Rare Beauty, the makeup brand led by Selena Gomez, posted on its Instagram account, expressing its disapproval of the recent Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, which occurred in the aftermath of a Hamas attack at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, resulting in the death of at least 260 people. Rare Beauty also announced that it will be making donations to Palestinian relief organizations to support those affected by the conflict. “We are devastated by the images and reports coming from the Middle East,” the post reads.

“Thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes and millions of civilians have been displaced and left without access to food, water, medicine or basic necessities for survival. A large number of these victims are children. Palestinian civilians must be protected, period.” The post further emphasized its condemnation of both antisemitism and Islamophobia, stating, “Rare Beauty will be making donations to the International Red Cross/ Red Crescent Societies - Magen David Adom and Palestinian Red Crescent Society - who are providing urgent care on the ground. We will also be donating to UNICEF to help get urgent medical relief and resources to the children of Gaza.”

Following Gomez’s statement on October 31st, in which she announced her intention to take a break from social media due to the overwhelming amount of “horror, hate, violence, and terror” in the world, she later posted about Rare Beauty. This post also included information about mental health resources for readers who might need support or know someone who does. This statement came in the context of her belief that a single Instagram post would not be sufficient to resolve the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“I’ve been taking a break from social media because my heart breaks to see all of the horror, hate, violence and terror that’s going on in the world,” she wrote via her Instagram Story. “People being tortured and killed or any act of hate towards any one group is horrific. We need to protect ALL people, especially children and stop the violence for good.”

She concluded her post, sharing, “I’m sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag. I just can’t stand by innocent people getting hurt. That’s what makes me sick. I wish I could change the world. But a post won’t. Love, Selena.” Following Gomez’s initial statement, she faced criticism online for expressing a sense of resignation, given her status as one of the most-followed individuals on Instagram (currently holding the third position with 430 million followers). On November 2, the singer and actress further clarified her stance by announcing her decision to delete her Instagram account and reiterating her disapproval of the ongoing events. As of the latest update, her Instagram account remains active.–Agencies

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 09 2023

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