Blake Lively's Instagram account is one of the great joys of social media, as it typically consists of photos of some of her jaw-dropping fashion sense and fairytale marriage to Ryan Reynolds.
But, if you follow her account closely, you may have noticed that some of her behavior over the last five months has been a little odd.
Back in April, she posted a cryptic photo of her playing Hangman, which fans tried—and failed—to solve.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Blake Lively (@blakelively) on
Then she briefly deleted her Instagram, unfollowed her husband, and started following 27 random people named Emily Nelson.
does anyone want to tell me why Blake Lively followed me and had this as a bio. Goodbye cruel world some hacker is anti-Emily, my time has come 🙂
— emslay 🦋 (@emilayyy97) May 1, 2018
In July, she joked about cheating on her husband, which was not funny because we're still not over the demise of Chris Pratt and Anna Faris and Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Blake Lively (@blakelively) on
And for what has been an unusually hot summer in NYC, she's been photographed wearing an uncanny amount of pantsuits.
View this post on Instagram
Picnic anyone? I'll bring the tablecloth…
A post shared by Blake Lively (@blakelively) on
Now that she's doing publicity for her new film, A Simple Favor, fans have pieced together that she's been trolling us as part of an elaborate marketing scheme to promote the movie (which hits theaters today).
Based on the eponymous 2017 novel by Darcey Bell, A Simple Favor is a black comedy-mystery-thriller about a mommy blogger named Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) trying to uncover the truth of the disappearance of her enigmatic new best friend, Emily (Blake Lively) in a small suburban town.
Lively's character is named Emily Nelson, so that explains both the hangman riddle and the reason she disappeared from social media only to reappear as a fan account for strangers with that name.
It also explains the quip about cheating, given that adultery plays a major role in the film, as does the sexual subtext between the two female leads.
And the suits are, of course, an ode to her character's style.
Even the caption to this photo is a sly reference to the film, which you'll only understand if you've seen it or read the book.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Blake Lively (@blakelively) on
If Lively came up with this publicity stunt herself, she is a marketing genius, and someone needs to get her an office and a raise immediately.
For more examples of her social media skills, check out the 30 Most Hilarious Celebrity Instagram Photos.
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Diana Bruk Diana is a senior editor who writes about sex and relationships, modern dating trends, and health and wellness.Read moreFiled UnderCelebritiesRead This Next11 Times A-List Celebrities Became Real Life Heroes
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