calling out problematic influencer behavior (let's also not defend this)
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- čas přidán 21. 05. 2024
- calling out unethical influencer behaviour
Hey y'all, in today's video we're talking about some unethical influencer behaviour that I found in the wild. We'll talk about why it's a problem but also why defending this behaviour is equally a problem too.
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“She can say she doesn’t care but she can’t say she doesn’t know” 🙌🏻🙌🏻
he said it so well!
rich people have more of an obligation to shop sustainably than those who cannot afford it
Shopping sustainability isn’t just for the rich though. It is a myth that sustainable shopping is expensive.
@@PumpkinMozie i know, but if you can afford to have more options, you should not even be looking at unsustainable options
@@PumpkinMozie where do you live? I live in the Netherlands and sustainability and budget friendly can't be in the same sentence. 😅 You can't buy sustainably made clothes on a budget except if they are from the thrift store (which also implies making time to go there often because you might not find what you need or fits you from the first visit). And don't get me started on other things like household stuff which are supposed to be bio and environmental friendly. 😳
@@curtalaura796 pretty sure poor people can at least reuse containers…
Yes, that they do by default because they can't afford the fancy glass or what not containers. But I am talking about everything else that if bought in the 'sustainable' version costs twice as much. Do you think poor people don't reuse things? They do because they have to. I am talking here about the average income people. Even for people with a bit more money than the minimum wage household might find the bio and sustainable products expensive. @@basscanon6687
I think in the US especially there's a huge sense of pushback to the idea that someone's saying you *can't* do whatever you want with your money, when the reality is that yes, you can. You can make bad choices and no one can stop you. I think it's better to say hey we're not saying you CAN'T, just that maybe you SHOULDN'T.
This is a really wonderful point. Despite what I think someone actually CAN. I'm going to use this language in the future
Yes, I think a good way of putting it is that people can make whatever choices they want with their money, but when a person is public about it (as influencres are), other people can express their opinions about it. And we should call out things that are problematic.
americans are incredibly entitled. it’s definitely a cultural problem here
The "she's rich why would she thrift" argument is doubly stupid because you could also say if she's rich, why does she need to buy $15 fast fashion jeans? She could at least afford to buy from a more sustainable source. But no, she's literally just doing it to try to sell things to her followers.
There's a special place in hell for influencers like these. People are trapped and exploited in sweat shops for their 15 quid dopamine hit.
Online influencing is such a new job, no one "needs" to be an influencer. You are so right about that.
I feel like sustainability information is spreading, but influencers have also discovered how they can make so much money peddling these unsustainable goods to viewers and it's a kind of battle between people trying to sell us stuff (influencers) and people trying to keep society's perspective in check - of how much stuff is normal/how much we don't need and how this behavior is damaging. Keep up your work please ❤
Consumers who are addicted to shopping trends/microtrends, and the advertisers and influencers who promote them, really need to step back and get a conscience about what exactly their actions are supporting. That influencer obviously has an appeal to a large block of First Worlders, and the salient question is "Why is that so?" Do people really lead such ignorant, vapid, and boring lives to not ask the hard questions? Thanks for another thought-provoking video.
I agree. I think that some people out there don't really think that much about what they do, but just do what feels good for them in the moment. Influencers really encourage this way of thinking and behaving, unfortunately.
I feel like right now gen Z's and millennials version of the temporarily "embarrassed billionaires" is "temporarily undiscovered influencer." Maybe being an influencer and identifying with their hussle isn't The Goal anymore. The goal is surviving our climate change and late capitalist era.
I agree
She can't buy vintage or thrift, or buy more expensive sustainable stuff because her job is to sell you crappy disposable plastic clothes. She makes most of her money selling impressionable people fast fashion, if she stops, she won't have as successful of a career anymore.
yes, this is absolutely it
Molly mae used to be the creative director of Pretty Little Thing
thanks for some more context on her
She was also on Love Island in 2019, which is massive reality tv show in the UK.
@@AlexaLikesfunnily enough the guy in the video also was in love island
I think the underlying theme here is that a lot of people don't think that much about what they do or if what they're doing is problematic. They just want to do what feels good for them in the moment, and in the case of influencers, what will make them the most money. People are allowed to make their own choices, but influencers choose to make these choices publicly and other people are allowed to express their opinions on it. As they should. If your words and behavior are problematic you've got to be prepared to hear about it.
I am not really surprised by the fact that younger people (who usually act more concerned about climate change) are the ones less likely to be mindful of it in their own decisions. I don't at all see this as any specific to that generation, but specific to being young. When people are young they tend to feel invincible or less responsible for their own actions...and be more easily influenced by others. Which is why the influencer world is so problematic.
I’ve been buying stuff secondhand since I was a kid. My mom taught how to spot quality at thrift stores and I love consignment shops. Especially the ones where you think it’s just gonna be old lady like clothing, but I found a Burberry coat there for $75. Estate sales too and yard sales. Hell we just bought a house and all our furniture is from habitat for humanity and we just got a good upholstery cleaner and we have an antique (actually antique) rocking chair for $20. Like our dresser was our most expensive at $79.99. Vintage and came with mirror. Or we look for stuff that we can refinish. There is a “fast decor: furniture “ market too. But we got a ton of actual quality furniture and we were so worried about our furniture budget. We’ve got to go return this set of $200 Alex drawers from ikea since we found the dresser. And everything is in good shape or just needs a little love.
