Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty Images
In response to some online backlash over her white beau, Aoki Lee Simmons is clapping back and letting critics know what time it is!
The entire situation unfolded back on Valentine’s Day, as Aoki shared a photo that showed her romantically straddling a man while posing beside a picturesque harp.
She notably didn’t tag her boo, though she did caption the post with a simple heart emoji.
After Aoki Lee Simmons shared her post, people instantly began chiming in. While many supported Aoki’s happiness, others expressed their disapproval over her cozying up with a white man.
Additionally, a quick scroll through the comment section shows that other people’s backlash is rooted in their speculation about him potentially being much older than Aoki.
Eventually, Aoki hopped on social media to acknowledge and shut down the online naysayers.
Through a now-expired Instagram Story upload, Simmons initially wrote that she wasn’t surprised by the backlash against her dating a white man, which she called “truly sad.”
In fact, she noted, “I knew the world was stuck in 1950 and would have some recessive [things] to say about something as simple as an interracial relationship.” Oop!
“I understand the public figure/you knew it was going to happen etc…argument. Sure I guess I knew the world was stuck in 1950 and would have some recessive [things] to say about something as simple as an interracial relationship….. Like that’s truly sad, especially from people of color, but it was expected.”
In another upload, the 20-year-old Harvard student expressed that the criticism is “genuinely so awful.” She also questioned, “How is any young person supposed to have a normal well-adjusted life if this is what happens?”
“It’s genuinely so awful. How is any young person supposed to have a normal well-adjusted life if this is what happens over a G*d*mn tagless Valentine’s Day post?!”
She continued. calling the critics “just horrendously bitter and racist.” However, she was sure to also thank those who keep her mentions “mostly positive.”
“And I had no idea because within my page it’s mild and mostly positive. (Thank you guys for that) but I guess outside of it the world, people I haven’t done anything to or harmed at all, are just horrendously bitter and racist.”
Aoki wrapped her message by noting that, while she’s “an open person,” she’ll have to reevaluate what she shares on Instagram.
“Anyway, I need to consider how/if I use this platform and what I share. Which sucks because I’m an open person but this can’t happen to people I care about.”
What do you think about Aoki Lee Simmons’ response to the online backlash?
