Steve Martin deleted a tweet about Carrie Fisher after it was slammed as “sexist.” The 71-year-old funny man on Tuesday, December 27 in the c ontroversial tweet revealed that Carrie Fisher was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, adding that she turned out to be intelligent as well.
According to the Daily Mail , an avalanche of social media followers lashed out at Martin in minutes for referring to the looks of the iconic actress rather than her stellar accomplishments. A reader queried if Steve Martin wanted to be remembered for his looks alone after he had passed.
“I think she apprised to be something higher than just being pretty. How do you want to be remembered?”
Steve Martin shamed into deleting Carrie Fisher tribute tweet https://t.co/bE8MIQ1rUZ It WAS sexist, but it seemed like a well-meant joke.
— Annie (@annieLeBananie) December 29, 2016
Another person opined that what Martin said was not really wrong, but added that his timing was far from perfect. The person tweeted that referring to the beauty of the Star Wars actress at the time of her death was simply not cool. A few Martin fans tried to rally behind the comedy actor. A follower said some people were thin-skinned about everything and needed help.
“Am I missing something? What is the squawk about? Sounded lovely to me. If you were upset by Steve Martin’s tweet about Carrie Fisher, congratulations! You are officially addicted to outrage. Now, seek help.”
A cross-section of Twitter users slammed the obsessive standards set to always be politically-correct, arguing that a few nice words from the 71-year-old comedian had been blown out of proportion and deemed sexist. A writer, Claire Landsbaum focused on Martin’s contentious tweet in a blog post for New York Magazine .
I hope the power of Twitter gets #SteveMartin to repost his “anything but sexist” tweet and tribute to his dear friend #CarrieFisher
— Julie SW (@_jules70) December 29, 2016
Steve Martin got pressured into removing his tweet about Carrie Fisher. All because he called her beautiful. And apparently that’s sexist…
— Teddy Westside (@SophieK92) December 29, 2016
There was legit nothing wrong with Steve Martin’s tribute tweet about Carrie Fisher. People can be really dumb sometimes. https://t.co/Pz4o8kIpa2
— B•O•B (@Bobby_Pods) December 30, 2016
The writer argued that Fisher’s portrayal as a sex symbol in the Star War movies particularly in 1983’s Return of the Jedi was a one-dimensional perception of her character. Landsbaum argued that the galactic heroine was a no-nonsense rebel leader, astute tactician, and dead shot with the blaster.
Carrie Fisher during a press tour for Star Wars: The Force Awakens where she returned to star alongside Harrison Ford to play General Leia said she wished she had known that she was a sex symbol. The 60-year-old iconic actress revealed she never looked at herself that way.
Leia’s outfit in the movie continues to draw reactions from people. A Philadelphia father recently questioned the appropriateness of Princess Leia as an action figure, pointing out that his daughters had asked him why the doll had a chain around its neck. He complained to Target, that he did not have any answers and did not want his daughters “seeing that crap.” An unapologetic Carrie Fisher had defended the toy on Twitter saying it was a sign of human triumph for her character.
Joint Funeral For ‘Inseparable’ Debbie Reynolds And Carrie Fisher https://t.co/jFnmLtWMLl
— INQUISITR Entertainment (@IQShowbiz) December 30, 2016
The 60-year-old actress suffered a heart attack during a transatlantic flight on Christmas Eve and died four days later at a hospital. Her 84-year-old mother, Debbie Reynolds, who was stricken with grief, died a day after her daughter passed. According to the Inquisitr , her only surviving child, Todd Reynolds said the family was going to hold a joint funeral for mother and daughter who were inseparable during their life time.
Steve Martin was not the only one who tweeted something controversial during the tragic incident. D.L. Hughley took to Twitter late Wednesday over the death of Debbie Reynolds . The black comedian had tweeted that black mothers did not have to die because their children were dying in droves. According to USA Today , his tweet had drawn plenty of ire from social media. Many felt it was a callous statement to make considering the pain of black women who had continue to lose their loved ones to gang violence and police brutality.
A mall-based pastry also drew outrage when they decided to use Carrie Fisher’s death to promote their brand . Cinnabon had tweeted a photo of Princess Leia with her legendary coiled bun replicating a cinnamon roll. The contentious caption had read “RIP Carrie Fisher, you’ll always have the best buns in the galaxy.”
[Featured Image by Charles Sykes/AP Images]