[imagesource:adobestock]

For many decades, celebrity culture has flourished. And for much of that time, we ‘non-celebs’ were happy to enjoy the glitz and glam from a distance, admiring the sheer opulence of it without ever having any of it.

This relationship dynamic has now seen a monumental shift, since this year’s ‘Garden of Time’ Met Gala took place on 06 May.

As celebrities swarmed into the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, dripping in jewels and outfits costing over five times your yearly salary, hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters gathered just behind the barricade which separated attendees from the public.

That very night, which has since been compared by netizens as eerily similar to the divide between ‘the Capitol’ and ‘the districts’ in the dystopian story The Hunger Games, Israeli military forces targeted Rafah with airstrikes, one of the last designated ‘safe’ areas on the Gaza strip.

So why target celebrities and wealthy influencers? This is where TikTok creators came into the picture, sparked in part by influencer Hayley “Baylee” Kalil’s TikTok clip of her attending the Met Gala, where she presented a lipsync of Marie Antoinette’s infamous line, “Let them eat cake,” taken from Sofia Coppola’s biopic of the spoilt French queen.

@thewokemamaWhew! Where to begin?♬ original sound – Shirley Chisholm Folding Chair

This time though, the ‘revolution’ need not partake in any IRL beheadings, but instead encourages netizens to decapitate virtually.

While Kalil’s TikTok could have just been a daft, ill-advised PR foible, the clip escalated the anger and frustration felt online towards the excess and greed presented at the Gala in a time of global crisis. Again, comparisons were drawn to author Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, and the obvious (to some) historical context of Marie Antoinette as a self-obsessed, wealthy ruler with no regard for the common folk.

Edited clips of the Met Gala juxtaposed with scenes from Gaza have flooded the internet, adding more fuel to the fire behind netizens’ anger.

#blockout2024 There are no more excuses. pic.twitter.com/k4Lo81bS0B

— Kiki L. 🌈 (@dippedinstars) May 10, 2024

These were the seeds that helped the Blockout movement become a fully-fledged online rebellion, with hashtags like #celebrityblocklist, #letthemeatcake and #blockout2024 leading the way.

One of the key activists in the movement is a woman named Rae, who coined the clever phrase “digital guillotine” or “digitine,” in reference to the Marie Antoinette quote. In a video that has been seen over two million times, Rae encouraged viewers to remember where the power lies.

“We gave them their platforms. It’s time to take it back, take our views away, our likes, our comments, our money.”

Key to the requests of the movement are a series of #celebrityblocklists that advise people on which celebrities to give the chop. Criteria for being included on the list? Celebrities who are either ignorant about global issues, or don’t use their power and influence for good, or in many cases, both.

For example, Kim Kardashian, along with her financially bloated family members and every business venture they’ve embarked on, are at the top of many of the blocklists.

The wildest part of the whole situation? The #blockout is working.

Since the Met Gala and subsequent mobilisation from pro-Palestine protestors, Kim Kardashian has lost three million followers.

@thatgalmuna Blocking streak is working!!! #celebritiesblocksreaks #celebritiesblock2024 #itsworking ♬ original sound – Muna

While many people have made their own versions of the #blockoutlist, most lists feature the same names at the top, including internationally-adored Taylor Swift. Guess you had your time to say something important, TayTay, whoops.

You can check out one of the most popular versions of the list below, which is paired with Macklemore’s latest track ‘Hinds Hall’, a musical number dedicated to exposing the US government’s sale of arms to Israeli military forces and the unofficial anthem for #blockout2024

CELEBRITY BLOCK LIST#blockout2024 pic.twitter.com/3tKhxVe5vm

— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) May 12, 2024

While it’s each internet user’s own personal choice of who to follow and who to block, there’s something exhilarating about the energy that online protestors are bringing to this modern movement.

If you forgot you have the power to challenge the status quo, let this be a reminder that together, change happens.

[source:mashable]