Lorde took a temporary hiatus from being pop music’s favorite wordsmith over the weekend when, in an interview with the Guardian, the 2…
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Lorde took a temporary hiatus from being pop music’s favorite wordsmith over the weekend when, in an interview with the Guardian, the 20-year-old singer-songwriter likened her friendship with Taylor Swift to having a friend with an autoimmune disease.
“It’s like having a friend with very specific allergies. There are certain places you can’ t go together. Certain things you can’ t do, » Lorde said, referring to Swift’s fame. « There are these different sets of considerations within the friendship. It’s like having a friend with an autoimmune disease.”
Lorde’s comments rankled a sizable chunk of her Twitter followers, who criticized her callousness and even pointed out that the statement reflected a certain level of ableism.
One particularly aggrieved fan condemned Lorde’s « ignorant analogy, » especially in light of fellow singer Selena Gomez’s public battle with lupus – which means that she is, in fact, a friend of Lorde’s with an autoimmune disease.
In addition to asking, « I wonder how [Selena Gomez] feels about this, » the tweet underscored the crudeness of Lorde’s faux pas with a screenshot of Buzzfeed’s coverage, which ranks lupus at a glaring No. 2 on a list of autoimmune diseases.
Responding to the Twitter user, Lorde admitted that she regretted her « insensitive » word choice, although she maintained that the comment was not directly aimed at Taylor Swift. Rather, her remarks were meant to cite the difficulties of sustaining a friendship with anyone of superstar fame.
