4 minute read
Weed Them Out
In the age of influencer glorification, you can fall to rock bottom as quickly as you rise to the top. The throes of “cancel culture” may seem to reach every corner of the internet, but harmful creators who profit off the insecurities of the general population still rule the roost on sites like Instagram and TikTok.
When Danielle Bernstein, known as “WhoWoreWhat” in the blogosphere, debuted on TikTok, multiple individuals came forward sharing that Bernstein had stolen their content. New York based lingerie line The Great Eros, Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen, swimwear brand Odia and even more small businesses over the course of the past year have accused Bernstein of blatantly stealing their pieces.1 Many tearful Instagram denials later, Danielle Bernstein has still avoided responsibility for her multiple allegations. So, how far do you have to go in order to be truly pushed off the Internet?
To Be Cancelled
Digging up the dirt on social media personalities can cause an internet shitstorm, but Berstein’s controversy is a friendly reminder that we: the likers, repost-ers and refreshers, are the ones who give the power and influence to media personas like her. Unfollowing, and better yet, ignoring ignorant & insensitive influencers like her is one step towards dethroning the hold that people like these have on the digital world. Trisha Paytas, a longtime Youtuber and the source of meme content on every social media imaginable, has long profited off the balance between being saying openly anti-semitic, misogynistic and racist remarks while maintaining a sense of “ironic” humour within her comments. Somehow, after years of questionable content, her internet presence & popularity has remained steadfast. Her audience has desensitized itself to her shameless controversy, rendering Trisha “uncancellable.” 2, 3
It’s hard not to make a comparison to politicians in America, who desensitize the public through the 24-hour news cycle. Scandals are forgotten within days, with politicians only truly losing their jobs or popularity when they commit truly heinous offenses. But smaller scale comments and actions are lost in the noise of the news cycle. Our standards are unbelievably low for these figures.
Privilege and Power
Somehow, despite years of commentary on the unattainable beauty standards and
2 Dodgson, Lindsay. 2019. “YouTuber Trisha Paytas has responded after receiving criticism for coming out as transgender because she’s attracted to gay men.” Insider. 3 Dodgson, Lindsay. 2020. “The life and controversies of YouTuber Trisha Paytas, from claiming she has multiple personalities to identifying as ‘a chicken nugget.’” Insider.
Weed Them Out
photoshopping photos, we have only further allowed societally harmful content to continue to thrive on social media.
The “average” influencer by no means represents the average human being — and it goes beyond the realm of photoshop. It is our duty as consumers of media to take the extra step in order to rid your feed of these insane realities. We falsely believe that we are stronger than our own subconscious. Keeping these unrealistic standards of beauty and lifestyle in our feed only feeds into our implicit beliefs and biases.
It is time to reject the internalization that allows rich, white women like Danielle Bernstein and Trisha Paytas to continue garnering power and money based on wrongdoing. We have reached a stage in the celebrity sphere where politicians, celebrities, and influencers sit on a separate pedestal than personal friends and family. We hold this group above our own standards for our friends and family, and it is more than time to change that perspective. No one is exempt from criticism.
The Warning Signs
COVID has provided a great way to identify the worst of the worst. The amount of influencers claiming their need to “travel for work” has skyrocketed over the past year. The blurred lines between what an Instagram model does for “work” has allowed blatant disregard to public health to clog Instagram feeds across the world.
Promotional content, especially of diet fads or the infamous “Fit Tea,” are an additional red flag. If you didn’t already feel insecure following someone, they’ll gladly promote products (that they themselves do not use) to play into the guilt of their followers.
Who to follow instead
role in uncovering the truth behind Danielle Bernstein’s work. Their team regularly work towards breaking down controversies involving fashion, culture, and social media. Their feed serves as a great reminder that the fashion industry has long profited off the same toxicity and insecurity that is perpetuated by online influencers.
It is difficult to separate oneself from the magical realm of social media. There’s hardly a cultural motivation to do so — modern trends start on social media accounts with upwards of 300,000 followers and branch out from there.
We can separate ourselves from the toxicity of these people. Weed them out of your feed, of your friends’ feed and of popularity. This is not cancel culture; it’s a cleansing of your social media space to ensure that you only support people who don’t exploit their fame and power. ■
