Camila Cabello apologizes for using racist language in the past: "I was uneducated and ignorant"
Singer Camila Cabello has apologized for racist Tumblr posts that she shared when she was about 15 years old. The posts, which include racist images and language, were first posted by Cabello in 2012. They were uncovered Tuesday by a Twitter user who shared the link to the singer's old Tumblr page.
Twitter user @motivatefenty shared several posts from Cabello's Tumblr, which was under the username "vous-etess-belle." In some of the posts, Cabello re-shared gifs and memes that perpetuate black and Asian stereotypes. In many others, she shared memes with the n-word.
exposing camila cabello‘s racist and downright disturbing tumblr reblogs: a thread
— 🌉 || fan account (@motivatefenty) December 17, 2019
The thread was retweeted more than 20,000 times and the Tumblr posts were later taken down. Cabello issued an apology on Wednesday.
"When I was younger, I used language that I'm deeply ashamed of and will regret forever," she wrote. "I was uneducated and ignorant and once I became aware of the history and the weight and the true meaning behind this horrible and hurtful language, I was deeply embarrassed I ever used it. I apologized then and I apologize again now."
I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. pic.twitter.com/iZrnUawUAb
— camila (@Camila_Cabello) December 18, 2019
"I'm 22 now, I'm an adult and I've grown and learned and am conscious and aware of the history and the pain [this] carries in a way I wasn't before," the post continued. "Those mistakes don't represent the person I am or a person I've ever been. I only stand and have ever stood for love and inclusivity, and my heart has never, even then, had any ounce of hate or divisiveness. The truth is I was embarrassingly ignorant and unaware. I use my platform to speak out about injustice and inequality and I'll continue doing that. I can't say enough how deeply sorry and ashamed I feel, and I apologize again from the bottom of my heart."
Earlier this year, Cabello's boyfriend, Shawn Mendes apologized for what he called "racially insensitive" tweets. A fan asked the singer about the old posts during a Q&A, Entertainment Tonight Canada reported.
Mendes addressed the posts at the Q&A and then posted an apology on Instagram, writing, in part: "I apologize wholeheartedly for what was said & understand how offensive those posts were. There is no place for comments like that, and those words do not represent who I am. I stand for complete inclusivity, equality, & love."