Cara Delevingne loved Beyoncé's set — but 'still wouldn't go' to Coachella. Here's why.
So. There's this musical artist named Beyoncé. (Maybe you've heard of her?) And she just changed everything.
OK, changed everything might be dramatic. But she did make history.
Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella.
Beyoncé became the first black woman to headline Coachella — a massive, two-weekend musical festival in the dusty, dry desert of Indio, California.
And people were loving her nearly two-hour set.
Okay, so Beyoncé is an undeniable force. 20 years in the game and still fresh and captivating. Brilliant. #Beychella— B. Jacobs (@B. Jacobs) 1523794236
Like, really, really, head-over-heels obsessing over the experience history will now remember as #Beychella.
Was last night a dream? I’m still unable to deal. #Beychella https://t.co/IJd0y0QfFj— Tonio ♕ (@Tonio ♕) 1523796767
One big fan of Beyoncé's next-level performance was Cara Delevingne.
Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images.
On Instagram, the actress and model posted an image from #Beychella and expressed how moved she'd been by the powerful performance.
"I am speechless," she wrote. "That performance made me burst into tears and sent shivers down my spine."
A post shared by Cara Delevingne (@caradelevingne) on
But fans were quick to note, however, that Delevingne has lambasted Coachella in the past, as Billboard reported.
The actress previously made clear she would never be supporting Coachella after word began spreading in 2016 that Philip Anschutz — whose entertainment group owns the festival — uses his deep pockets to support several anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion rights, and pro-gun advocacy groups and politicians.
Philip Anschutz. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images.
Many critics of the music festival have been airing their grievances on social media, using the hashtag #NoChella to voice their concerns over Anschutz's politics.
Delevingne, who identifies as bisexual, has been a vocal advocate against the music festival. But clearly, her Instagram post celebrated Beyoncé's big night, directing her 41 million followers to the bright stage lights of Indio.
Was Delevingne being hypocritical?
In a statement posted to her Instagram story, Delevingne fiercely defended her praise of Beyoncé while continuing to condemn Anschutz:
"Some people are commenting on the fact that I posted about my anger towards the owner of Coachella and then about Beyoncé. My hashtag was #NoChella. I still refuse to go to a festival that is owned by someone who is anti-LGBT and pro-gun. I am allowed to shame that man and the festival and show my appreciation of an artist at the same time."
Here why #CaraDelevingne will no longer attends Coachella Festival. https://t.co/wyWVVjWJgI— CARAUPDATES (@CARAUPDATES) 1523817672
Delevingne's nuanced response nailed why feelings aren't mutually exclusive things.
She can appreciate an artist who championed Historically Black Colleges, made actual history, and basically ran the world in an almost two-hour on-stage extravaganza, while also despising the very same festival stage that artist performed on.
She's allowed to feel both those things — without also feeling like a hypocrite.
"Just because I love Beyoncé doesn't mean I now love Coachella," Delevingne concluded in her Instagram story. "I still wouldn't go. And I will let nothing get in the way of me showing my love or hate for something. Don't let anyone come between you and your truth."
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.