The Beyhive may have taken their love for Queen Bey a little too far.
During the star’s performance at the Tidal X: 1015 concert in Brooklyn on Saturday night, Beyoncé’s earring apparently caught on her braid and got ripped out, leaving her ear bleeding on stage. Of course, she continued to perform as if nothing had happened.
Bey noticed her bleeding earlobe while she was singing her song “Haunted.”
In response, a few members of the Beyhive reportedly started cutting their ears in solidarity with Bey, sharing photos and messages with the hashtags #CutForBeyonce and #BleedForBeyonce on social media.
Some of the images on social media are pretty graphic ― don’t say we didn’t warn you ― though it’s tough to say whether or not they’re real. (We hope they aren’t.) Some people sharing the hashtags may also just be trolls with too much time on their hands. Either way, the whole message is concerning, and if anyone is planning on cutting their ear for Beyoncé, please don’t.
Of course, plenty of folks have spoken out about the so-called movement, calling it “stupid” and “outrageous.” One Twitter user also noted that self-harm is a serious issue that should not be turned into a joke.
Self-harm or the desire to self-harm is not uncommon, especially among teens and young adults, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. While one common method is cutting yourself with a knife, it can also include burning yourself, pulling out hair, or another instance in which you hurt yourself on purpose. If this is what’s happening, get help.
As Yahoo pointed out, the #CutForBeyonce and #BleedForBeyonce hashtags have existed for a few years, with the former first appearing in 2014 and the latter in 2013, after Bey didn’t win an award she was nominated for.
A similar hashtag ― #CuttingForBieber ― popped up online in 2013 when Beliebers apparently started cutting themselves to encourage Justin Bieber to stop smoking weed. The whole thing turned out to be a disturbing hoax that stemmed from an even more disturbing 4chan joke set up to trick young fans into harming themselves.
This needs to stop. As Beyoncé herself said, “don’t hurt yourself.”