Rare Beauty, a cosmetics line founded by singer/actress Selena Gomez, revealed in an Instagram post on Monday it will donate care to Palestinian children in Gaza affected by the Israel-Hamas war.
Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty will be making donations to the Palestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/wfY4knR9qR
— Lune 🌙 (@BreatheBluee) November 7, 2023
“We are devastated by the images & reports coming from the Middle East. Thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes & millions of civilians have been displaced & 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 statement began.
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Rare Beauty emphasized that the company strongly denounces “all forms of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia” and urged support for humanitarian organizations that are seeking to help the children of Gaza.
The post explained, “Rare Beauty will be making donations to the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies – Magen David Adom, & 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 & resources to the children of Gaza.”
The post followed a social media controversy surrounding Gomez who initially did not offer a comment on the ongoing war. By Oct. 30, nearly one month after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack against Israel, she responded by denouncing “hate towards any group” and explaining that one post won’t change the world.
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“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. People being tortured and killed or any act of hate towards any group is horrific. We need to protect all people, especially children, and stop the violence for good,” her post read.
“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.”
She received backlash from fans who attacked her for waiting so long to post a comment and making what many considered a weak response. After a few days, Gomez announced that she would be deleting her Instagram.
“I’m taking a break and deleting my Instagram,” she said in a post on Friday. “I’m done. I do not support any of what’s going on.”
Prior to the announcement, Gomez was the most followed woman on Instagram with over 430 million followers and became the first woman to surpass 400 million followers earlier this year.