(By Lil Nas X-ification, I mean the production of blood-infused stuff.)
Six months after Lil Nas X’s controversial blood shoes, Tony Hawk is the next famous person to sell something mixed with his blood.
Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk recently announced his collaboration with Liquid Death, a canned water company known for their tagline “Murder Your Thirst”. To promote his partnership with Liquid Death and because he apparently “didn’t read the fine print” of his contract, Hawk will be selling limited-edition skateboards painted with his blood for $500.
Yup, you read that right.
Birdman gave 2 vials of his blood for these limited-edition skateboards—made from “100% the real Tony Hawk”, just as Liquid Death’s slogan reads. For Hawk, this blood-infused merchandise just brings the level of connection that he has with his fans to a “new level.”
Believe it or not, the 100 boards painted with Tony Hawk’s blood sold out in just 20 minutes.
These blood-infused skateboards come months after Lil Nas X’s blood shoes, which were released alongside his music video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”. Lil Nas X’s “modified Nike Air Max 97” blood kicks were made in collaboration with MSCHF, an art collective producing a wide range of artworks.
Upon its release, Lil Nas X’s shoes sold out in just a minute, and was met with a lot of criticism, condemnation, and backlash on social media, even from a governor.
In light of Tony Hawk’s blood-infused skateboards making rounds on the internet, people online were keen to compare the reception received by Tony Hawk and Lil Nas X. Like, where’s that negative, “religion-based” condemning energy towards skateboards when people did it to some shoes, right?
https://twitter.com/electriicmayhem/status/1430285541023522817?s=20
Twitter watching Tony hawk uses blood to sell a product vs them when lil nas X did it on shoes pic.twitter.com/D3P4oUcaxA
— jw (@jwmedia12) August 25, 2021
Lil Nas X walked so Tony Hawk could skateboard pic.twitter.com/0JELoUf8Pj
— 🅱️aftDina (@DaftPina) August 24, 2021
I don’t hate Tony Hawk but the fact @LilNasX was condemned for putting a drop of blood in a shoe and Hawk is being praised for putting it on a board stinks of privilege https://t.co/tmpE4UrY5K
— Jay (@hibbsjay05) August 24, 2021
I love Tony Hawk, I think he's a cool dude and I have no problem with him creating skateboards with his blood in the paint.
That's metal af.
What I'm not cool with is the indifference from the people who got outraged when Lil Nas X put a drop of blood into some shoes.
— datfireprincess.bsky.social (@DatFirePrincess) August 25, 2021
https://twitter.com/TheyCallMeDark0/status/1430368012843032579?s=20
Lil Nas X even spoke out about the whole fiasco, saying “are y’all ready to admit y’all were never actually upset over the blood in the shoes? And maybe u were mad for some other reason?”
now that tony hawk has released skateboards with his blood painted on them, and there was no public outrage, are y’all ready to admit y’all were never actually upset over the blood in the shoes? and maybe u were mad for some other reason?
— ☆ (@LilNasX) August 25, 2021
So there we have it, folks. The “satanic panic” around blood doesn’t exist when someone fitting society’s standards, and only does when someone queer and out of the standard does it.
(But to be honest though, what’s with blood-infused things these days? Is it really cool to do or…I don’t know.)
