Before It Ends With Us premiered, Blake Lively was one of the most beloved celebrities. Ever-lovely, charming, and extremely funny, Lively often received praise for styling herself and became the official Met Gala queen. Now, it has completely backfired.
It Ends With Us gave Blake Lively a rare opportunity to be famous for more than her love-to-hate fashionista role of Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl. Lively has been in the entertainment industry for over two decades, but she has yet to prove her acting skills and range, and the drama could’ve been the perfect opportunity. However, it all went crashing down shortly after the premiere.
Amid rumors of a creative clash with the film director Justin Baldoni and the lack of acknowledgment toward the film’s domestic violence themes, you’d think It Ends With Us‘ press tour couldn’t get any worse. However, you’d be deeply, deeply mistaken, because here we go again.
Blake Lively’s love for wardrobe styling didn’t get much praise on It Ends With Us
Blake Lively’s entire marketing scheme for It Ends With Us was deemed problematic, with her encouraging women to “grab your friends and wear your florals,” framing the movie more like a romantic comedy instead of a drama about a complex, serious, and potentially re-traumatizing topic. Lively was very outspoken about her involvement in “every aspect” of the film, and was recently called out by fellow actress Alexa Nikolas for using a song from her abuser, Canadian musician Michael Milosh. Lively was involved in picking the music for the film, as well as the wardrobe.
Lively used to receive praise for her styling and she was very open about using her own clothes in the film, which often clashed with the character she was portraying. Lily Bloom is a florist who just started her own business, yet Lively rocked her own Christian Louboutin boots and other wildly expensive luxury pieces. Now, a new video by anna.in.barcelona on TikTok is going viral for Lively’s decision to use a problematic brand — Magnolia Pearl.
The brand, which uses the “poverty core” aesthetic, released a tone-deaf collection called “Plantation” in 2012, and its name says everything. Recalling the backlash Lively and Ryan Reynolds got after having their wedding at a plantation site called Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens, promoting Magnolia Pearl makes the Instagram apology they released at the time seem insincere and even more problematic.
Fans in the comments shared their disappointment in her brand choice, noting “I was stunned she chose Magnolia Pearl,” with another writing, “the way my mouth dropped open when it got to the middle of the video…..” Another person chipped in, “I honestly did not think this whole situation could get worse. Wow.”
Even before the film premiered, It Ends With Us received backlash for the weird choice of outfits, but no one knew it would get this far. Lively has remained quiet amid the backlash, but it’s bewildering to see all the mishaps It Ends With Us endured so far. And here we wonder, can it get any worse?