adengutierrez.com

BORING NOT COM is an anonymous fashion news page on Instagram. They are known for their style, characterized by a green background with white text, and their cutthroat opinions. Boring has called out fashion houses like Balenciaga, Miu Miu, and Burberry for being boring. Followers of Boring on Instagram include Marc Jacobs, Alessia Glaviano (head of global PhotoVogue), Alexandra Hildreth (fashion news editor at ELLE), Lazaro Hernandez (new creative director of Loewe), and over 37k others. Boring has cemented itself as a name to watch in social-media fashion commentary. I followed Boring on Instagram earlier this year, impressed and hypnotized by the no-bullshit takes they share.

On July 24, Boring Not Com shared a post on Instagram in their signature style, reading “EVERY WAR IS A WAR ON CHILDREN.” The genocide occurring in Palestine, powered by Israel, is undeniable. Innocent men, women, and children alike are being murdered and starved; Gaza is enduring the “most documented genocide in history.” Right now, we can scroll through Instagram and see alternating posts of Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture looks and Palestinian children’s malnourished corpses. It is simply not enough to acknowledge that “wars are wars on children;” the atrocities occurring in Gaza are not byproducts of war, they are deliberate genocidal war crimes. With over 60,000 accounted deaths in Gaza, there is no room for ignorance. Neutrality is complicity.

Under Boring Not Com’s post, I commented, “such a disappointingly neutral statement. Free Palestine ❤️,” hoping to foster discussion or hear clarification from the account. Instead, less than three hours later, I received the following reply:

“YOUR EXISTENCE IS A DISAPPOINTMENT. WE DIDN’T POST FOR YOUR APPROVAL, AND WE’RE CERTAINLY NOT HERE TO CODDLE YOUR IGNORANCE. THE POST IS ABOUT CHILDREN SUFFERING IN WARS AROUND THE WORLD, PALESTINE IS ONE OF THEM, BUT FAR FROM THE ONLY ONE. TRY TO KEEP UP, YOU INSENSITIVE LITTLE SH*T 💚.”

In four sentences, Boring Not Com managed to insult me three times — impressive. Immediately, I smashed the “unfollow” button. Rage possessed me, not because I can’t handle the comment section attacks, but because Boring managed to frame the interaction as a hate comment, deflecting from the true issue at hand. They put more energy into using their voice to berate me than they ever have into advocating for the liberation and human rights of the Palestinians trapped in the West Bank. Their reply garnered twelve likes, compared to the thirty my original comment received. Others came to my defense. One user replied, “it’s not a war in Palestine, it’s a genocide,” to Boring’s reply to me, garnering twenty likes and a “💚” from Boring. I then, snarkily, replied, “looks like I hit a nerve,” earning yet another “💚.” The support from others in the comment section validated my feelings and helped me focus on the true goal at hand: freeing Palestine.

Boring Not Com, on the other hand, doubled down on their stance, posting my comment and their reply to their story. They then posted a handful of other comments and direct messages in support of them. One DM they shared to their story read, “Love you for speaking the truth some people can’t bear,” to which Boring replied:

“WELL, THEY BETTER WHEN IT COMES TO US, BECAUSE WE REFUSE TO BE CONTROLLED BY ANYONE. AND HAVE YOU NOTICED? IT’S ALWAYS THE ONES COMPLAINING THAT YOU’RE NOT DOING ENOUGH, WHO AREN’T DOING SH*T THEMSELVES 💚.”

I’m not sure if Boring Not Com was baiting me into sending a reply, but they got one anyway:

“‘refused to be controlled by anyone’ but refuses to call it a genocide. your complicity will be remembered. i am vocal and ‘doing shit’ my self, and i have been for years, donating, reading, sharing, protesting, and fostering community. not just for palestinians, but for latinxs, yemenis, queer folk, disabled folk, and anyone else under oppression and bewildering cruelty. its quite telling that when it comes to fashion, youre bold. when women children and innocent men are being slaughtered GRUESOMELLY and UNDESERVEDLY you shut your fucking mouth. stay uncomfortable.”

I was expecting to receive Boring Not Com’s signature green heart, but I’ve received no reply since. Tomorrow marks one week since I sent my final message, and over 91 Palestinians have been murdered near aid centers since yesterday.

So, to Boring Not Com and anyone else reading this:

ISRAEL IS COMMITTING A GENOCIDE ON THE INNOCENT CIVILIANS IN PALESTINE. IT IS NOT A “FAMINE,” GAZA IS BEING STARVED!!! FASHION IS INHERENTLY POLITICAL. IF YOUR OPINIONS ON FASHION ARE BOLD, BE BOLD FOR PALESTINE. DONATE WHEN YOU CAN, AND WHEN YOU CAN’T, SPEAK UP AND SPEAK OUT. NEUTRALITY IS COMPLICITIY, AND YOUR SILENCE WILL BE REMEMBERED. ❤️🖤🤍💚