JT Of City Girls Responded After Being Mocked Over Her Campaign Photos For Beats By Dre

JT of the City Girls promoted her recent brand collaboration with Beats by Dre, but it was met with mixed reactions and wild accusations.

A closeup of JT at an event wearing a strapless outfit and a headpiece
Prince Williams / WireImage / Getty Images

JT modeled for Beats by Dre's latest collaboration with Nigerian fashion designer Mowalola. JT debuted the photos on Monday, and it garnered a lot of attention online.

JT is seen sporting a colorful bob with blunt bangs and flawless makeup. So what caused all the commotion around the ads? The poses.

Closeup of JT onstage
Omar Vega / Getty Images

In the photos, the "Act Bad" rapper has one visible eye showing. One shot shows JT with the headphones covering one eye, while another photo shows a profile shot of the artist.

JT onstage pointing to the audience
Prince Williams / WireImage / Getty Images

People online immediately accused JT of "selling her soul to the devil" once they saw the pose. Conspiracy theories about celebrities linked to the illuminati have been around for centuries, and one common symbol people link to the illuminati is the eye — both the evil eye and the eye of providence.

An eye on a pyramid on a US bill
Godong / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Here's what some people had to say:

"they got her y'all...It's not a coincidence if all the celebrities are doing the same one eye symbol!!! wake up n stop being idiots"
"One eye symbolism. Pure Illuminati trash"
"City girls down 1,000,000 points for this one JT"
"Blink twice if the Illuminati made you do it"
"She done went from City girl to scary girl that don't look right"

Others were supportive of the creative take in the ads and applauded JT for stepping outside of the box:

"Anyway I'm here for the creative direction and the different looks you've been giving"
Keke Palmer left a heart eyes emoji
  JT / instagram.com
"Gorg"
"the theme is supposed to look futuristic."

Twitter: @ThegirlJT

Well, JT noticed the discussions happening in her comments so she addressed them head-on. She emphasized how proud she was of this campaign and that she really wanted people who look like her and people who come from environments like hers to know that they can do artistic things like this shoot — they don't have to put themselves in a box.

Hugo Comte / instagram.com  Twitter: @ThegirlJT

"Campaigns are not just for people who look a certain type of way," JT said earlier on her Instagram Live. "Just because I'm from where I'm from, doesn't mean I need to be in Spandex and shark boots every day."

"I have IG baddie clothes for days, but I choose to step outside of the box because that's where the bag's at. When I was dressing like every other girl, the only people that approached me was Fashion Nova — shoutout to Fashion Nova, I don't have a problem with Fashion Nova."

Closeup of JT
Prince Williams / WireImage / Getty Images

The Miami native went on to discuss how a lot of people follow trends and shame those who don't dress like everyone else, especially if they're Black girls.

Closeup of JT
Prince Williams / WireImage / Getty Images

"When y'all see all these shoots — no, I didn't sell my soul. No, I'm not in the illuminati. No, no devil got me. I'm getting to the bag!"

"Y'all will never have any range, because you care too much about what other bitches think. I don't give a fuck about what y'all think — I'm going to do it for the hood bitches, the bitches that look like me, because we deserve to be on campaigns, too."

It's also been noted throughout history that beauty trends and fashion looks that are common in the Black community only become popular when a non-Black person wears them. They're otherwise deemed "ghetto," "trashy," or "ethnic" until a non-white person gives them a new name.

JT said she wants opportunities like this to come for everybody, not just to the women deemed "fashion girlies." She reiterated that your physical features, hometown, economic status, and personal interest shouldn't dictate the chances you're given.

Closeup of JT
Momodu Mansaray / Getty Images

Fans — including myself — agreed with a lot of the points she was making:

"People keep saying she's annoying blah blah blah."
"I appreciate the girls with range so much..."
"THAT'S attractive."
"I understood EVERY word she said!"

To listen to JT's full message, be sure to watch this full clip from her IG Live.

@ForThe_Gworls / TikTok