The Disturbing Way Beyoncé Fans Are Showing Their Love

Last Saturday, while performing at the Tidal X charity concert, Beyoncé had an onstage mishap that resulted in a bleeding ear. Being the badass that she is, she shrugged it off and continued performing anyway, resulting in a pretty awesome moment. What's less awesome, however, is the way that some fans are paying tribute to Bey. Shortly after the performance, #CutForBeyonce and #BleedForBeyonce began trending on Twitter. We're excluding the most graphic tweets, but just so you get the idea:

Some Twitter users have come forward to assert that the hashtags are just a joke, but that's exactly why this trend is so problematic: Self-harm is never a joke.

Plus, the hashtags could encourage fans to actually cut themselves for Beyoncé, which is obviously dangerous. But it's also dangerous to joke about mental health and post photos of self-harm and cutting — even if they're fake. After all, people who have struggled with self-harm (this writer included) probably don't appreciate seeing their struggles glorified and joked about. And tweets like this — especially ones with photos — can be triggering for those who have gone through self-harm. We love Beyoncé, too. But when it comes to supporting her, she would probably appreciate your buying her album instead of cutting yourself (whether or not it's a joke or a simulation). In other words, please don't #CutForBeyonce — it's putting you and the people around you at risk. And Bey wouldn't want you to hurt yourself.

If you or someone you know is considering self-harm, please get help. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.