Brittany Aldean Raises Head-Turning Complaint Amid Latest Controversy
The following article contains language and allegations of transphobia and discussions of homophobia, human trafficking, and pedophilia.
Brittany Aldean, the wife of country music's Jason Aldean, has found herself in hot water with another country music star, "The Middle" singer Maren Morris. The online feud between the two women has gotten pretty ugly, but Aldean has chosen not to back down amid allegations of transphobia due to comments that she made in an Instagram reel about her gender.
To recap, the feud began when Aldean shared an Instagram post (via Variety) with a caption that read, "I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life." In response, Morris clapped back, calling Aldean a "scumbag human" and telling her to "Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie."
Aldean doubled down on her controversial comments, reposting a quote from Republican figure Robby Starbuck, which reads, "If you are silent about your beliefs because you're worried someone will be offended, then your beliefs are not that important to you, but rather what people think about you is" (via Page Six). Now, Aldean is back and she's setting the record straight on previous comments.
Brittany Aldean says her comments were 'taken out of context'
Once again adding fuel to the fire, Brittany Aldean is back to defend herself against the accusations against her. "Per usual, my words have been taken out of context over the last week," Aldean wrote in the caption of her Instagram post, with the comment followed by an eye-rolling emoji. Curiously enough, Aldean does not provide any further information as to how exactly her words were misconstrued. However, she further added, "Instead of getting twisted about the twisting of my words, I've chosen to bring some good out of it" — promptly announcing the launch of her new Barbie-inspired clothing line with sister-in-law Kasi Rosa Wicks.
Complete with the slogan "Don't Tread On Our Kids," the brand will support Operation Light Shine. Operation Light Shine isn't an LGBTQ+-focused charity, but the website of the Nashville, Tennessee-based organization reveals that they "[use] a task force concept to unite organizations in the fight against human trafficking and child exploitation."
Importantly, it should be noted that child trafficking has been taken up as a cause by those against the LGBTQ+ community in the United States — usually related to far-right conspiracy theories such as QAnon, as described in articles from publications including The Atlantic and The Washington Post. Some members of the LGBTQ+ community have been targeted by accusations that they are "groomers" (or child predators), once a common line of homophobic rhetoric that has seen a resurgence online (via NPR).