Earlier today, makeup artist and YouTuber Jeffree Star uploaded a video entitled “RACISM.” to his channel of nearly five million subscribers. If you aren’t caught up, Star is known for his problematic past, which you can read in this previously posted article. In the fifteen minute video, Star mentions his problematic past and how he used to make racist remarks. I listened and watched but paused the video when he began to excuse his behavior on depression and verbal abuse. While I have to say he didn’t deserve to be a victim of cruelty, I don’t accept him excusing his racist, misogynistic and transphobic comments on depression. The only thing to blame your problematic behavior on is yourself.
So, no, we should not forgive Jeffree Star. Here is why.
He mentions these comments were recorded 12 years ago and claims he is not like that anymore. He only acknowledged his past from 12 years ago and went on to say that that person is no longer him, that he no longer is problematic. This is where, in the video, I had to pause. In early April, Star and Manny MUA displayed transphobic tweets. Star didn’t mention these. Last year, Star got into a highly public feud with fellow makeup artist MakeUpByShayla. He went on Twitter and Snapchat rants (the Snapchat rants have since been cleared from all youtube and twitter videos,) and called Shayla a man and even made threats to beat her. Again, Star did not mention that.
Threat directed at Shayla Home by Star.
Let’s not forget that Star had fellow makeup artist, Nikita Dragun, model for his new Androgyny palette and had her in blackface. Dragun, who is naturally lighter, was painted head to toe in a darker, more brown skin tone. Dragun added more fuel to the fire by stating that because she is half Mexican and half South East Asian, she “normally [gets] extremely tan…” and we should not “trip over a spray tan.” Well, we wouldn’t need to “trip” over a spray tan if Star had hired an actual dark-skinned model to promote his palette.
While Jeffree Star may have addressed his past problematic behavior, he is still problematic. In the video, he only apologized to his fans. His apology was only directed at his fans, who have done nothing wrong except continue to support a racist, misogynistic, transphobic blocking queen. Star made himself out to be the victim in this fifteen-minute long video. As I stated before, he blames his problematic behavior on his depression. As someone who was once in a terrible and deep depression that made me on several occasions want to take my life, not once did it make me become a racist transphobic person. Not once did I follow a black woman on the street and call her the N word, nor did I call random women on the streets a “tranny hoe” or a “cunt.”
If he is as sorry as he says, he would have addressed his apology to Shayla Home, to the black community, to the Latinx community, and to the Transgender community. But not once did he do that. He addressed his apology to his supporters. He apologized to the wrong people for the wrong reason. He went on to say that because people put him down, it gave him an excuse to be racist out of stooping low to their level.
No, we should not be forgiving Jeffree Star. Nor should you continue to give him your money. No matter how wonderful you think something of his is, know who you are buying from. There is a reason why dupes exist. Putting that aside, Star will continue to be problematic and it’s only a matter of time until he slips up and finds someone new to attack or block.
