Gabriella Karefa-Johnson breaks her silence after being attacked by Kanye West.
The Vogue editor and stylist, who was ridiculed by the rapper after criticizing the ‘White Lives Matter’ t-shirts he included in his Yeezy show during Paris Fashion Week, took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday night to thank those who supported her through her ordeal.
“Today I literally said ‘Hiiiiii-yah!’ *roundhouse kick to the face, very Mortal Kombat,” Karefa-Johnson wrote.
“Your daughter has been there! I’m exhausted, but I’m so moved and grateful for the outpouring of love I’ve received (here and elsewhere) over the past 24 hours. I feel so blessed to belong to a community that would present itself to me like this.
The 30-year-old style star continued: “One thing about me: I will always speak my mind and always try to honor my truth. My thoughts are mine and I stand by them. Thanks to all for supporting me in this.
Indeed, Karefa-Johnson wasn’t shy about sharing her thoughts on West’s controversial design choices as he sat front row at her fashion show on Monday.
The acclaimed publisher shared a video of his live reaction to the “White Lives Matter” shirts on social media, calling them “pure violence”.
“There is no excuse, there is no art here,” she said at the time. “I think if you asked Kanye, he would say there’s art, revolution and everything in that t-shirt. There isn’t.
Her criticism didn’t sit well with West, who later publicly denounced Karefa-Johnson’s style on his Instagram.
“He’s not a fashion person,” West captioned a since-deleted photo of the editor wearing brown boots, a striped knit skirt, a yellow graphic tee and a cotton trench coat. corduroy with a bright blue Balenciaga handbag.
In a separate post, he zoomed in on the boots and wrote, “I KNOW ANNA HAAAATES THESE BOOTS,” referencing Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
Although West claimed he and Karefa-Johnson had an hour-long meeting on Tuesday night and “got along really well,” the stylist received a flurry of shameful comments following the rapper’s mocking remarks.
“I have experienced some serious volatility over the past two days, but nothing has been as serious as what people have said about my body and my appearance,” Karefa-Johnson wrote in an Instagram post. separated on Wednesday, alongside a photo of her smiling as she left the Balenciaga show.
“The fat phobia jumped. Yes, I’m fat. No, I’m not humiliated to present myself as authentic me in the world,” she continued, adding that she had “worked hard” to become feel confident in their body.
The fashion editor has been met with an outpouring of support from people around the world — and those around her — following West’s social media tirade.
Gigi Hadid slammed the “Donda” rapper — twice — for his treatment of Karefa-Johnson, calling West a “tyrant.”
“You would like to have a percentage of his intellect. You have no idea haha… If there really is a point to any of your stuff she might be the only person who can save you,” Hadid, 27, commented under West’s original post. .
“As if the ‘honor’ of being a guest on your show should prevent someone from giving their opinion…? Lol. You are a bully and a joke.
The next day, Vogue released a statement in defense of the publisher.
“Vogue stands with Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, our global fashion editor at large and longtime contributor. She has been personally targeted and bullied. This is unacceptable,” the publication shared in an Instagram post on Tuesday. .
“Now more than ever, voices like hers are needed and in a private meeting with Ye today, she once again spoke her truth in a way she felt best on her terms.”
Many other celebrities spoke out against the widely condemned t-shirts and West’s defense of his designs, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and West’s former sister-in-law Khloé Kardashian.
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