Children of celebrities often grow up in the spotlight and do have to cope with its many negative side effects.
Sometimes, they are even scrutinized as though they are adults.
Usually, some of the comments may be ‘innocent’ but when looked at in a larger context, they put the child in harms way directly or indirectly.
Blue Ivy Carter recently celebrated her 8th birthday and her granddad Mathew Knowles posted a picture of her looking fabulous in a long blown out silk press.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7BwtpohNOp/
In a bid to celebrate the power couple, Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter, their social media manager tweeted the photo Mathew Knowles posted and E! came for her.
Their caption to many robs the little 8-year-old of her childhood when she was referred to as an adult.
In a now-deleted tweet, E! News wrote, “Can someone explain to us when Blue Ivy became an adult? Happy Birthday to Baby Queen Bee.”
I hope Blue Ivy is protected from the world for as long as possible pic.twitter.com/yY58wVsoDY
— Who is you, Chiron? (@NotLaja) January 8, 2020
Remember the internet does not forget. A twitter user, @NotLaja, re-posted the deleted tweet with the comment, “I hope Blue Ivy is protected from the world for as long as possible.”
Last week, social media unleashed hell on Vanity Fair film critic K. Austin Collins’ tweet when he called Blue Ivy “ugly.”
The E! News caption does not carry the same weight, but it puts Blue and other children who have been in her stead in a certain bracket.
This makes them become objects of sexual attention because they are no longer seen as children hence, robbing them of their innocence at a tender age.
Blue Ivy may have certain privileges regular second graders may not be privy to, but it still doesn’t erase the fact that she is just 8 years old and may not be able to shoulder online attacks.
Black Twitter made sure E! News was put in its place and it’s safe to say, they may have contributed to the news site taking down the post. Do you think Black Twitter overreacted to the E! News caption?
I hate it when society does this to black children. Blue Ivy is 8. She looks like she's 8 with a press and curl. For @enews to call this little girl an adult is offensive and tone deaf. STOP DOING THIS TO BLACK GIRLS!
— Cheris Hodges is somebody’s great aunt 2.0 (@DeFi_Offical) January 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/SunnyAde_/status/1214723351329071104
STOP REFERRING TO BLUE IVY AS A WOMAN. SHE IS A CHILD. A GIRL. A BABY. A TODDLER. A YOUTH. black girls are constantly addressed as adults, it's so frustrating! https://t.co/l0pXyOsD7d
— I'm sick of y'all. (@desidee77) January 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/kelleent/status/1214728257376931840
https://twitter.com/CharnayOfficial/status/1214720524863057921
my entire timeline is speaking up about that blue ivy “adult” tweet because we KNOW what happens when black children are seen as older than they are. it’s incredibly dangerous.
— kelly 🩷 (@kellyfromHtown) January 8, 2020
Wait what did I miss??? They deleted it.
— Georgette Pierre (@georgette) January 8, 2020
