Okay. Deep breath. Folks, let's talk about Kelly Rowland and the situation at the Cannes Film Festival. While I'm bound to a degree of "neutrality," this is a world I'm very much qualified to talk about. It's going there, yes.
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It was very clear Kelly Rowland was trying to take photos and they were rushing her then that security guard stepped on her dress and Kelly tried to correct her nicely and the security guard decided to be rude and Kelly said ?Don?t talk to me like that? pic.twitter.com/cXnuXH6oZK
— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) May 21, 2024
So, there's the situation. Rowland goes up the steps, a security guard appears to step on her dress and rushes her, and an altercation ensues. The easy interpretation of this incident would be: "Celebrity has an unnecessary fit over her dress." There are even outlets that went as far as having lip readers try and decipher exactly what Rowland said to the security guard. But there's a lot of context here that we, the audience, didn't receive regarding the nuances and full scope of this moment.
It's interesting, too, that some felt the need to vilify Rowland. Truthfully, this is tiresomely reminiscent of other instances where celebrities of a certain tone aren't allowed to be anything but smiling, vacant, agreeable, comfortable avatars meant to perfectly and flawlessly represent their community. Funny how that double-edged sword tends to swing.
Kelly Rowland's Cannes Film Festival Moment And What It Means
In the interest of fairness, we'll dig into two opposite sides of the argument.
Do you understand how out of pocket you have to be for Kelly Rowland to have to check you?!
Literally, one of the sweetest people in the world, but don't get it twisted.
What yall think she said? I think she said, "Don't talk to me like that... I'm not a child." pic.twitter.com/jpWNpdGSGV
— Mílagro (@MobzWorld) May 21, 2024
First off, Kelly Rowland has been around the block for quite some time. How often has she had moments like this? Rarely. Rowland is a musical marvel, that's true. However, she's also a philanthropist who has given, and given, and given back to the community. You think anyone angry at Rowland or casting her in a bad light talked about that? Likely not.
Just because you're in an expensive dress, doesn't mean you have class. Quite the contrary in her case.
— Ankush sharma (@Aku_700) May 22, 2024
Speaking personally, I know exactly what it's like to enter a "professional" environment on the back foot. You're not allowed to be angry -- regardless of how valid your outrage is -- and you aren't allowed to speak out of turn of the majority. Basically, being your authentic self as someone of a certain tone is a minefield. Once you react in a way that makes people "uncomfortable," there's scant grace given to you. You're done. Fired. Disgraced. Minimized. Hard to work with. Aggressive.
Ultimately, that moment will define you regardless of anything else you've done or accomplished. In Rowland's case, many people understood and stood by her! And honestly? That's how it should be!
