For those of you who are unaware of the recent situation regarding “vine star” Carter Reynolds, here's an update. Last October, Reynolds, 19, pressures his then 16-year-old girlfriend, Maggie Lindemann, who appeared intoxicated, to participate in sexual acts on video. The video leaked about a month ago and the responses were angry. Many feminists, YouTubers and other Viners tried to speak to Carter about what he had done, but he was extremely ignorant to all parties. Before Reynolds could rescue himself, fans were defending him, and victim-blaming his ex-girlfriend for the events that took place in the video.
Fans were convinced nothing was wrong with the video, that Lindemann shouldn’t have been intoxicated, that it was okay because the two were in a relationship. The disgusting comments filled social media until Reynolds ultimately posted an “apology” that was far from sincere, using his relationship with the minor as a shield:
Carter Reynolds faced harsh backlash and reactions from social media, all well deserved. Since the video leaked, Reynolds has posted subtweets, and relentlessly bashed his ex-girlfriend online.
As this went on, Reynolds' tweets became a call for pity, and Reynolds was manipulating his 2.3 million followers on Twitter. On July 18, 2015, Reynolds went on a rampage of pity-like tweets about how much he cared about a particular someone, and eventually just mentioned Lindemann, saying that he cares and still loves her. Though, he ultimately deleted that tweet.
The next morning, many Carter Reynolds fans began to harass Lindemann, as she stated on her twitter account Reynolds was doing it all to make himself "look good," and he had recently told her he was going to ruin her life. She replied to many tweets, which are now deleted, but you can probably find on twitter. Quickly notified, Reynolds started a YouNow (live video broadcast) in which he told his thousands of fans about his ex-girlfriend's past sexual life. He also stated she OWES him respect because he “made” her. Near the end of this YouNow he got a text from Lindemann saying that she’d called the cops on him. He received a call, muted his fans, and began to cry. He soon ended the YouNow by saying he “heard something he didn’t want to hear.”
After being accused to be the reason behind the suicide attempt that sent his ex-girlfriend to the hospital, Reynolds then tweeted tweeted:
Reynolds soon after began to tweet to his 2.3 million followers that he too, wanted to kill himself:
Keep in mind, one of the key signs in an abusive relationship is threatening suicide once you have been confronted about your abuse. This man, Carter Reynolds, needs help.
Let this be a message to all men on social media who hold a place of power over young women. These actions are not respectable. In Reynolds situation, he has fully convinced his "fan base" into thinking that what he is doing is “love.” Love is not harassment, love is not pressuring and manipulating. Each and every girl who looks up to Carter Reynolds are now convinced this is another scenario of “boys will be boys.” Each and every girl who looks up to Carter Reynolds is now convinced that there is always a way to blame the victim in any form of sexual abuse. If a girl is drinking too much, dating someone, or dressed a certain way, she is asking for a man to abuse her. If any of these Carter Reynolds fans finds them in a situation of sexual harassment, it is likely that they will blame themselves, too. These young girls look up to these men, though it may seem ridiculous, some of these social media stars have made girls happy, given them something to bond over with other girls, to look forward too. And this responsibility is usually abused and ruined by men who don’t care about the people who cherish them. You can only feel sorry, and try to help those who have been manipulated.
Carter Reynolds refuses to take a hold of the situation. His tweets on social media are filled with victim-blaming, sexist slurs, and arrogant comments. He encourages young girls to pity him and victim-blame, and you can see that through the tweets he favorites. The truth of all of this is, beware of these manipulative internet figures, some use their popularity for harm, instead of good. They can be toxic, empty and disgusting. Stay safe at all costs, and protect young girls from believing that these toxic relationships are okay.
