Days after skirmishing with Destiny’s Child alum Kelly Rowland on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, a security officer was scorned by the internet for her treatment of a K-pop star—marking her third uncomfortable run-in with a celebrity so far.
Rowland went viral for pointing her finger at the guard during their encounter last week. She later explained that she felt she had been mistreated and shooed off the red carpet because of her race.
“The woman knows what happened. I know what happened,” Rowland said. “I have a boundary, and I stand by those boundaries. And that is it.”
“There were other women that attended the carpet who did not quite look like me, and they didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off,” she added. “And I stood my ground, and she felt like she had to stand hers. But I stood my ground, and that was it.”
Soon after, the same security guard, who has not been identified by name, visibly irritated Dominican actress Massiel Taveras, seemingly by trying to move her forward along the carpet. Taveras reacted by pushing the guard away.
Then, over the weekend, the guard put up an arm and blocked K-pop star turned actress Yoona, who had turned to greet her fans. The incident was somewhat less dramatic, as Yoona did not react visibly, but still attracted negative attention for the guard’s rough tactics, and because all three celebrities she tussled with are women of color.
