Pop megastar Rihanna slammed a controversial ad from social media platform Snapchat, which she says brought “shame” to victims of domestic violence.
The ad, which Snapchat has removed and apologized for, asked social media users: “Would you rather slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown?”
Is it just me, or is this ad that popped up on my Snapchat extremely tone deaf? Like what were they thinking with this? pic.twitter.com/7kP9RHcgNG
— VOTE NOVEMBER 6TH!!! (@TheRoyceMann) March 12, 2018
The question is in reference to a 2009 incident in which Rihanna and then-boyfriend Chris Brown, got into a fight which left Rihanna bloody and black-eyed. Brown turned himself in and was charged with felony assault.
Rihanna, 30, took to Instagram to issue a statement slamming the ad.
“I’m just trying to figure out what the point was with this mess! I’d love to call it ignorance, but I know you ain’t that dumb,” the “Run this Town” singer wrote. “You spent money to animate something that would intentionally bring shame to DV (domestic violence) victims and made a joke of it!!!”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Snapchat attempted to explain how the ad got published, and apologized for their “error.”
“The advert was reviewed and approved in error, as it violates our advertising guidelines,” a spokesperson for the app said in a statement. “We immediately removed the ad last weekend, once we became aware. We are sorry that this happened.”
That apology, however, did not make Rihanna any less upset.
“This isn’t about my personal feelings…but all the women, children and men that have been victims of DV in the past and especially the ones who haven’t made it out…you let us down! Shame on you,” the singer wrote.
Rihanna’s anger wasn’t limited to Rihanna, activists and political figures also weighed in on the controversial ad.
Activist Brittany Packnett wrote:
I know that social media ads go through an approval process from the platform.
This means @Snapchat approved an ad that makes light of domestic violence.
The update ain’t the only thing that’s wack over there, friends. https://t.co/PmbJn4zCel
— Brittany Packnett (@MsPackyetti) March 12, 2018
Chelsea Clinton called the ad “awful:”
Just awful. Awful that anyone thinks this is funny. Awful that anyone thinks this is appropriate. Awful that any company would approve this. Thank you Brittany for calling this out.
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) March 12, 2018
Rihanna’s response has also impacted Snapchat’s stock standing, as the Daily News reports, the eight-time Grammy-winner’s response and Snapchat’s statement, “sent Snap shares down 4.8 percent, to $17 by early afternoon — their lowest levels this month.”
This comes on the heels of another Snapchat debacle involving a celebrity.
“In February, Kylie Jenner complained about the texting app’s redesign, causing the company to lose more than $1 billion in market value.”
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.