Johnny Depp Supporters Beg Amber Heard To Speak Out As Her Fans Launch A #CutForAmber Campaign
No one should be going that far for any celebrity.
Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com / Twitter Disclaimer: Discretion is advised as this article discusses self-harm and may be a trigger for vulnerable groups.
As Johnny Depp looks forward to the “next chapter” of his life after being “humbled” by the defamation verdict and Amber Heard’s disappointment is “beyond words,” there’s a much bleaker scene playing out among the cult-like fans that disagree with Depp’s win.
A new trend has popped up on Twitter in support of Heard and in disapproval of Depp, but while the message behind it may not be malicious, the lengths that people are willing to go to in order to express their objections are harmful and wrong.
Amber Heard’s fans started a “#CutForAmber” trend and Johnny Depp fans are begging her to condemn it.
“I went to hospital I was bleeding heavily and they asked me why did you do this? I proudly said for amber #IStandWithAmberHeard #cutforamber,” read one of the many tweets under the #CutForAmber hashtag.
While the image here is less graphic than a majority of the images on the trending page, it still sends a harmful message to those who are willing to do anything in order to express their distaste for Depp’s lawsuit win.
"#cutforamber you all will pay... justice will be served in one way or another #JailForJohnny #IStandWithAmberHeard," another wrote, this time sharing a photo of their bloodied arm.
After several days of jury deliberations, the jury found that Heard was guilty of defamation and owed Depp approximately $10.4 million in damages.
Heard herself expressed her disappointment in the verdict and plans to appeal the case, but it should be needless to say that her followers shouldn’t make this disappointment their own and harm themselves in order to show their “support.”
“Hey @realamberheard you should really discourage your supporters from self harm,” reads a tweet from a concerned Depp fan.
On the “r/JusticeForJohnnyDepp,” someone made a post asking for help in reporting this kind of behavior in order to remove its harmful message from the site.
Concerned fans on both sides rushed to condemn these tweets and provide any kind of assistance of advice for those who genuinely feel like they need to harm themselves because of the verdict.
“Self-harm isn’t healthy and shouldn’t be used as a protest method,” someone tweeted in regards to the trend. “If anyone feels the need to hurt themselves because of what is going on please talk to a parent, a friend or someone.”
While many Depp fans used this opportunity to slight Heard, some offered helpful ways to express their grief or help people feel better about the verdict.
Heard, of course, is not responsible for the dangerous campaign and it is not fair to place the onus for stopping it on her.
“This is for ANYONE that is considering #CutForAmber as an option. We will facetime you with the alpacas for free in exchange of you not going through with this,” read another tweet that included an image of five adorable alpacas.
Twitter's policy prohibits the “promotion” or “encouragement” of self-harm.
Users are allowed and encouraged to report any instances of someone sharing their intent to self-harm or encouragement of others to harm themselves.
Since its inception, the trend has largely been filled with people pleading with other Twitter users to report these instances, but some remain steadfast in this harmful approach, causing Depp fans to beg Heard to condemn the trend.
Neither Heard nor Depp have addressed the harmful trend.
If you or anyone you know is self-harming, depressed, contemplating suicide, or if you are concerned for someone else, here are some helpful resources:
Crisis Text Line — Text TALK to 741741
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (24 hours): 1-800-273-8255
Suicide Prevention Resource Center (for parents and teens)
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. He is a graduate of Rutgers University. Keep up with his rants about current events on Twitter.