Blake Lively Using Transgender Slur During Old Interviews Resurfaces Online Amid It Ends With Us Drama, Netizens React

Blake Lively is facing renewed criticism after old interviews surfaced in which she used a transgender slur. The comments sparked a heated online debate amid the drama surrounding It Ends With Us.

By Sakina Kaukawala

Published on Aug 19, 2024 | 12:50 PM IST | 80K

Blake Lively (via Instagram/ Blake Lively)

Blake Lively has come under fire for using a transgender slur during interviews in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The controversy erupted after fans on social media began sharing quotes from the actress, reigniting debates about her language as per Page Six. Lively, known for her role in Gossip Girl and her recent work on It Ends With Us, has not yet responded to the criticism.

The controversy started when a fan on X (formerly Twitter) shared a quote from a 2012 Elle magazine interview with Lively. The aforementioned quote featured Lively discussing her hopes for future children, saying, "I hope to have a few girls one day. If not girls, they better be trannies. Because I have some amazing shoes and bags and stories that need to be appreciated." The term "tranny" has since become widely recognized as offensive and derogatory to transgender people.

The fan's post quickly spread, with many users expressing disappointment and frustration with Lively's use of the term. One user commented, “You just blew up the whole smear campaign with this one,” and another added, "Not Lady Deadpool…"

Despite the backlash, some users were more forgiving, admitting that the term was more commonly used in the past but recognizing that Lively could have expressed herself differently.

This isn't the first time Lively has mentioned the term publicly. In a 2009 interview with Allure, she talked about her insecurities on the set of Gossip Girl, saying, "I feel like a tranny a lot of the time. I don’t know, I’m… large? They put me in six-inch heels, and I tower over every man."

She went on, "I’ve got this long hair and lots of clothes and makeup on. I just feel really big a lot of the time, and I’m surrounded by a lot of tiny people. I feel like a man sometimes."

In a 2008 interview with Nylon, Lively made a similar remark while discussing rumors of a feud with her Gossip Girl co-star Leighton Meester. She dismissed the gossip, saying, "You read the gossip magazines and everybody is dating everyone, everybody hates everyone, everybody’s had tons of plastic surgery and we’re actually men and trannies. You don’t listen to the rumors."

These resurfaced interviews have reignited debates about celebrities' language and how societal norms and sensitivities change over time. Fans and critics alike are debating whether Lively should be held accountable for remarks made more than a decade ago, or if the context of the time should be considered.

The reactions to Lively's previous comments have been mixed, with some defending her and others criticizing her language. One fan wrote, “I’m actually not mad at this at all. The word was thrown around a lot back in the day. If it was said today it would be problematic, but nothing is wrong with wishing for a trans child.”

Another user echoed this sentiment but acknowledged the need for better phrasing: “I get what she was trying to say because someone better appreciate all that Vintage Versace she has. But she could’ve used different wording.”

This controversy occurs at a time when Lively is already under fire for her behavior on the set of It Ends With Us, a film she has been heavily promoting. Reports of an alleged feud with co-star and director Justin Baldoni have surfaced, as have criticisms of her focus on her fashion and new haircare line, Blake Brown Beauty, rather than the film's themes of domestic violence.

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