Master Manipulator
I don’t know if you know what’s been going on in the Vlogsphere with influencers and their come to Jesus concerning racism and accusations of wrongdoing. So let me give you the gist of it all: there's apparently a lot of money to be had when you become a well-known influencer. A LOT. Remember when I told you to give clicks to LGBTQ creators? Well, it's because in the world of the photogenic and the personable that translates into good money.
But with money comes greed and that's when things get ugly in the beauty community. Apparently, James Charles, a young beauty influencer, was pulled into the gravity center of Jeffree Star, a complicated and controversial figure in the beauty community, who has had brushes with Nazism, racism and overall fuckery (that apparently included extortion/blackmail and lying galore). But this is the rarified world of influencers, where everybody seems to know everybody and nobody wants to be 'that guy'. So James and Jeffree were roaming the same pretty, super competitive roads and suddenly James' star started shining brighter and brighter: cosmetics deals, beauty campaigns, interviews, the lot. James was on the ascent.
Enter Shane Dawson. Another problematic (uses Blackface, is mockingly pedo) and very famous YouTube personality who started collaborating with Jeffree Star. Between the two of them, they have millions (yes, MILLIONS in plural) of followers and they make that 'fame' count and make money off of it because their videos amass millions of views. Mind you, both Jeffree and Shane are men in their thirties and have been on YouTube for around ten years. James is in his early twenties and relatively new. Keep that in mind, because things are about to get ugly.
The thing is, apparently Shane and Jeffree started seeing James as competition (while still being 'friendly' to him) and decided to do something about it. Enter Tati, another influencer. Tati is also a grown woman and has been involved in the beauty/influencer community for years, too. She also has tons of followers. Allegedly, Jeffree and Shane used Tati to demolish James. Yep. You couldn't have dreamed this shit up to write a lurid episode of SVU.
You see, Shane and Jeffree allegedly convinced Tati that James was a sexual predator and that he used his influence and fame to bed straight men (??). They both dropped hints that they had recorded conversations that were proof that James was basically a perv. So Tati went ahead and blasted James in a video ('Bye, Sister'; mocking James' welcome greeting) that amassed millions of views. And James suffered a hit in followers: they dropped by the tens of thousands. In the beauty community that's money down the drain. James pleaded his innocence but the damage was done.
So fast forward a few months later and then Tati makes another video where she apologizes to James and tells the story of how Jeffree and Shane manipulated her into believing James was a predator just before Jeffree and Shane launched a collab that sold like hotcakes. Coincidence? Probably not. It is also rumored that Star has a stake in some beauty brands besides his own. I think that both Jeffrey and Shane were jealous of James' success and decided to neutralize him. They both have admitted that James needed 'a lesson'. So they gave it to him.
After Tati's second video came out, Shane had a very public and very well documented meltdown and Jeffree, being the Valdemort-like figure here, retreated to his multi-million dollar lair and only released some cryptic non-apology apology concerning his brand and has laid low after the scandal broke. How's that for drama?
So if one of these rainy summer afternoons you have some time, go down the rabbit hole of YouTube influencers and get a taste of what it takes to be a YouTube millionaire. It may be make up, but it's not pretty.
XOXO
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Jesus wept.
ReplyDeleteIndeed!
DeleteWhen YouTube suggested the first videos I was like.. what fresh hell??
XOXO
Sorry, not sorry. These fools make their lives off social media where nothing is real, so I don't buy all this fuckery, er, fakery. In terms that might better understand: I don't give two clicks about them.
ReplyDeleteHaha
DeleteThat is true. And they make a VERY good living off of it. Star is basically rich. It's a business model.
XOXO
I’m totally dumbfounded by how this is a business. I guess I’m too old to understand the cool kids. I guess they’re providing a service but the way they attack a competitor is fucked up. They deserve to be taken down and banned from their social media platforms.
ReplyDeleteXOXO 👨❤️💋👨
Oh, it is a job. .
DeletePeople produce content at regular intervals, have loads of followers and they get contracts, put out their own lines that are sold at Sephora and the such and make a living off of it.
And I imagine this gained traction because the people involved had such long stories on YouTube and other platforms.
XOXO
What kind of jackass publicly accuses someone else of being a sexual predator without hard evidence? They're lucky they weren't sued.
