Editor's note: The graphic image from the advertisement closely resembles self-harm and could be triggering or disturbing to some readers.
Lady Gaga's makeup brand, Haus Laboratories, is being criticized after an advertisement for a new eyeliner was perceived by fans as "triggering."
The advertisement, which was deleted about five hours after it was first posted, showed a "micro-tip" liquid eyeliner pen being used to draw slashes on a model's inner wrist.
In the comments section of the post, many said that it was upsetting, especially since there was no trigger warning in the caption.
"This brought back some bad memories for several people, including me," wrote one user. "Maybe reconsider location next time?"
"I understand what they were trying to do, but this threw me into memories of (self-harm) and I really can't deal with that," wrote another. "I love the products but this was a bit scary for me."
"That's really triggering to me (to be honest)," wrote a third Instagram user. "Maybe you should reconsider how you want to present this... I've been through a lot and this really brings me back to when I was self-harming, and I'm only a year and a half clean."
Several users pointed out that the location was an odd place to show off the eyeliner's capabilities and said that the rapid slashing movements were very different from how liquid eyeliner would normally be applied.
"This was kind of creepy to watch... Might be triggering for some people," wrote one user. "Why did you have to use it on the inside of the wrist?"
"Ah yes I do my eyeliner like that," added another. "Just slash it on super fast on my eyelid."
"I feel like there was a better method for showing off eyeliner than slashing it across someone's wrist," said a third.
TODAY reached out to both Haus Laboratories and Lady Gaga for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
After the ad was deleted, another image was posted advertising a different eyeliner.
The new ad showed the eyeliner applied in a dramatic smoky eye and made no mention of the previous advertisement.
Lady Gaga has been open about her own struggles with mental health and previous history of self-harm, talking candidly about her experience during an interview with Oprah Winfrey in Oct. 2019.
"I was a cutter for a long time, and the only way that I was able to stop cutting and self-harming myself was to realize that what I was doing was trying to show people that I was in pain instead of telling them and asking for help," the singer said.
In the same interview, she added that she was "very grateful" that she no longer self-harmed, and did not wish to "glamorize" the action.
If you or someone you know needs mental health support, contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org. If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.