Cara Delevingne and Jameela Jamil have got into a debate on Twitter after the actress criticised Karl Lagerfeld shortly after his death.
The designer’s death on Tuesday triggered an outpouring of grief in the fashion world but Jamil questioned the reaction and called Lagerfeld a “fat-phobic misogynist”.
I’m glad somebody said it. Even if it is a little soon. A ruthless, fat-phobic misogynist shouldn’t be posted all over the internet as a saint gone-too-soon. Talented for sure, but not the best person. https://t.co/RK3Q9HilpP
— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) February 19, 2019
All of these things should have been addressed while someone is living, not the day after someones death
— Cara Delevingne (@Caradelevingne) February 20, 2019
Model Delevingne has now responded on Twitter, telling Jamil: “Please don’t call him a bad human.”
The stars’ Twitter discussion started when Delevingne posted a message saying: “Everyone has their own opinion and I felt the need to voice my own.
“All I want is for everyone to love each other no matter what.
“Just please understand that it’s an extremely emotional time and we must try use love instead of hate.”
Everyone has their own opinion and I felt the need to voice my own. All I want is for everyone to love each other no matter what. Just please understand that it’s an extremely emotional time and we must try use love instead of hate
— Cara Delevingne (@Caradelevingne) February 20, 2019
“All of these things should have been addressed while someone is living, not the day after someones death,” she added.
Jamil then shared their exchange on her account, saying it was “a really interesting thread between two people with very different views who aren’t trying to win, or be rude, just trying to appeal to the other’s empathy”.
Delevingne said: “@jameelajamil I understand what you were trying to do and I apologize if I offended you or anyone else.
“I just don’t feel that living in the past and bringing up things that have already happened helps anything. Let’s move forward and lead with love. That’s it…”
Jamil replied: “I didn’t find you offensive.
“I just think it hurts a lot of fat people, and people who he was racist about, and people who were affected by his toxic misogyny, to see someone like that hailed as if he was a saint. We have privelege so he was nice to us. He hurt a lot of people.”
The model – who previously said Lagerfed’s death reduced her to tears – said: “It saddens me deeply that anyone was hurt, that I do not condone.
“It is not possible to go through life without hurting people.
“He was not a saint, he is a human being like all of us who made mistakes and we should all have the chance to be forgiven for that.”
Jamil said “we can’t chalk decades of abusive rhetoric towards minorities as ‘being human’ or ‘making mistakes’,” saying that “doing it once as a joke and then apologizing is one thing, doing it again and again in spite of public outcry is a bad human”.
“I’m sorry to speak ill of someone you love,” she added.
Delevinge replied: “I agree with you but please don’t call him a bad human, that is simply not fair.
“We should be talking about the people alive, in power, ruling the world who are hurting, destroying far more lives than this man who has passed only yesterday.”
@jameelajamil I understand what you were trying to do and I apologize if I offended you or anyone else. I just don’t feel that living in the past and bringing up things that have already happened helps anything. Let’s move forward and lead with love. That’s it…
— Cara Delevingne (@Caradelevingne) February 20, 2019
The Good Place star responded: “But cara, his cruel words weren’t directed at you because you’re thin, and white, and incredibly privileged. So you don’t feel the pain of his bad behavior.
“There is never a good time to talk about this really. So much glory to someone who punched down, frequently. I’m sorry. X.”
Lagerfeld died on Tuesday morning at the age of 85 following a period of ill health.