Sailor Brinkley-Cook is facing criticism after being spotted out and about in a N95 face mask while medical professionals and other people on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic struggle to find adequate personal protective equipment. The daughter of Christie Brinkley, 21, responded to people on social media earlier this week after being criticized as “selfish” for her use of the mask.
“How in the world do you have an N95 mask?” one person commented on her latest Instagram photo. “The frontline workers are DESPERATE for those.” Another commented, “Maybe the negative comments are because people saw [Sailor Brinkley] walking around Brooklyn last week in her N95 mask. As a first responder myself, PLEASE don’t be selfish. Save those masks for us! No excuses.”
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The Dancing With the Stars alum took to her Stories later to respond to all the criticism: “To everyone reaching out (very angrily) about me having a mask.. My mom is an artist and does projects that require her to wear a mask so she had a stash of them in her art studio. We didn’t buy them upon hearing about the spread of COVID-19.”
“She kept one mask for each one of our family members and then donated the rest to local hospitals. She’s been continuing to work to find supplies to help keep hospital workers safe as well,” she continued. “I have one mask. My boyfriend has one mask. And we are VERY grateful to have one and are donating daily to organizations helping to create masks. When we go to the grocery store or out on a walk we wear them so that, god forbid if we might have it and don’t know, we don’t spread it to someone less able to fight it off. Please stop sending hateful messages, and stay safe.”
Brinkley-Cook’s famous mom announced earlier this week that she was donating a portion of her online Bellissima Prosecco sales to help hospitals purchase protective equipment.
“Things feel wildly out of control right now, because they are,” she added on Instagram soon after. “But when you keep your chin up you see the stars and the moon. And we have to remember men have walked there, 230,000 miles away. We have left footprints up there! We did that! And right now back here on earth we have brilliant Scientist working together in global cooperation in a race to find a vaccine. And in the meantime every night we have the sparkling stars, open for business and accepting wishes nightly. And truth is we could all use a couple miracles too.”
Photo credit: Spellman/Getty Images
