Alabama native Hannah Brown is in hot water again for showing racial insensitivity on social media.
The former “Bachelorette” star — who faced a backlash in May 2020 for saying the N-word in an Instagram Live video — recently deleted an Instagram photo that showed her wearing a Southern belle outfit.
The photo, taken in May 2013, showed Brown posing at a presentation ceremony for the Tuscaloosa Belles, a service organization for high school girls that’s linked to the Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society.
Dresses that evoke the Old South — with hoop skirts, pantalettes and petticoats — appear to be standard for Tuscaloosa Belles at the ceremony Brown attended in 2013, as well as for parades, the annual Dickens Downtown event in Northport and other public appearances.
Folks who support such costumes say they’re a nod to Southern traditions and heritage, and a way to preserve history. But critics say the outfits glorify the antebellum south and celebrate plantation culture while ignoring the horrors of slavery.
The photo of Brown as a Southern belle — and her deletion of it on Instagram — was pointed out by observers such as @TeaAndRoses21 on Twitter, amid a Bachelor Nation controversy about racism in the franchise and another Southern belle image.
Although Brown isn’t at the center of the current controversy, she’s become part of the aftermath. Here’s what’s been happening:
Rachael Kirkconnell, a contestant on “The Bachelor” this season, is among four women who remain on the show, hoping to forge a romantic relationship with Matt James. He’s the first Black lead on “The Bachelor” in the series’ history.
Kirkconnell, who’s white, made headlines earlier this month when photos emerged on Reddit, showing her in Southern belle garb at a plantation-themed fraternity formal in 2018. TikTok users also found evidence of the Georgia native liking social media posts with the Confederate flag and sharing QAnon conspiracy theories.
The controversy became more heated when “Bachelor” host Chris Harrison appeared on the show “Extra,” defending Kirkconnell in a conversation with Rachel Lindsay, a former “Bachelor” contestant and the first Black lead in “Bachelorette” history. Among other things, Harrison said Kirkconnell was a victim of the “woke police” and the plantation-themed formal she attended happened “a long time ago.”
During the “Extra” conversation, Lindsay said Kirkconnell’s presence in the Old South photos was “not a good look.”
“Rachel, is it a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021?” Harrison asked. Lindsay said, “It’s not a good look ever.”
Harrison’s interview with Lindsay provoked an intense backlash among “Bachelor” fans and prompted a #FireChrisHarrison hashtag on social media. In response, Harrison apologized twice, announcing in the second apology that he was stepping away from the show until further notice. He’s been the host of “The Bachelor” since the series made its debut in 2002.
“I have spent the last few days listening to the pain my words have caused, and I’m deeply remorseful,” Harrison wrote. “My ignorance did damage to my friends, colleagues and strangers alike. I have no one to blame but myself for what I said and the way I spoke. I set standards for myself, and have not met them. I feel that with every fiber of my being. Now, just as I taught my children to stand up, and to own their actions, I will do the same. By excusing historical racism, I defended it. I invoked the term ‘woke police,’ which is unacceptable. I am ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was so wrong.”
In the meantime, Kirkconnell released a statement on Instagram apologizing for her behavior and “truths that have come to light.”
“At one point, I didn’t realize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them,” Kirkconnell wrote. “They are not acceptable or okay in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist … I hope I can earn your forgiveness through my future actions.”
More fallout: After the contentious interview with Harrison, Lindsay said she will not be renewing her contract with “The Bachelor” franchise. She hosts a Bachelor Nation podcast and makes cameo appearances during some episodes in various seasons. Basically, Lindsay said she was frustrated with the show and tired of pushing to make it more racially inclusive.
“I’m exhausted. I have truly had enough,” Lindsay said on the Feb. 12 episode of her podcast for The Ringer, “Higher Learning” with Van Lathan.
And there’s more.
On Feb. 15, Lindsay and Lathan joined for an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit, answering questions from fans. During that discussion, one participant mentioned that Brown had pulled a Southern belle photo from her Instagram and asked, “Did she at least reach out to you? Thoughts on her ‘growing and learning’ since her apology last year?”
(Brown apologized twice for using the N-word in her 2020 video, with a brief written statement and an 18-minute video, both on Instagram.)
Lindsay replied: “Wait seriously? This is why actions speak louder than words. This is why we have uncomfortable conversation and this could have really been a big teaching moment. We can’t continue on a path of pretending things did not happen or running away from them. We do not ‘learn and grow’ from that.”
Lindsay also said Brown’s comments on the current “Bachelor” controversy — the one involving Kirkconnell and Harrison — “lacked substance.” Brown addressed the issue, more or less, on an Instagram Stories video posted on Feb. 12.
“I’ve been catching up and reading about everything that’s been going on in Bachelor Nation and Lord knows I’ve made mistakes,” Brown said. “But I have learned this past year if we want to move forward, we have to confront where we have fallen short. And it’s so important that we lift up and listen and value and encourage under represented voices. We just have to be better and while being accountable has helped me evolve so much, and I’m still not a perfect person but I do remain committed to the work. And I’m so humbled and truly grateful to be on this journey and could only hope that I encourage others to go on the journey as well.”
To date, Brown has remained silent about the Southern belle photo on her Instagram, and hasn’t explained why she deleted it.