not saying it should be reserved exclusively for comedians. Of course satire is crucial. I've got a problem when someone who happened to be extremely vocal about people criticising her, dared to mock another's PERSONALITY QUIRKS. Instead of getting caught up with the political context and how we all need more of this, maybe people should just pause and think how messed up that actually is on a psychological level - the victim in this case became the bully. This regressive type of thinking is as important to combat as the rise of populism.
I fully agree with you regarding hierarchy being a prerequisite for bullying, but then I feel you're brazenly underestimating Gigi's (or the show's) social dominance, and perhaps overestimating Melania's. If it was just 'some model' on 'some show', I'm sure it would have been buried under more catchier headines. Melania's got much to lose by getting into a bunfight with Gigi (see: her husband). And Gigi probably much less, because the industry which employs her are in fact against Melania anyway. That puts Gigi in a position of dominance, whether you acknowledge that or not.
Dismissing populism like this, paired with an arrogant refulsal to relate to those of that standing is, imo, the reason why we're all in such a sad state of affairs. It's high time we progressives take a good and hard look at ourselves, and how we conduct ourselves, and admit that we are part of the problem.

 

[Deleted member 130879]

There's an Instagram page with screenshots of her profile that shows she gained at least 10k followers within a few hours. The page is called @popigtan (warning: the person behind it is very dramatic...)

She seems very fake anyway. Never liked her.

There's a hate insta page for Valery? Is she even that big to be this hated? Wow, get some chill, whoever runs popigtan!

 

[tigerrouge]

I personally value every voice who speaks up against the people in charge I dislike.

Reading this sentence, out of interest, which part carries the most value in your eyes? Do you value someone speaking up in public about something - even if it's the opposite to your beliefs? Or is it more about the feeling of agreement with someone disliking the same things you dislike?

If Gigi had stood up and expressed the opposite opinion, made fun of a different figure, one that you might identify with, would you still support her right to express herself in exactly the same way?

 

[eizhowa]

Reading this sentence, out of interest, which part carries the most value in your eyes? Do you value someone speaking up in public about something - even if it's the opposite to your beliefs? Or is it more about the feeling of agreement with someone disliking the same things you dislike?

If Gigi had stood up and expressed the opposite opinion, made fun of a different figure, one that you might identify with, would you still support her right to express herself in exactly the same way?

Yes, I would

Although I would have pointed out that I do not support her message if she was pro-Trump.

 

[Deleted member 130879]

People seem to forget she mocked Melania, not Trump. It's like going for Michelle or, if it was the case, Bill. And she mocked her accent. An immigrant accent. Not Trump's policies.
Unfortunately, it was more like a shot on the foot than an anti-Trump message. If she wanted to do it, she could have used her voice to express her dislike for his racist, classist, homophobe dirty *** instead of going for his wife.

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

Valery Kaufman does this... and she can't be the only one.

I agree. Julia is from a generation where followers didn't matter. She made those connections back then and she's now still leaning on them.

she buys followers? i always wondered how she had so many, as she is fairly new still and not super famous outside of fashion

 

[Benn98]

she buys followers? i always wondered how she had so many, as she is fairly new still and not super famous outside of fashion

I actually thought she amassed those followers because of Jared Leto. Little did I know....

@Anlabe: Lmao, you're right! That Popigtan person is really OTT dramatic.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Just to put this out there, I'm not at all against the idea of Melania or any other political leader being parodied. And I'm also not saying it should be reserved exclusively for comedians. Of course satire is crucial. I've got a problem when someone who happened to be extremely vocal about people criticising her, dared to mock another's PERSONALITY QUIRKS. Instead of getting caught up with the political context and how we all need more of this, maybe people should just pause and think how messed up that actually is on a psychological level - the victim in this case became the bully. This regressive type of thinking is as important to combat as the rise of populism.
I fully agree with you regarding hierarchy being a prerequisite for bullying, but then I feel you're brazenly underestimating Gigi's (or the show's) social dominance, and perhaps overestimating Melania's. If it was just 'some model' on 'some show', I'm sure it would have been buried under more catchier headines. Melania's got much to lose by getting into a bunfight with Gigi (see: her husband). And Gigi probably much less, because the industry which employs her are in fact against Melania anyway. That puts Gigi in a position of dominance, whether you acknowledge that or not.
Dismissing populism like this, paired with an arrogant refulsal to relate to those of that standing is, imo, the reason why we're all in such a sad state of affairs. It's high time we progressives take a good and hard look at ourselves, and how we conduct ourselves, and admit that we are part of the problem.

Oh, so plagiarism is now a personality quirk?

 

[Zhanna]

lameka fox twitter via giselebundchenlove tumblr

 

[kokobombon]

^that is so hillarious
she sure is trying to stir things up, doesn´t she? she made me google her so it´s working...

 

[Deleted member 130879]

I just noticed this is from 2013 and 2014. Oh boy oh boy, can't wait for karma here! Whoop whoop! I'm not a fan of Gisele since she started doing VS but I do hope this **** will bite Lameka in the ***.

Now that KUWTK is pretty much on hold can we please have a Keep up with the Angels? Because with the amount of mean girls and entitled behaviour among them I can only dream of seeing them breaking each others fake nails.

 

[sixtdaily]

I don't know what's wrong with that girl Lameka, she also dragged Gigi on twitter a few months ago after they worked together for the Tommy Hilfiger campaign.