Little Mix Unfollows Jesy Nelson Amid 'Boyz' Blackfishing Accusations; Fans React
KEY POINTS
- Little Mix's Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall unfollowed Jesy Nelson on Instagram
- Their move to separate themselves from their former bandmate received mixed responses from fans
- Nelson was accused of Blackfishing due to the lyrics of her new single "Boyz" and her appearance in the music video
The members of Little Mix have unfollowed their former bandmate Jesy Nelson amid the latter's Blackfishing controversy.
Over the weekend, fans noticed that Little Mix's Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall no longer follow Nelson on Instagram after the latter released her debut solo single "Boyz" with Nicki Minaj, Page Six reported.
The "Boyz" music video, which dropped Friday, received backlash, with social media users accusing Nelson of intentionally changing her style in order to appear racially ambiguous.
The Little Mix members' decision to separate themselves from their 30-year-old former bandmate received mixed responses from fans. A number of fans supported their move, with some claiming that Pinnock, 30, Edwards, 28, and Thirlwall, also 28, were just returning the favor.
One fan wrote on Twitter that it was "deserved," while another said, "I can't blame them, Jesy tricked them. She made excuses why she wanted to leave LM but all she really wanted was a solo career."
"Wait, so it's OK for Jesy to unfollow all Little Mix's members when she left, but if Jade, Perrie and Leigh unfollow her, it's bad? #RespectLittleMix," another wrote.
"I would too if someone left the band, possibly put them in jeopardy, claiming she needs a mental health break and she’s a solo artist months later," a fourth Twitter user commented.
A fan of Nelson noted that the artist was a "big part" of Little Mix's success and pointed out that the group's Instagram page still follows the ex-member.
"I will be honest, if Little Mix's instagram account unfollows Jesy, I will be very disappointed. I can understand them unfollowing individually, but unfollowing from the group account isn't right, as Jesy was a big part of the group," they wrote.
"No wonder she left the group. Just look at the comments from their fans. It’s sad. I’m happy Jesy is at a better place right now," another wrote.
Nelson left Little Mix in December last year after nearly 10 years, citing how being in the girl group had been "taking a toll" on her mental health. She has since shared how "truly unhappy" she felt in the group and revealed that she and her Little Mix "sisters" had not spoken since her exit.
"We've sent a few texts, but that's it. I can't explain it, it's like there has to be this distance," Nelson said in her Glamour U.K. interview. "We were so close so you can't do in-between, there has to be space and hopefully at some point in the future, we can all come back together."
While it's unclear exactly why Little Mix unfollowed Nelson on Instagram, the move came after their former bandmate responded to the Blackfishing accusations sparked by the lyrics of Nelson's new single "Boyz" and her appearance in its accompanying music video.
Nelson claimed in an Instagram Live that she had not gotten any "fake tan" prior to the music video and that she has naturally curly hair.
She also told Vulture in an interview published Friday that she never received this sort of backlash while she was in the group and that she's "just 100% being myself."
"I take all those comments made seriously," Nelson later said in a statement to the outlet. "I would never intentionally do anything to make myself look racially ambiguous, so that's why I was initially shocked that the term was directed at me."
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