Paige Shoemaker’s Facebook Apology: ‘Feels Good To Finally Be A N****’ Snapchat Photo Wasn’t Blackface
The Snapchat photo of Paige Shoemaker and Sadie Meier have gotten the duo in trouble, causing Shoemaker to get kicked out of Kansas State University. The Snapchat photo was called racially insensitive, reports the Washington Post — with Shoemaker and Meier shown with their faces covered in brown L’Oreal clay masks.
It was the caption of the photo that lit up Facebook, along with the Snapchat image of both Caucasian women making hand signals that could be considered mock gang signs.
“Feels good to finally be a n****.”
Shoemaker and Meier said later that they are the farthest thing from racists, but now that the damage was done, with Paige getting kicked out of Kansas State University, there wasn’t much else they could do besides apologize for the Snapchat photo that went viral. The black mud mask covered faces may have been considered a funny photo to take, with Shoemaker and Meier likely never imagining the fallout that could occur from coupling L’Oreal clay masks with controversy.
Nevertheless, the blackface photo went viral on Facebook and caused the Facebook page of Kansas State University to gain several one-star reviews in the wake of the controversy.
The school felt the need to distance itself from the racist post, reports Fox News. As such, neither of the women are current students at Kansas State University.
On Facebook, the student who brought attention to the racist Snapchat photo, as reported by Essence, explained why Paige’s photo was hurtful.
“Welcome to Kansas State University. Where breakfast in the morning is some K-State Family with a side of Racism. But I’m supposed to walk into my classes feeling completely comfortable with people on our campus who think like this?”
Whereas Shoemaker might have thought her Snapchat photo was funny, or even a compliment to African-Americans, the image was viewed differently online by many people.
Paige issued a mea culpa for the photo, but the Snapchat photo was condemned by Kansas State University, reports the Kansas City Star. The school stated that there is no place for racism at their university. On Shoemaker’s Facebook page, Paige called her photo completely disrespectful and wrong, but also said that she wasn’t wearing blackface.
“We clearly understand that what was said and done was completely disrespectful. We will battle everyone for the right to make things right, because we know what we did was wrong. We want people to know it’s not blackface.”
The sorority girl who is Paige received lots of backlash on Facebook, as well as plenty of searches for Shoemaker’s Facebook account, coupled with the Kansas State University school’s name.
The Snapchat photo was taken on Tuesday and began to go viral within days.
With blackface being a sensitive topic that has spawned racial controversies for decades, the response from social media was swift, after Desmund Weathers posted Paige’s images on Twitter — and they went viral on Facebook and beyond.
Shoemaker was once a part of the Beta Upsilon Chapter at Kansas State University in 2013, but is no longer a member.
Some of the responses to the viral photo from social media can be read below.
“Oooh..oh well, hope a lesson will be learned!”
“Now we wait for the obligatory ‘I’m-so-sorry-I-didn’t-know-what-I-was-doing-I’m-not-a-racist-I-have-black-friends’ statement by the young racist.”
“This is what they think of u… In 2016.”
“And u wonder why some people are not saluting the flag.”
“See the boldness that these people feel… Exactly how I feel speaking on their ignorance.”
“It couldn’t happen to a nicer person and I am pleased that someone this stupid will never graduate from her pre-med program.”
