Rihanna has called out Snapchat for featuring an ad that asked users if they’d rather slap her or punch her convicted abuser Chris Brown, saying the social media app “made a joke” out of domestic violence.
The musician took to Instagram to post a statement about the incident, telling Snapchat “all the women, children, and men that have been victims of DV in the past and especially the ones who haven’t made it out yet… you let us down!”
The ad, for a Would You Rather? question app, was initially called out by other Snapchat users for appearing to trivialise domestic violence by making fun of Brown’s horrific 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna.
Is it just me, or is this ad that popped up on my Snapchat extremely tone deaf? Like what were they thinking with this? pic.twitter.com/7kP9RHcgNG
— Royce Mann (@royceforatlanta) March 12, 2018
Snapchat apologised for its appearance on the app, saying it was approved “in error” and that it was deleted as soon as it was brought to their attention.
A spokesperson also provided a further apology to The New York Times, saying “We are so sorry we made the terrible mistake of allowing it through our review process.
“We are investigating how that happened so that we can make sure it never happens again.”
The paper also reports stock prices of Snapchat’s parent company Snap, Inc. have fallen 4% since the ad was first criticised.
If you or someone you know is dealing with issues around sexual violence or domestic or family violence, you can call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732, Mensline on 1300 78 99 78, or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
If you are in distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
