Just weeks after influencers like James Charles and Tana Mongeau came under fire for participating in the viral TikTok “Mugshot Challenge,” Charli D’Amelio has explained why she didn’t want anything to do with it. While speaking to Vogue recently, the internet sensation totally slammed the controversial trend.
For those who missed it, with the use of makeup and prosthetics, various social media stars created mock mugshots and posted them online. But when the photos showed them with fake black eyes and a bloody nose, some people felt it glorified domestic abuse.
“My parents raised us to always give back, no matter what we were doing,” Charli, 15, explained, adding that she still has to “empty the dishwasher and feed the dogs,” despite being the most followed person on TikTok. “My parents have always been careful about making sure I don’t post anything I wouldn’t want on the internet because you never know what’s going to happen. [The] mugshot challenge got bad feedback from a lot of people. That whole situation made me realize that my parents have my best interests at heart and want nothing but the best for me. They were right.”
Back in April 2020, after James received a lot of backlash for taking part in the challenge, he took to Twitter to address the situation.
“Only I could lazily smudge on some purple eyeshadow and fake blood to recreate a dumb TikTok trend and have it twisted into an actual scandal,” he wrote in a now-deleted tweet.
But when one fan opened up about her past abuse and admitted the trend has made her feel “dehumanized,” he explained, “I’m so sorry that you went through something so awful and traumatic. It’s a TikTok trend going around where people post their ‘mugshots’ and has nothing to do with domestic violence whatsoever. Love You.”
“Despite the fact that hundreds of other influencers and artists have done something similar, I deleted the mugshot trend because it was never my intention to trigger anyone,” he wrote in one final tweet. “It’s a waste of time trying to have an open discussion with people who hate me regardless.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or TTY 1-800-787-3224 for confidential support.
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