Two social media influencers who managed to get the Hollywood sign to read “Hollyboob” before being arrested on suspicion of trespassing on Monday said they did so to defy Instagram censorship. One, they said, lost millions of followers – and part of their livelihood – when their accounts were closed for nudity.
The fact that his feat also raised awareness of breast cancer and brought smiles to faces around the world, they said, was a bonus.
“It’s incredible,” said Julia Rose, 27, of LA, whose company Shag Mag calls itself a modern Playboy rival. “All of this combined was very, very good.”
In an interview with The Times on Tuesday, Rose said she conceptualized the prank last year after being alerted to nudity in her personal and corporate Instagram accounts, which had an estimated 6 million followers combined.
Rose said she knew she was “pushing the limits of censorship” on these accounts, introducing other influencers barely covering up, but she also felt that Instagram and its parent company, Facebook, unfairly censored accounts, targeting more influencers than established brands like Playboy.
Facebook and Instagram did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Rose knew she couldn’t get to the Hollywood sign and change it herself, so she looked for “someone wild enough to help,” she said, and found friend and fellow influencer Jack Tenney, 26, whose “adventure” focused on joogsquad YouTube channel also proclaims millions of followers.
“Everyone loves a good prank,” said Tenney. “It is always good to make people laugh and make people smile.”
The pair said they tried to reach the signal several times in the past year, but failed, in part because the two large “B” tarps they created – to cover the iconic “W” and “D” sign – were too heavy.
But after Rose’s personal and business accounts on Instagram were disabled in early December, they said they decided to try again – and this time with a better plan.
Instead of two tarps, they would bring just one, for the “W.” They would reach the second “B” by pulling a much smaller piece of material through the existing “D”.
They then took a double cart to push the one that covered an established trail that takes hikers above the sign, “pretending to be husband and wife,” said Tenney with a laugh. “We kind of tried, knowing we could be caught.”
Two friends from Tenney from Florida showed up, as well as two friends from Rose. At the top of the mountain, they went around a fence and went down the hill. At the signal, five of them concentrated on passing the canvas over the “W”, using ropes to help lift it, and one passed the material through the “D”.
Rose and Tenney estimated that they stayed on the signal for 15 to 20 minutes, and no more than half an hour. Then they went down the hill to Mulholland Highway, where they expected to be – and were – arrested for property violations. They were released Monday night.
Los Angeles Police Department officials said the group was not charged with vandalism because there was no damage to the plaque, but that they were breaking the law – and on dangerous ground.
Mark Panatier, president of the Hollywood Sign Trust, which maintains the site in Griffith Park, said on Monday that “it is a pity that such an important icon for the city of LA is not being appreciated.”
“This is an icon that exists to visually reinforce the importance of Hollywood, not just for the city of LA, but for the world,” said Panatier. “It needs to be maintained; it does not need to be demoted. “
Rose and Tenney had a different view. They said they did no harm to anyone and received positive comments from people around the world who considered their efforts hilarious or who welcomed the focus on breast cancer.
They said they would each have a court hearing on June 3. Tenney said he expected the judge to catch the prank as many on the internet did: as harmless fun that did some good along the way.