Kat Von D disqualifies makeup contest winner after learning she supports Trump
Kat Von D’s makeup line is beloved by makeup aficionados, Instagram makeup artists and YouTube reviewers. I love her tattoo liner and mine is still working after months, even after all the writing wore off the tube. (I don’t wear that particular liner daily and alternate with others.) I also use her shade and light palette for contouring and should look into her liquid lipstick as I’ve only heard good things. Kat relies on positive word of mouth for her products and she’s active on social media, particularly Instagram, where she showcases dramatic makeup looks and hold promotions and contests.
Kat had a recent contest calling for people to create looks based around the “saints and sinners” theme, which is the name of her new makeup collection. The winner would receive a $500 Sephora gift card and an invitation to the launch party. Kat selected a makeup artist named Gypsy Freeman based on Gypsy’s submission, an innocent white-based makeup look featuring a model in a milk bath and a goth look with the same model in all black and heavily black-rimmed eyes. Only when commenters pointed out that Gypsy was a Trump supporter Kat wasn’t having it. She told Gypsy in an email point blank that she wasn’t going to invite her to the launch party because of Gypsy’s open support for Trump. Also, Gypsy did violate some of the rules. The model was her sister instead of herself, as was required. So Kat invited the photographer to the party instead and then deleted the contest from Instagram and her website. Thanks to The Cut for reporting this:
The night she was declared winner, Freeman say she received a private message on Instagram from Kat Von D’s personal account, reports the Kansas City Star. “Hey there, I just wanted you to know that I chose your entry because of the talent that came with the images you created,” Kat Von D writes, according to screenshots Freeman provided. “Lots of people have been leaving negative comments … But the ones that concerned me were the Trump related ones.”
Von D continued, writing: “I just want you to know that I personally have a hard time with inviting anyone who would support such an anti-feminist, anti-homosexual/LGBT, anti-immigrant, and anti-climate change fascist such as Trump … I would feel the same way towards people who supported Hitler, or any other fascist. In a world where most people are afraid to stand up for what’s right, I refuse to.”
In the Instagram exchange, Freeman defended herself, stating: “I have very close friends and family that are lesbians and homosexuals. My sister (the model)’s boyfriend is an immigrant and I am a support of my sex.”
The two messaged back and forth a few additional times, with Von D remaining stoic in her decision to disinvite Freeman to the launch party. “It’s definitely bigotry — it’s everything that they’re calling us, they’re doing,” Freeman told the Kansas City Star. “It’s a huge case of hypocrisy.”
In terms of Gypsy’s defense, this is what you hear so often from Trump people, they cry bigotry when people rightfully call them out for having a bigoted and exclusionary belief system. It’s ridiculous and it’s bullsh-t, but so is everything that’s happening lately. Also the old “I have —- friends” excuse, which is even worse from Trump supporters because it means they don’t care whether their “friends” have basic rights, or are harassed and discriminated against. Kat was right for doing this, and I like how plainly she described her reasoning, which boils down to “you support a fascist.” In a world where right is left and up is down, Kat brought this back to reality, which is that nothing that is happening is OK and that people who support this are complicit. I’ll definitely support her products, although I don’t need an excuse to buy her excellent makeup.
Here’s Gypsy’s submission, but really the photographer is responsible for the concept so it was right that she got the invite:
This is Gypsy Freeman.
Photos credit: WENN and Instagram/Kat Von D, Jenn Bischof
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