Photo: Tyson V. Rininger/Monterey Bay Aquarium
An attempt to be cool and create an instant meme went very wrong for California aquarium this week.
In aseparate tweet, the employee added: “#bodypawsitivity”
But it turns out the tweet wasn’t taken so “pawsitively” after all, when people began criticizing the aquarium for their insensitive remarks about the otter’s weight and, more seriously, as the slang in it is often used to referring to black women’s bodies, being racially insensitive.
Some criticized the aquarium saying that the tweet was cultural appropriation and was aligning the bodies of black women with the bodies of animals.
The Internet backlash prompted the aquarium to issue an apology one day later in afour-message thread.
“Hey everyone. It has come to our attention that some of the references in this tweet are problematic and insensitive,” they wrote on Wednesday. “We’re posting here in the thread so that people who have engaged with this tweet will join us in our learning moment.”
“If our tweet alienated you, please know that we are deeply sorry, and that we offer our sincerest apologies,” they continued. “If you follow our feed, we often reference popular memes to talk about the ocean. In this case, the memes used had connotations we were unaware of until now.”
“In particular, several terms referenced originated from African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and specifically reference Black women’s bodies. Using them in a sea otter meme without that background makes insinuations we never intended. We need to do better,” the aquarium added.
“Our mission is to inspire conservation of the ocean, and we’re thankful for your support as we try to advance that mission on social media,” they finished. “We’re also thankful for those of you out there pointing out our blindspots and how we can improve. Thanks everyone.”
“That’s not blubber or anything,” she told the paper. “It’s just the angle of her hips and the way she’s rolled. She’s one of our most photogenic animals.”
“We said, ‘Oh, my gosh, look at her!’ She’s not a big animal,” she added, touching upon the staff’s response to the viral photo.
RELATED VIDEO: These Adorable Otters Want You to Celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week
source: people.com
