Facing mounting backlash, Elizabeth removed the offending image and uploaded a multi-minute response video. In her statement, she attempted to clarify how the image was produced, asserting that she never intended to appropriate anyone's identity. She claimed she had experimented with an external AI photo application, inputting a prompt alongside her own selfies to test conceptual aesthetics, and simply shared the software's output without realizing it was an exact modification of a real creator's existing photograph.
The apology fell flat for thousands of viewers. Critics on TikTok, Reddit, and X pointed out that modern image-to-image generators require direct input images or specific aesthetic references. Commentators noted that even if the app's internal pipeline scraped the Black creator's photograph without Elizabeth manually uploading it, sharing an image that clearly featured someone else's physical torso and styling without basic verification revealed a staggering lack of professional care.
Prominent digital creators pointed out the asymmetry in the defense. An influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers routinely profits from visual polish and brand curation. Pleading technical ignorance after profiting from an automated scrape of a Black woman's creative labor struck many as hollow. The Root characterized the response as a bizarre defense that dodged accountability, while commentators across social channels argued that claiming ignorance does not erase the real-world harm of digital erasure.
