Jodie Turner-Smith has called Kanye West “fake” and “disgusting,” after he wore a shirt emblazoned with the phrase “White Lives Matter” on it during his YZY SZN 9 presentation in Paris on Monday.
On Tuesday, the 36-year-old model slammed West’s surprise appearance at the Yeezy’s fashion show on Instagram. During that appearance, West and a group of models wore t-shirts with the phrase “White Live Matter” on it. He also posed on the runway with conservative figure Candace Owens, who was also wearing the shirt. The phrase notably first “originated in early 2015 as a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement,” per the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
In her Instagram Story, Turner-Smith re-shared a post from West’s account that read, “WHEN I SAID WAR I MEANT WAR” and criticised a comment West made while taking photos in the shirt, where he said that he wanted to “bring people together”.
“I thought he said he was trying to bring people together???” she wrote. “Fake and disgusting and embarrassing.”
The Queen & Slim star then directed a message towards West, writing: “Please go touch some grass and stop sharing your toxic thoughts.”
The model proceeded to share other celebrities’ thoughts on the fashion show in her Instagram Story, including Jaden Smith’s. On Twitter on Monday, he wrote, “I Don’t Care Who’s It Is. If I Don’t Feel The Message I’m Out. Black Lives Matter.” This was a reference to how he walked out during Yeezy’s presentation.
Turner-Smith also shared a video posted from the event posted by fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who had condemned West’s use of the “White Lives Matter” phrase.
“Here comes the bullsh*t,” Karefa-Johnson wrote on her Instagram Story, along with a video of a model walking the runway in the t-shirt. “I’m fuming… collecting my thoughts… indefensible behaviour.”
In a follow-up post, she shared a screenshot of a message she sent to a friend where she claimed that West is “not fully aware of the difference between appropriating BLM [Black Lives Matter] and subverting the ‘Make America Great Again’ hat,” which has been worn by supporters of former US President Donald Trump.
The journalist also said that the concept behind West’s shirts were “deeply offensive, violent and dangerous”, before expressing how there is “no excuse” for West’s behaviour and his decision to release the apparel.
“Please understand: it wasn’t. The T-shirts this man conceived, produced, and shared with the world are pure violence,” she wrote. “There is no excuse, there is no art here.”
West responded to Karefa-Johnson, who is a global Vogue contributing editor, with three since-deleted Instagram posts in which he made disparaging remarks about her style.
Turner-Smith, Jaden Smith, and Karefa-Johnson were only a few of the celebrities who have responded to the controversial Yeezy slogan. Supermodel Linda Evangelista showed her support for the Black Live Matters movement on Instagram this week and said that today’s “fashion made [her] sad.”
On Tuesday, West appeared to address the widespread controversy that his shirt had created on his Instagram Story, writing: “Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam. Now it’s over. You’re welcome.”
