3:11 pm, January 7th, 2013
(GettyImages.com)
This is horrifying.
On Monday, Justin Bieber fans — or users posing as the pop star’s supporters — got #CutForBieber and #CuttingForBieber to trend on Twitter, showing shocking photos of allegedly slashed wrists, blades and blood.
Fans posted the upsetting images along with messages pleading with Bieber to stop smoking marijuana, as he appeared to be doing in photos released this past weekend.
The barrage of gruesome pictures and tweets referencing self-harm as a method of “protesting” Bieber’s alleged drug use sparked sympathy, outrage and disgust.
Observers rightly pointed out that any potentially fabricated photos diminish the real mental health and self-esteem issues related to cutting.
Many Twitter users responded by posting “cutting for Bieber” pictures of themselves using scissors to cut paper.
While it’s not clear how legitimate the original #CutForBieber photos were, what is not debatable is how serious the issue of self-harm is for millions of young people.
It’s just not acceptable to joke about wrist-cutting and self-abuse in any context.
Gossip Cop hopes Monday’s “cutting” trends don’t inspire any actual self-harm among young social media users increasingly comfortable in a digital culture that glorifies dark, disturbing voyeurism.
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