- Avengers: Infinity War finally hits theaters this Friday, April 27. As is custom in the movie business, the (truly gigantic) cast of heroes has been traveling around the world to advertise the film. One recurring detail from these press stops seems to be Anthony Mackie (Falcon) and Sebastian Stan (The Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes), getting paired together in an interview and proceeding to roast Tom Holland (Spider-Man) to within an inch of his life. This Monday, April 23, the trend continued:
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Demi Lovato's Backlash-Sparking Criticism Of Artist Who Drew Her As Mermaid Resurfaces—And Fans Have Flipped Their Perspective
Take a look at the exchange for yourself:
As far as Serbanescu was concerned, the issue wasn't beauty standards. It was anatomy meeting artistic logistics, with a little creative license thrown in. He defended his decisions in an interview with Seventeen.
Serbanescu explained the reasoning behind his creative choices:
"All I did to my drawing was modify some small elements. For example, I enlarged [their] breast just because I wanted [them] to lay on it and the posture of the body wasn't allowing it, therefore the only solution was making them bigger."
But Serbanescu wasn't just defending his artistic decisions. He was also frustrated that Lovato had commented on a fan account's repost rather than approaching him directly.
For the artist, that distinction mattered:
"I didn't expect that coming from [them] and I was kind of disappointed that they didn't even comment on my account but on someone's else without even letting me know."
Lovato, meanwhile, wasn't backing down.
While Serbanescu saw the illustration as artistic expression, the singer saw a more personal issue at play—whether she was expected to accept someone else's interpretation of her appearance without question.
Lovato made clear why she wasn't willing to let the criticism go unanswered:
"Sorry for saying anything at all. But it's equally offensive that someone would change my body because mine isn't good enough."
Serbanescu has continued sharing celebrity-inspired artwork, including an illustration of Adele that offers another look at his artistic style.
Take a look at Serbanescu's illustration of Adele:
The disagreement also divided entertainment coverage. While Bustle acknowledged Lovato's right to question how she was portrayed, Refinery29 took a more sympathetic approach to Serbanescu, treating the exchange as an unfortunate encounter between an artist and his subject.
Refinery29 offered a rather pointed takeaway from the controversy:
"He took a shot and he got shot down. Maybe he'll remember to watch out for mermaids. Sometimes, you sail straight into the rocks."
What makes the renewed conversation interesting isn't simply that people are revisiting an old celebrity controversy. It's what they're questioning about the original response. Some commenters are now asking why an artist's creative freedom seemed to matter more than the subject's right to have an opinion about her own portrayal.
Instagram commenter @jennifer_rae_design defended Lovato's right to question artwork depicting her:
"You’re allowed to be proud of your art. You also need to acknowledge that if you base your artwork off of a real human, they are allowed to have an opinion about it."
And that was hardly the only opinion making the rounds. The revived discussion brought out plenty of people eager to revisit the whole thing.
Here's how the conversation unfolded across social media:
@paige_loverde/Instagram
@iimarlieii/Instagram
@brainfreestv/Instagram
@meatloafmaggie/Instagram
@gretchen.m.goodell/Instagram
@patomaru/Instagram
@brianneleigh96/Instagram
@teo_ctinescu/Instagram
@calebscuriocabinet/Instagram
@rascallygoose49/Instagram
@melmarpur/Instagram
@myda.rkparadise/Instagram
There's also important context behind Lovato's reaction. The singer has spoken openly about her experiences with eating disorders and recovery, making body image a deeply personal subject rather than simply another celebrity controversy.
Lovato previously explained why discussing her struggles publicly became part of her recovery:
"I’ve been open about my struggles because part of my recovery includes being honest with myself and others, and I’m inspired to use my success as a platform to help others suffering."
And in a much more welcome blast from the past, Lovato recently reunited with Selena Gomez for a Rare Beauty collaboration.
The former Disney stars brought back some Princess Protection Program nostalgia for the "Still Making Each Other Blush" campaign, proving that not every trip down memory lane has to involve an internet argument.
Here's Lovato and Gomez bringing the nostalgia:
As for that mermaid controversy, the artwork hasn't changed, but the conversation surrounding it certainly has. And while the internet may never agree on everything, at least some people are finally considering whether Lovato deserved quite so much criticism in the first place.
Mom Goes Viral After Realizing She Spent Halloween Event With White Lips After Hilarious Mix-Up
In the comments, the mom indicated that her two-year-old was "stoked" by the wide variety of stickers, little toys, bubbles, and other trinkets that she received, and it was a safe event for children who couldn't have candy for medical and dietary reasons.
While touring the event, even Drue made out like a bandit, picking up a lip balm that she particularly liked from a medical group that was handing out personal and travel-sized items with their group's logo on the side.
The mom took her daughter to a sensory area that had been set up, and while her daughter was playing, she applied multiple coats of the lip balm to her lips, noting how comfortable, smooth, and hydrating it was.
In fact, she liked it so much that she went back to the medical group before they left and asked for a second one, since they had many of them left!
But when she returned to her car and looked in the mirror, she realized her lips were bright white.
Looking at the packaging again, she realized that the tube was double-sided, with sunscreen on one end and lip balm on the other. She'd accidentally applied the sunscreen to her lips instead of the balm!
You can watch the video here:
@Fellow TikTokers laughed along with @nataliemeansnice about the mix-up.
@nataliemeansnice/TikTok
@nataliemeansnice/TikTok
@nataliemeansnice/TikTok
@nataliemeansnice/TikTok
@nataliemeansnice/TikTok
@nataliemeansnice/TikTok
@nataliemeansnice/TikTok
@nataliemeansnice/TikTok
@nataliemeansnice/TikTok
@nataliemeansnice/TikTok
@nataliemeansnice/TikTok
This was such a silly little mistake that was totally harmless to everyone involved, making it totally hilarious!
There's a good chance that people around her thought that the mom had some kind of Halloween costume going on that they just didn't get, prompting them to not saying anything about her look.
At the very least, her lips were hydrated and protected!
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