Perez Hilton Uses Video from Lafayette Mardi Gras Parade to Make Drag Queen Comparison
Perez Hilton posted a video clip from a Lafayette Mardi Gras, but it had nothing to do with beads, chasing chickens, or highlighting the cultural celebration.
Perez Hilton, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., is a blogger and media personality known for his celebrity gossip website PerezHilton.com.
Pause. I'm totally realizing that half of the people reading this may be asking, "Who is Perez Hilton?" while the other half may be wondering, "What ever happened to Perez Hilton?"
Perez Hilton gained a significant following in the mid-2000s for his controversial and often snarky commentary on celebrity news and culture.
In recent years, Perez Hilton has remained active on social media and continued to work as a blogger and media personality. However, he has faced criticism for some of his past behavior, including his use of derogatory language and his involvement in celebrity feuds.
In more recent times, Perez Hilton has attempted to change his image and has expressed regret for some of his past actions. He has also focused more on his personal life, including his experiences as a father, and has used his platform to advocate for issues such as LGBTQ rights and mental health awareness.
This brings us to a clip that he recently featured on his social platforms using video footage from Lafayette videographer John Weatherall's Lafayette Mardi Gras recap.
Weatherall's video recaps are some of the most sought-after content during the Mardi Gras season due to the way he captures the essence of our carnival culture from the big cities to the small towns.
While Weatherall's content captures people cutting loose, dancing, having fun, and the overall 'Laissez-les-bon-Temps-rouler' vibe of the riders and paradegoers, it would be a stretch to describe any of his footage as "raunchy" or "inappropriate"—especially when viewing it through the lens of Mardi Gras.
As a matter of fact, people from around the world express their desire to visit south Louisiana after seeing how much fun people are having in Weatherall's video recaps.
In a recent recap from this year's Lafayette Independent Parade, Perez Hilton didn't see anything fun or jubilant. Instead, he saw an opportunity to use the clip as a platform to slam the assumed hypocrisy of people who allow their kids to attend Mardi Gras parades.
Hilton said that he found it "ironic" that "parents who complain that drag queens are corrupting children are oftentimes the same parents who take their kids to Mardi Gras where all sorts of craziness happens."
It's no coincidence that he used a video of a kid wearing some type of neon bra over his t-shirt while jumping the barricade to jig at a parade to drive home his point, but is it a valid one?
There were many who agreed with Hilton's acknowledgment of the hypocrisy, but also lots of other people who told him the comparison wasn't valid.
One commenter said that anyone who saw hypocrisy was reading too much into a kid "just having fun" at Mardi Gras.
Other commenters weren't happy that the message being sent by Perez seemed "lumped in" parents who don't complain about drag queens or drag queen content with the ones who do.
A lot of locals naturally tried to explain that what Hilton was using to make his comparison wasn't the "craziness" or debauchery that most people envision when they think of Mardi Gras.
One commenter said that it's more likely that the parents who allow their kids to attend and participate in this type of Mardi Gras revelry are likely the type of parents who support dressing in drag for fun and entertainment purposes.
While Perez saw an opportunity for juxtaposition, some only saw a kid "living his best life."
Others were simply confused about what they were watching; a comment that is commonly seen from those outside of town when viewing viral videos that feature Mardi Gras parades and celebrations.
For what it's worth, the video has racked up nearly 10x the number of views that Perez Hilton's videos normally get, but does he make a valid point?
Is he correct when it comes to the hypocrisy or is this particular comparison a reach?
Sound off in the comments and let me know where you stand and if we gained anything today, it's that you now know who Perez Hilton is and what he's been up to for all these years.
I know I did.