Kanye West: The Exploitation of His Power
During Paris Fashion Week on October 3, 2022, Kanye West wore a shirt with the phrase “White Lives Matter” alongside conservative commentator, Candance Owens, for his surprise Yeezy fashion show. Soon afterward on October 6, 2022, West sat in an interview with infamous Fox News host, Tucker Carlson, where West defended his actions. On October 8, 2022, West took to
Instagram and Twitter, where he posted violent, anti-semetic threats.
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, appeared at the Paris Fashion Week show on October 3, 2022, held near Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. Earlier in the week, West opened for Balenciaga’s Spring 2023 show, sloshing through a set-stage of mud in his dusky-colored, heavy military attire. Subsequently, on Monday October 3rd, West held a surprise Yeezy fashion show in Paris, France where his controversial “White Lives Matter” stunt debuted. During this show, West addresses the crowd of onlookers, recounting his history throughout the fashion industry including the backlash he’s received. This speech included perplexing statements such as, “I am Ye and everyone here knows that I am the leader. […] You can’t manage me. This is an unmanageable situation. You can’t turn the music lower.”
The context of his declaration is regarding the wavering relationship between West and Adidas and Gap company. Recently, West publicly criticized Adidas, repeatedly accusing the company of denying him enough creative control. Correspondingly, West accused another partnership company, Gap, of the same issue. West later terminated his collaboration deal with Gap, which resulted in Gap’s stocks to decrease significantly. West approached the situation by harassing Adidas and Gap employees by spam posting their headshots on his Instagram with vindictive captions.
Following the Paris Fashion Week Yeezy show, Cadance Owens posted an image on her Twitter of her and West standing side-by-side in shirts with the phrase “White Lives Matter.” In the image, Owens is looking at West with a smile while holding his arm in an embrace. Just three days later, West sat down with Fox News host, Tucker Carlson. In the interview, West addresses more than just his Paris Fashion Week stunt – he spoke about his pro-life stance, his deeply-held religious devotion, and his negative views on pop-singer Lizzo’s weight. West addressed the “White Lives Matter” stunt by telling Carlson, “So, the answer to why I wrote ‘White Lives Matter’ on a shirt is because they do. It’s the obvious thing.” West also acknowledged his disdain for Lizzo’s weight, in which he states, “They [the “bots”] attack her for losing weight because the media wants to put out a perception that being overweight is the new goal, when it’s actually unhealthy. […] and for people to promote that, um, it’s demonic.”
As of late, West’s Instagram was suspended for violent, anti-semetic threats. He then repeated these actions by taking to Twitter and posting more outrageous, anti-semetic statements. These postings have since been deleted and or restricted.