‘Pretty Little Liars’ stars Ashley Benson apologizes for ‘Cecil the lion’ costume

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‘Pretty Little Liars’ stars Ashley Benson apologizes for ‘Cecil the lion’ costume
The original caption on an Instagram photo identifying her outfit as a 'Cecil the lion' costume is edited to refer to a regular lion costume. 'Yesterday’s post was in poor taste and I absolutely regret all of the hurt that photo caused,' says Ashley on Instagram

MANILA, Philippines – Pretty Little Liars actress Ashley Benson apologized for an Instagram post showing her in a controversial lion costume. 

“Yesterday’s post was in poor taste and I absolutely regret all of the hurt that photo caused. The caption that was posted was incorrect and my costume was not Cecil the Lion, when I saw that, I contacted my management who handled the post and had it immediately changed,” she posted on Instagram. 

“I recognize that I am responsible for everything posted on my social accounts and this was an unfortunate oversight. I am a supporter of Animal conservation and I will be donating all the proceeds of this deal to the World Wildlife Fund. I love you all and I apologize if I let you down.”

Here’s the apology:


 

Here’s the photo of Ashley in the lion outfit. 


 

Originally, the post below was captioned, according to numerous screenshots captured by social media users and media outlets: “Help! Can’t decide on my Halloween costume this year! What do you guys think of this cecil the lion costume?”

This drew strong reactions from many people who felt that referencing Cecil the lion was inappropriate and disrespectful. 

“No one is bashing her because she is dressed as a lion. She was mocking the death of him by saying it in her caption. Nothing about it should’ve been a joke. Think about it if it was your beloved pet. Many people loved that lion and was [sic] completely devastated when he was slaughtered and skinned alive,” wrote one user. 

“She was right to apologize. If I had seen the post I would’ve been offended. What happened to that lion was cruel and tragic. Yes, she was joking but a death of an animal is not funny. So thank you for that @itsashbenzo God bless you,” read one comment. 

“The joke was wrong because that was a horrible thing to happen to a beautiful animal, but she has apologized and is now donating to animal conservation. She’s said before that she has a dry sense of humor, we just have to choose what we think is funny and you don’t like a joke or its offensive lets not make a big deal out of it when she didn’t mean any harm by making a joke,” said another. 

Other commenters were more forgiving, and others said they didn’t see anything wrong with a lion costume. 

“Do people realize it’s simply a costume, nothing bad about it: she isn’t being disrespectful, she’s simply dressed as a lion, so if it’s okay for people to dress up as celebrities that have died. Why is it not okay to dress up as a f*cking lion?” said another user. 

“Though I’m not happy about the death of an innocent animal, it’s a Halloween costume. And it was a joke. It’d be different if she killed and took a photo with Cecil,” wrote another user. 

Following the uproar from social media users, the caption was changed simply to “Help! Can’t decide on my Halloween costume this year! What do you guys think of this lion costume?” 

Cecil the lion, who lived in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, was lured out of the park and shot with a bow and arrow by an American dentist Walter James Palmer last July. 

Cecil was a favorite of many international tourists and was tagged for scientific study by the Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. Cecil’s death was met with public outcry, with celebrities, including comedian Jimmy Kimmel, condemning Palmer’s hunting hobby. – Rappler.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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