This week, the skies in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California turned orange, red, and black as raging wildfires tore through acres and acres of land and created a disturbing filter to the sun all over. The devastation is directly connected to climate change, an issue that seems to get tabled every election year, even as climate disasters increase in every region of the U.S. Photos of the orange sky were used on social media to call attention to the urgency of increasing temperatures everywhere.
And for some people, they were an aesthetic opportunity.
Instagram influencer Colette LeClair has just over 30K followers on Instagram. Her pictures are almost entirely of her in various outfits and she seems to make her money through sponsored content. She posts an affiliate link, if her followers use it to buy something, she gets a cut. This, in itself, isn’t outrageous. She’s making a living. Whatever.
But please, read the room before you post wildfire fashion photos to hawk dresses:
LeClaire posted images of herself in an orange dress to match the sky, writing, “Last days here! I found some gorgeous dresses on sale & they are all linked on colletteprime.com in the most recent post.”
The Daily Dot reports that she has since changed the caption to read, “Last day here! Wanted to say goodbye to the ocean and beach and do something I used to enjoy so much here-TRIPOD PHOTOS. Currently gathering a lot of clothes to donate-yay! this one will not make it with me to LA, but there is someone here who will adore it.”
Her comments are also turned off, so it seems like LeClair might have finally gotten a clue about how insensitive her pics are. Especially because the image started circulating on Twitter, and people are pissed:
WE LIVE IN HELL (this is an influencer who just posted a photo of clothing she’s selling by *posing in it* on the beach in San Francisco as forest fires rage around her) pic.twitter.com/PFgfgBcKSE
— Caroline Moss (@CarolineMoss) September 10, 2020
Last days are here!!….to get this dress! And…you know know save the environment and stuff
— i like pizza (@The_Random_Task) September 10, 2020
And the picture is terrible. Yuck.
— M Gee (@gully_m) September 10, 2020
I’m a self employed sole trader in Australia. When my country was on fire I did not promote my work for sale.
Using an ecological tragedy as a prop for your self promotion is the epitome of vulgarity.
— Alicia Hannah Naomi (@aliciahnaomi) September 10, 2020
OH MY GOD WE’RE HAVING A FIRE
— atheists4hotpockets (@shirleyklaxon) September 10, 2020
“last days here”
— Scott Lucas (@scottlucas) September 10, 2020
For some reason, influencers can’t seem to grasp that if there’s a situation where people are dying, you shouldn’t turn it into a backdrop for your photos. It’s really a very simple rule to follow.
More influencers getting roasted:
- People Roast Influencer With “Over 240K Followers” For Demanding Free Portrait From Artist
- Influencer Quarantined In Rwanda Catches Heat For Complaining About It On TikTok
- 53 Times Influencers And Celebs Got Called Out On Their Photoshop Fails
- Influencer Slammed For Taking Booty Pics In Front Of Looted Store Amid Protests