Axl Rose Wants His “Fat” Photos Removed From the Internet
Celebrities are undoubtedly pretty concerned with their public images — and who can blame them? With millions of people analyzing their appearance on a daily basis, it can be hard not to feel the pressure to look perfect. As it turns out, even Axl Rose, a man whose rocker persona is built on being tough as nails, is self-conscious when it comes to his likeness. The Guns N’ Roses frontman has reportedly even gone so far as to try and scrub the Internet of unflattering images of himself.
Apparently, Rose recently approached Google requesting that the search giant ignore pictures that he claims violate copyright — and it just so happens that they’re not so cute. According to the Guardian, the photos are from a 2010 concert in which the now 54-year-old seems a bit heavier than usual, resulting in a slew of “fat Axl Rose” memes.
Unfortunately for Rose, pulling a snap from the Internet isn’t that simple. Web Sheriff, the Web privacy firm that the singer-songwriter has hired to represent him in the case, argues that the images are actually Rose’s own property. The claim states that all photographers were required to sign a release form before entering the 2010 concert, however, the photographer who captured the images, Boris Minkevich, doesn’t remember whether or not he signed a release.
Axl Rose Rocking out. (Getty Images)
While the very act of taking on a giant Internet company just to delete a few unpleasant pics might seem strange, it’s actually very common for celebrities to fight for photo rights on images they feel tarnish their reputation. Beyoncé’s publicist famously emailed BuzzFeed back in 2013 to remove “some unflattering photos” of the singer during her Super Bowl performance after the images were used for memes. Yet thanks to a lot of clever people congregated on the World Wide Web, memes these days come hand-in-hand with fame. Remember Kim Kardashian’s crying picture? It’s still circulating.
Similarly to Axl Rose and Beyoncé, many other celebrities take extreme interest into what images can be released by the media — although not because of their unsightly content. Lena Dunham recently took to Instagram to criticize Spanish magazine Tentaciones for retouching her legs. She later made a statement swearing off all digital manipulation for future covers.
Meghan Trainor also yanked her music video for “Me Too” when she felt that it didn’t correctly portray her body, saying, “They Photoshopped the crap out of me.”
Yet perhaps instead of taking legal action to remove all unflattering images, people should rethink what’s really bothering them. Memes can be cruel but there are plenty of other ways to fight against hate. For example, Wentworth Miller penned a powerful essay after being fat shamed, igniting a slew of body positive notes from supporters. Similarly, a teenager from Tacoma, Washington, clapped back at haters who hazed her for her acne, showing online bullies that this isn’t acceptable.
When celebrities succeed in suppressing less-than-perfect images from the Internet, they send a message to the public that there’s a “perfect” image everyone should fit into. It perpetuates the notion that only one form of beauty is worthy of our attention.
Which is simply untrue.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
