Instagram Influencers promote Saudi Arabian MDL Beast music festival, days after execution is ordered on five men related to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
It could be said that the life of an Instagram influencer is a charmed one. You are showered with sponsorships from clothing brands and beauty lines, offered free trips, all for posting the “right” picture. Though most would scoff at calling the lifestyle entrepreneurial, it is. There’s no shame in assessing your value in the social media age and capitalizing off of it. However, there is shame in using such a platform to promote something that is inherently wrong. On the weekend of December 22, 2019, prominent social media influencers and models took a free trip to Saudi Arabia and posted ads in their favor…despite their historic mistreatment of marginalized groups and the recent controversy regarding the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The campaign was engineered by the Saudi Arabian government as an ad to rehabilitate its public image, but at the expense of integrity towards the preservation of human rights, especially women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized groups.
Although many have speculated that crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman was responsible for ordering the execution of Kashoggi, five other men were sentenced to death regarding their involvement in the murder, the Monday before these posts by celebrities and influencers began flooding everyone’s Instagram feeds.
Well-known actors, models, and socialites like Sofia Richie, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Armie Hammer all flew to and promoted the MDL Festival, an EDM music festival in Riyadh.
It is no surprise that many of the influencers’ followers were quick to criticize and react to the posts. The backlash stems from Saudi Arabia’s mistreatment of journalists, particularly with the very recent execution of Khashoggi. The fact that such influencers posted #ad at the end of their post and portrayed the country in such a romantic, and almost fantastical light seemed extremely dishonest and revealed that their financial priorities exceeded any moral obligations.
But a select few among the elite and charmed spoke out against what they viewed a gross misuse of a platform. Model Teddy Quinvlan posted on her Instagram story “If you’re an influencer and you’re promoting tourism to a place that openly kills journalist and LQBTQ+ as well a list of other horrible and archaic laws and policies: you’re a fucking sellout”. Similarly, model Emily Ratajkowski posted “it is very important to me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the LQBTQ community, freedom of expression, and the right to a free press. I hope coming forward on this brings more attention to the injustices happening there,” in regards to her turning down the same trip.
Although influencers and celebrities can often seem far removed from the struggles of the rest of the world, there is no excuse to disregard basic human injustices, especially in the age of information. Whether it’s Chrissy Teigen and Elon Musk’s blind praise for the movie Parasite, a class war critique on the very lives they lead, Kendall Jenner tweeting about climate change and subsequently posting about her private jet moments after, or being so eager to take a free trip to a Saudi music festival, celebrities are often driven by a portrayal of activism that doesn’t quite follow through in their daily actions. Platforms are important, especially in such a time centered around social media. As followers who are responsible for upholding and sustaining fame, we must be conscious of the information we’re receiving. Don’t fall for a perfectly curated post, because behind those few thousand likes, there are millions suffering at the hand of governing bodies that are driven by greed.
