James Charles who is no stranger to controversy, is in spotlight yet again. This time he is under the scanner for depicting domestic violence in the Mugshot Challenge on TikTok.
What is the Mugshot Challenge?
TikTok has many hashtag challenges which have gone viral not only on the app, but other social media even. People on other social media platforms do the challenge as well. Mugshot challenge is currently trending on TikTok. The users have to post an imagination of their mugshot if they get caught by the police. Many users have added tattoos, smudges, piercings, to their mugshots. This challenge has garnered more than 106 Million views on TikTok.
What did James Charles do exactly? What does the audience say about it?
Following the current trend of the Mugshot Challenge on the popular video sharing app TikTok, James Charles posted his take on the Mugshot Challenge. His image of the mugshot shows nosebleed and a black eye. The image received immense backlash and criticism immediately. Many women called out James for depicting domestic violence through his image. The image has been deemed insensitive and a trigger to the people who face or have faced abuse in the past.
Ya know whats not cute? Doing up your makeup like this & tiggering alot of people who suffer from ptsd of abuse. This isnt a super cute fuckin trend you and everyone else should be getting behind much less participating in. Completely distasteful. Disappointed but NOT surprised.
— •Nikki Marie Photo• (@NYCNolita) April 6, 2020
Not only James Charles, but many popular influencers have also participated in the challenge stating that since the hashtag is trending and making waves among the teenagers and other users, it is not wrong to participate. He defended his stance in the following Twitter reply –
hi babe, I’m so sorry that you went through something so awful and traumatic. it’s a tik tok trend going around where people post their “mugshots” and has nothing to do with domestic violence whatsoever. love you
— James Charles (@jamescharles) April 6, 2020
This trend is problematic at its very core. It glorifies abuse and getting beaten up by the police. It is not good to glamorize violence and abuse, owing to the fact that even in today’s day and age domestic and physical abuse are very happening.