Madison Beer apologises for "romanticising" controversial novel Lolita

17 June 2020, 12:42

Madison Beer says controversial novel Lolita is her favourite book

By Jazmin Duribe

Lolita centres around the life of an older man who is infatuated with a pre-teen girl.

Madison Beer has apologised for "romanticising" the novel Lolita, the story of a middle-aged professor who becomes obsessed with a 12-year-old girl and eventually enters a sexual relationship with her after becoming her stepfather.

On Saturday (June 13), Madison hopped on Instagram Live for a Q&A. The singer told fans that her favourite book was Vladimir Nabokov's controversial 1955 novel after a fan commented, "PLEASE TELL ME YOU DON'T ROMANTICIZE LOLITA." She replied: "I definitely do. But we're not gonna talk about that." The clip was shared on Twitter, leading people to accuse Madison of essentially "romanticising" paedophilia.

READ MORE: Madison Beer says she won't be 'shamed' over her leaked nudes

Soon the hashtag #MadisonBeerIsOverParty was trending on Twitter.

Madison then decided to address her initial comments about Lolita in a series of tweets, which have now been deleted.

"People have their own interpretations. i didn't write it. i just like it and don't see it in the way others might," she wrote in response to a tweet requesting "an explanation" for her comments. "I've always known it's a controversial book... but i've always said it's my favorite. because i just like the story.. i like dark stories... always have."

In reply to another tweet calling her comments "unacceptable", she said: "I have always said Lolita was my favorite book because it's controversial.. it raises awareness and tells a story from a different POV on an important topic which is why i love it. i was not saying i condone or romanticize a pedophilic relationship. i just like the book."

Madison later admitted that she "misspoke" and apologised. She tweeted: "I love u guys & i’m sorry. i misspoke and would never condone innaproproate relationships of any kind. i’m sincerely sorry for it seeming like i do. let me make it clear - i do not. have a good night.

"yes and i need to b mindful of other people’s experiences and i apologize sincerely. i’d never want to hurt anyone [sic]."

She followed up her initial apology with a notes app apology, again recognising that her comments were problematic.

"Hi guys. I've thought about last night and I think I was too flippant in my answers and you deserve much more than that," she wrote. "i discovered that book several years ago and honestly i really should revisit it and read it through a new lens.

"After thinking about how the book is perceived amongst critics and how it remains a compelling pieces of work despite its controversies, I thinking I have allowed that to colour how I have viewed it up until this point.

"I have a responsibility to you all and I thank you for being there for me even for the tough conversations. i see now that the book is very triggering for some people, evoking a very complicated emotional response, & that for some this book is not just an academic exploration of complicated themes and dark characters.

She continued: "I hope as I learn and mature and have time to study the things I love like books, films and art, that I can do better in bringing them to you responsibly and will be better able to express myself."