JT of the City Girls promoted her recent brand collaboration with Beats by Dre, but it was met with mixed reactions and wild accusations.
JT modeled for Beats by Dre's latest collaboration with Nigerian fashion designer Mowalola. JT debuted the photos on Monday, and it garnered a lot of attention online.
JT is seen sporting a colorful bob with blunt bangs and flawless makeup. So what caused all the commotion around the ads? The poses.
In the photos, the "Act Bad" rapper has one visible eye showing. One shot shows JT with the headphones covering one eye, while another photo shows a profile shot of the artist.
People online immediately accused JT of "selling her soul to the devil" once they saw the pose. Conspiracy theories about celebrities linked to the illuminati have been around for centuries, and one common symbol people link to the illuminati is the eye — both the evil eye and the eye of providence.
Here's what some people had to say:
Others were supportive of the creative take in the ads and applauded JT for stepping outside of the box:
"Campaigns are not just for people who look a certain type of way," JT said earlier on her Instagram Live. "Just because I'm from where I'm from, doesn't mean I need to be in Spandex and shark boots every day."
"I have IG baddie clothes for days, but I choose to step outside of the box because that's where the bag's at. When I was dressing like every other girl, the only people that approached me was Fashion Nova — shoutout to Fashion Nova, I don't have a problem with Fashion Nova."
The Miami native went on to discuss how a lot of people follow trends and shame those who don't dress like everyone else, especially if they're Black girls.
"When y'all see all these shoots — no, I didn't sell my soul. No, I'm not in the illuminati. No, no devil got me. I'm getting to the bag!"
"Y'all will never have any range, because you care too much about what other bitches think. I don't give a fuck about what y'all think — I'm going to do it for the hood bitches, the bitches that look like me, because we deserve to be on campaigns, too."
It's also been noted throughout history that beauty trends and fashion looks that are common in the Black community only become popular when a non-Black person wears them. They're otherwise deemed "ghetto," "trashy," or "ethnic" until a non-white person gives them a new name.
JT said she wants opportunities like this to come for everybody, not just to the women deemed "fashion girlies." She reiterated that your physical features, hometown, economic status, and personal interest shouldn't dictate the chances you're given.
Fans — including myself — agreed with a lot of the points she was making:
