Paris Jackson made her first ever appearance at the Melbourne Cup yesterday, though her decision to attend wasnโt without its controversy.
Paris was forced to defend herself for โrefusingโ to wear a custom dress, which never existed in the first place according to a statement from her publicist. She was criticised by some publications for โleaving the event earlyโ and accused of being a โdivaโ because she didnโt want to discuss her late father or her adolescent life.
Itโs safe to say Parisโs first Melbourne Cup was marked by tabloid mayhem and, all the while, she was going through an incredibly tough time.
A quick glance at her Instagram account would reveal that the young star was battling high emotions yesterday due to personal loss. Ahead of her appearance at the event, she shared a throwback photo with a group of friends on social media, revealing one of her close companions, Devin Freeman, had recently passed away.
โWhat a special person you were. Thank you for being there for me when i was going through shit with school, boys, life. you really always did know what to say to make me feel better, even when it was sometimes through a simple text message,โ she wrote. โHelping me sneak away from school to get chipotle n helping me with acting class work when you had your own shit to deal with. you were one of the kindest and most genuine kids i knew. and not to mention a hell of a great taste in country music.. i miss our hikes in malibu and our tickle wars. you were one of the good ones devin. youโll be greatly missed, by everyone that met and knew you. i know life wasnโt easy on you, and you didnโt deserve half the hell this trip was.. i hope youโre now filled with an abundance of love and light and all of the good feelings a soul could ever experience.โ
The star also tweeted about losing a friend on November 5th, writing: โwhy the fuck do people keep dying?โ
Weโre sending love to the young star as she copes with this tragic loss, and commend her on her professionalism despite going through this heartbreaking time.
Itโs worth noting that even if she wasnโt going through such a huge ordeal right now, there is no reasonable excuse for her treatment in these offensive headlines. Being labelled as โWacko Jacko 2.0โ for enjoying her time in Australia as best she could, is precisely why she would have wanted to avoid discussion of her personal life.
Paris took time to single out this one headline, in fact, writing on Twitter โi couldnโt care less what they call me tbh but adding the โ2.0โ is their way of dragging my father into it and THAT i will not stand for.โ
We hope Paris is able to find some enjoyment in her time in Australia, despite the backlash to her Melbourne Cup appearance.
This article originally appeared on InStyle.
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