Popular Twitch mega streamer Imane "Pokimane" Anys was recently criticized by critics online after making a joke about kidnapping a child in apparent poor taste. While many fans acknowledged that the Twitch star was only joking, others continued to slam her, calling her "super f**ked up."
The backlash began during Pokimane's 10th December Twitch livestream, in which she described to her viewers how she knows she is a woman in her twenties.
Pokimane hit with backlash after "steal your child" joke
"When I go outside to the mall or walking down the street, and I see a little kid, and I look at them, and they look at me, and they look so damn cute. And their cheeks are nice and round and supple. And they’re so little, and they’re wearing little people clothes! Like, you know when the clothes are little, and it’s so f**king cute," Pokimane explained.
Pokimane continued, saying, "And I'm looking at them and they're looking at me, and they're looking like the PeepoWow with the big eyes and I'm like, your little body and your little clothes on your little body but your big cheeks; the cheeks are too big for the little body."
"And then I look at the parents, and the parents aren't looking, and I'm like, it would be so easy to steal your child right now. It would just be so easy," Pokimane joked.
Pokimane then added, "I would just scoop them up into my arms, where they would hug me, and I know that they would love me [...] that's how I know. But, legit, my hormones take over my brain somehow. It's crazy."
While Pokimane intended to highlight how adorably cute small children are, some fans interpreted an obvious joke as a genuine thought that she wanted to steal the kid.
you know you're super fucked up when even your twitch chat unanimously agrees that this is messed up
— Araraura (@Araraura1) December 11, 2021
While many users on Twitter expressed their concern regarding what Pokimane said, others defended her, arguing that she didn't mean what she said literally and that critics were trying to find an excuse to hate on her.
"Saying 'I'm gonna eat you up' to a child is not vore [...] It's pretty normal for older people to say that. Why is she getting so much hate for loving that a child is cute? People need to stop finding excuses to hate people," a Twitter user said.
Pokimane has not addressed the criticism at the time of writing. However, we'll be sure to update you regarding any further developments.
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Featured image courtesy of Twitch / Pokimane & Unsplash.
