Kayne West Breaks Headlines Once Again; Social Media Deems “White Lives Matter” Shirt At Paris Fashion Week Controversial

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Kanye West and Candace Owens wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt at the Paris Fashion Week 2022

By Gabby Birkland and Andrea Fitzgerald, Staff Writers

Kanye West’s new collection, the “YZY collection,” was showcased at the Paris Fashion Week October 3rd shown on models and other famous figures like conservative commentator and talk show host, Candace Owens and rapper Ye himself. Most people on the internet think that Kanye is doing this to get attention, because he is known for makingĀ  “not in one’s right mind” decisions after his divorce with Kim Kardashian. In an interview with Fox News, Kanye has told TV interviewers that the shirt’s message was “obvious” and “funny.”

Hate was spreading like wildfire and it was heading right towards Ye. Viewers on social media had many opinions of their own, and it wasn’t positive. A majority of the people on Instagram and Twitter accused Kayne of taking away the meaning of the Black Lives Matter movement and using White Lives Matter for Kanye’s own gain. Jaden Smith, the son of Will Smith, tweeted “Black Lives Matter” to go against Kanye, and had left the Yeezy show midway. Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, the editor of vogue has spoken out saying the show was “….deeply offensive, violent, and dangerous.”

On a major spectrum, the majority of people who have heard of Kanye West’s controversial used idea thought it was outright disrespectful and offensive, but what do individuals think about it? Students and teachers at Wayne Hills High School have been asked the question, what do you think of Kanye West wearing the White Lives Matter shirt? Here is what has been said:

Mr. Van Ness, a teacher at Wayne Hills, has said: ” I have serious thoughts about his mental health, and where he is at. It seems like he doesn’t really have good people in his ear, and it doesn’t seem like he has a solid understanding of where the world is at, or the lives of a majority of people are living…. It just seems like he is actively being uh, distasteful just for attention.”

Grace Strodthoff, a student at Wayne Hills, answered ” I think both Kanye and Candace Owens are free to express their own opinions. I think they wore the shirts because it shows Kanye’s unification to the Republic Party and Candace Owens. I wouldn’t really mind if I saw a student wearing the shirts at school because it’s not really against the dress code but it’s not hate speech or anything vulgar so I don’t really think people would pay a lot of mind other than just based on political opinions. I feel like the same way if people were wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt like it doesn’t affect me so I don’t feel like I’d really acknowledge it.”

At the end of the day, we’ll never know the true reason why Kanye West decided to wear his White Lives Matter shirt, since it was never clear why he did what he did. The opinions of individuals are very important to know what people think on a personal level, whether they agree with Ye or not.