Not everyone is a fan of Michael Bublé’s cheekiness.
The singer is under fire on social media after sharing a photo on Instagram this week. The photo shows Bublé standing near what appears to be a reception desk in a building’s lobby. In the background, with her back to the camera, is an unidentified woman wearing a pair of revealing black shorts. Bublé’s caption reads: “There was something about this photo lu took ,that seemed worthy of instagram. #myhumps #babygotback #hungryshorts #onlyinmiami #picoftheday #beautifulbum”
(People magazine notes that “Lu” may refer to Bublé’s wife, Luisana Lopilato.)
Instagram and Twitter users began commenting on Bublé’s post, with some accusing him of male-gaze sexism (“You think it’s fine to post this specifically to reference a woman’s ass without her knowing anything of it?”) and others arguing that the woman was inviting attention by wearing the shorts (“Everyone is mad at @michaelbuble for posting this but does anyone think that this girl should think more about how she presents herself in public, hmmm?”).
Refinery29’s Elizabeth Kiefer makes the case for why it’s a problem to post a photo of someone without their consent, especially if a) you’re famous and b) your aim is to objectify a woman’s body.
Snapping a clandestine photo of a woman you don’t know in a public place and sharing it with the million people tuned into your Instagram account — even if you are being complimentary — is messed up. It boils a person down to their most diminished and least important form: what they look like. It’s sexist and creepy. And, women of the world, including the ones with ample bottoms in bike shorts, deserve better than that.
A representative for Bublé was not immediately available for further comment.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
