[View the story "Beyoncé's publicist wants \"unflattering\" photos removed" on Storify ]Beyoncé's publicist wants "unflattering" photos removed Storified by CBC News Community · Wed, Feb 06 2013 15:08:32
Imgur
It may come as a shock to anyone familiar with Beyoncé's career that she of the flawless hair, skin, teeth and wardrobe ever looks anything less than perfect -- especially in photographs.
From the
makeup-free vacation pictures she posts on Tumblr to
candid paparazzo shots taken in the streets, Rarely is Queen Bey pictured with a hair out of place.
One might almost assume she's magically photogenic.
Beyoncé | I Ambeyonce
As it turns out, She's not. She simply has people for that.
Buzzfed
Within hours of posting a glowing review of the singer's half time performance at the Super Bowl, Buzzfeed's Lauren Yapalater received an email from Beyoncé's publicist.
The 33 Fiercest Moments From Beyoncé's Halftime ShowLast night's Beyoncé concert, I mean Super Bowl performance, proved beyONCE AGAIN that 2013 is year of the Bey. ..
Rather than remove the offending photos, Buzzfeed did what the viral content aggregator does best by republishing them in a post called "The "Unflattering" Photos Beyoncé's Publicist Doesn't Want You To See."
The "Unflattering" Photos Beyoncé's Publicist Doesn't Want You To SeeAfter Beyoncé's Super Bowl halftime show, we posted this piece about how fierce she was. Then this email came in. In what world are these...
All photos were taken by Ezra Shaw, an accredited photographer at the Super Bowl, and released through Getty Images.
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Beyonce's publicist apparently gets mad when the media doesn't act like her PR firm. http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedceleb/the-unflattering-photos-beyonces-publicist-doesnt-want-you-tAndrew Kaczynski
@BuzzFeedAndrew Thanks to #11, I now know what Beyonce looked like when she gave birth last yearThe D
Many are criticizing Beyoncé's PR team for failing to realize what kind of wrath she would incur by emailing Buzzfeed with such a request.
"The most obvious lesson from the whole thing is that if there's ever a picture up on the Internet that you don't want people to see, it's probably not the best strategy to go ahead and flag said photo for a blogger who makes her bones by creating viral listicles. (That would appear to be PR 101 in the online age.)" wrote Slate.com's Josh Voorhees.
Lindy West of Jezebel
agreed .
"Weird! It's almost as though she's a human being with muscles and a face!" she wrote about the photos in question. "Kewl idea, publicist lady! Then
no one will know the truth . About Bey having a face.
Breaking: Beyonce Is a Human Being, Looks Like a Total Weirdo SometimesI know it's hard to believe (seriously), but Beyonce Knowles does not, in fact, look like a luminous sun-kissed angel 24/7. Particularly ...
Twitter agreed.
Beyonce's publicist is an idiot. Asking a blogger to remove "unflattering photos" is like throwing gasoline on a Beltainne bonfire.Angela Rynan Durrell
Like #POTUS asking gun pic not be photoshopped, Beyonce publicist asks for trouble #StreisandEffect http://tinyurl.com/abk99yf H/T @Tweet4PedroJohn Fitzpatrick
What a stupid thing for a publicist to do MT @BuzzFeedCeleb: The Photos Beyonce's Publicist Doesn't Want You To See http://bzfd.it/12qTPrrMonica Potts
People are standing behind Buzzfeed for not removing their "unflattering" Beyonce photos per her publicist's request. FINALLY, ACTIVISM.Andy Atterbury
Others are pointing out the ridiculousness of the request. Surely, the woman whose alter-ego is named Sasha Fierce can be pictured looking a little wild from time-to-time.
Not unflattering; just SUPER FIERCE! The "Unflattering" Photos Beyoncé's Publicist Doesn't Want You To See http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedceleb/the-unflattering-photos-beyonces-publicist-doesnt-want-you-t @BuzzFeedAshley S. Westerman
Yvette be crazy! #fierce - The "Unflattering" Photos Beyoncé's Publicist Doesn't Want You To See http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedceleb/the-unflattering-photos-beyonces-publicist-doesnt-want-you-t via @BuzzFeedCelebJonathan Holmes
So Beyonce wants this pic of hers removed coz it's unflattering.. She looks super strong qha http://pic.twitter.com/ahkpfuXNXoli Khumalo
Also, I think Beyonce looks mighty fierce in those "unflattering" pics. Isn't that exactly what she was going for?Julie Zeronda
Beyonce looks ferosh. http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedceleb/the-unflattering-photos-beyonces-publicist-doesnt-want-you-talexeivee
What are your thoughts? Are the photos Sasha TOO Fierce? Should Gawker have simply let the email go instead of publishing it?
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