Jennifer Lopez is facing backlash for announcing the launch of her new footwear collection just as the world adjusts to the novel coronavirus. COVID-19 may have made headlines for seeing the likes of Tom Hanks, NBA stars, and newly-announced sufferer Idris Elba confirm they’ve tested positive, but the virus that’s now risen to over 3,000 cases in the U.S. is also seeing millions of Americans (and worldwide citizens) adapt to mass shut-downs.
J.Lo updated her Instagram on Monday with the new drop announcement. The 50-year-old’s post was barely a few hours old before bringing in the eyebrow-raising comments.
Jennifer’s post delivered three photos. All showed the “Dinero” actress looking her usual flawless self as she posed in professionally-photographed images to promote what looks like a super-stylish shoe range.
Jen’s first image showed her seductively posing in a semi-sheer black dress with cut-out panels as she showed off heeled mules, with a quick swipe to the right going colorful as the Latina sizzled in a miniskirt with tan heels. The final image showed the star in leopard-print briefs with a matching jacket and shoes coordinating the ensemble.
The comments came in fast for this one. While the 1.3 million+ likes left in three hours definitely reflected a solid number of users digging the update, comments quickly receiving likes seemed out to question whether the timing was appropriate.
“Yes this is the time to look at the new fashion collections.. business are closing and people will not get paid for the next few weeks to come. Time to spend money !” one user wrote.
“I like Jlo but is this really a good time to be advertising your product?” a popular comment read.
Many comments seemed to come from users realizing that with unpaid leave or a need to beat the panic buyers, money is going to be tight these coming months.
“i can’t buy them when i’m on unpaid leave jennifer,” one fan replied.
“Great timing JLO,” another said.
“Imagine how decent it would’ve been if you just held on for at least just 2 more weeks” was another comment.
Not all responses were negative, though. Plenty of users turned out to tell Jen she looked fabulous – “Woww!!” one user said.
Jen’s post may have come as coronavirus continues to spike, but the star didn’t go as far as releasing merch centering around the virus, something that 36-year-old entrepreneur and ex to Kourtney Kardashian, Scott Disick has. The Talentless founder’s clothing line recently unveiled “PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS” hoodies that retail for $129.
Meanwhile, the stars testing positive for coronavirus continue to rise. Alongside Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, NBA players Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Christian Wood are all confirmed positive, as are “Bond” girl Olga Kurylenko and actor Idris Elba.