ReplyDeleteFor that matter, who on Earth is "influenced" by these vapid people?
Oh, I think they'll be sued.
DeletePeople went on their channels and let them have it. They also said that they were talking to 'legal counsel'. It's serious. There's money at stake, so you just know somebody is going to have to get lawyers involved.
And remember that a whole generation has grown glued to their phones and computer and connected to the internet. Kids that were born after the Millenium don't know anything else.
XOXO
I'm not on social media; fuck those idiots.
ReplyDeleteHahaha
DeleteIndeed. Maybe that's why I don't have a 'presence'. But Google (that owns Blogger) has made tons of money off the backs of media creators and consumers. Nothing is free.
XOXO
To me,...it's all crap. I don't view videos like these. Give me a documentary. Smooch!
ReplyDeleteLOL
DeleteOh, but wait. These videos are as well researched and documented as some articles about the topic I read in The New Yorker and Vice. For real. I was actually surprised by the level of web scholarship.
XOXO
When will the movie come out?
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the same!
DeleteIt has all the ingredients of a thriller. Behind the facade of pretty colors and bubbly personas there's a very dark, greedy side. Remember the movie The Social Network?
Sometimes reality is much more strange than fiction.
XOXO
What a bunch of crap! That is a scenario right out of QAnon, isn't it? Make accusations of disgusting proportion without any evidence at all - and, because they have millions of sheeple, they're believed. I rather dislike all the "influencer" bullshit - it's the Kardashians on YouTube and Tik-Tok. Ugh! XOXO
ReplyDeleteHmmm who else do we know that does that? 🧐
DeleteOh, it was shady.
DeleteAnd people who follow them do have that herd mentality that produced cancel culture. Some of these people have created brands that are actually good and they stay away from controversy and wrongdoing. But there's always the bad sheep.
I can't with the Kartrashians. Can't.
XOXO
Oh, how right you are, Huntley! With any amount of luck, we'll be closing the cell door on him come Jan. 20.
DeleteI dislike their world SO MUCH. Such crap. Bad behavior is rewarded. I can't wait until they become a thing of the past like Walkmans and jazzercize. Ick. They make me sick. Reality TV. Fake celebrities. Blech. Thanks for the word. Jeeze. People can just be awful to one another. Greed is the worst. I don't follow anyone but my blogger buds. Can you imagine if we all tried to create that kind of drama. Bah ha ha ha. I must say, though... I am jell of how many hits some of the blogs I follow get and how many followers and comments they get. But that comes with time and consistency. Not with manipulation.
ReplyDeleteI agree!
DeleteI know Jeffrey Star from when I was on MySpace. You'd think he'd be gone by now. And his bad behavior was going on even then. But these people have Stans that excuse all the fuckery. It's incredible. It's all about projection (same with the Kartrashians, ugh!) .
And greed about greed. It's the worst. It's hard to create in platforms like this, because we don't usually monetize our blogs.
And the hits come many times from bots and spammers, natch. Besides, some bloggers have been consistent on this platform for many, many years. It's a different kind of platform, I guess...
XOXO
Influencers are one of the worst things to happen to the Internet.
ReplyDeleteHahaha.
DeleteI am going to have to agree with you here. To tell you the truth, I have never bought anything somebody has recommended online. I do like some content creators because they're entertaining, but I'd never run to buy everything they peddle.
The internet does have its dark underbelly.
XOXO
With exception to James Charles....every time I see Jeffree or any of the others... I feel I need three aspirin, a gin with bromide , and a very hot bath with a wire brush.
ReplyDeleteGurrl.
DeleteJeffree Star is a shady MoFo. He flaunts his influence and money at every step. And the lies! And the shady dealings. I've heard the rumors for years, though.
James Charles is just young. He's charismatic and talented as a make up artist, though. But got famous overnight (remember the news about his high school picture?) and rode that all the way to a contract with Maybelline/Cover Girl and make up palettes. Star could not take it. That tells you the kind of person he is.
XOXO
Yes. He is the worst reputation on the drag circuit too. Many queens won't work with him. And once I heard a story of him and Jodi Harsh at a show being a bunch of cunts. Jodie is another you have to watch. But if she is alone, she's ok. But many queens in the UK have a feeling about her too.
Delete