The problem now with thrift is a lot of resellers go and buy all the good stuff sell on the platforms and buy all the good/quality clothing or it’s filled with a bunch of shein fast fashion. I get times are tough but im thrifting because i genuinely can’t afford certain things and during winter for work (i work outside) I almost got a ski suit (work for humane society) and needed something because i was freezing. I watched this chick grab it and list it on poshmark. I wanted to cry. Same with snow boots. I did get lucky and made an offer on merc and got them cheap. Thrifting is hell now. I used to love it but I no longer go to goodwill because price and resellers and I go to local thrift that actually supports my community. But habitat for humanity literally saved our ass with furniture. I’m so so grateful to them.
When I was younger that was all I could afford and all the pieces that I loved I got them reinforced and I’m 35 and they’re still alive. I took them to seamstress because I wanted them to last forever. I have blazers and got the buttons changed out and even on some got seams reenforced / changed the lining out of them. Sometimes I’ll buy stuff at target if I need a pair of shorts/shirts or something like that it really just depends most everything comes from eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, the RealReal, and Vinted and Vestiaire and thredup, I love second hand personally. And if I can afford it Blackmilk.com lol, I love their stuff .
But Ultimately I want quality. My fast fashion days are over lol.
On the « for some people 15$ jeans is all they can afford » point, yes it’s true, but far less people than we’re led to think. Some people think they can’t afford 60$ jeans because they want to buy 4 pairs instead of one. We need to reframe our views on the rate at which we’re buying stuff, because buying 60 to 100 items of clothing is not necessary, it’s a luxury that we (and I know I am part of the problem) have been used to getting. If I have a 500$ yearly budget to replace things that broke AND that I need, it’s more than enough to buy sustainably. I can’t remember the last time a piece of clothing wasn’t usable anymore and could not be mended, and even then I still have plenty to get through before I have to go out naked.
Yeah, and if $15 is someone’s budget for jeans, they can often find higher quality for that price when thrifting! Second hand clothing is far more sustainable than even buying new “sustainable” clothing. There is very rarely a true NEED for fast fashion. Both expensive and cheap sustainable clothing options exist for most occasions/needs.
you've just hit on a few, but there are so many factors that contribute to why folks buy or want to buy $15 jeans. Limited budget is one for sure, but it's also how we think about our money (in some cases), desire for quantity, aesthetics, influence, and even skills to mend. Things aren't black and white so thanks for highlighting more of the nuance
Imagine if she told people to go thrift jeans, or something. Like imagine if influencers influenced people to shop second hand, give away, or even trade clothing with friends.
She has the ability to do some good but instead she's telling us to buy these jeans off of Amazon
The featured comments in the video are basically saying: “Let us kill our planet without you interrupting” lol
Microtrends upset me so much. It is impossible to keep up with them. Plus they never fit me. Like my favorite shirt that isn't a PJ set is a hot pink leopard print sleeveless deep V no-button blouse. I've had it 5 years now. Never gonna be on trend :(
My broke ass still tries to buy ethically. There is no excuse for these influencers not to do the same.
I found the easiest way is thrift/yardsale tbh. I go frequently to search and find an item or two to slowly build up a decent wardrobe worth.
Especially jeans and basics! They’re relatively easy to find thrifting and are nice and worn in so you know they won’t shrink like crazy in the wash
sometimes I feel we somehow took a step back or maybe just did not make much progress when it comes to caring /thinking about our planet /resources? What do you think?
We started the discussion around fast fashion a longer time back in the 2000s at least and vintage shopping started to gain more momentum and become hip as far back as end of the 90s too. We've also been having more sustainable brands for decades now. And I know that us millennials at least in Europe did receive some education about environmental protection, damage, climate change and sustainability etc to become more aware and start thinking. If I'm looking around especially on social media I feel we should be further ahead than we are.... I wonder if the influencer boom in the 2010s and associated hyper consumerism took us on a loop instead of progressing. It's hard to see when you're in it but I think the 2010s actually remind me of the 80s in the excess we saw? And equally considering younger people in general I do feel again that my upbringing sorrounded me with quite a bit more education and concern about environmental awareness via TV, media and school. I definitely saw more of it then I'm seeing today
yeah it's normal teenage girls wanting to shop like other "normal" upper middle class girls they see online. and just the adictiveness and perfectly entertaining nature of haul / fashion videos with lots of new clothes.
i’ve noticed this too
I just did a "how i was influenced " video. I wanted to say, "dont tell Shawna!" 🤦♀️ i didn't know how you would feel about that. Im just halfway through your video. It's great so far!
I think acknowledging how influence works on us as real consumers (or has worked in the past) and spreading that awareness is a great thing! I'm about to do a video on things I was influenced to buy as well 🫣
@@Alexas.nobuyyear I subscribed!
Noooo don't feel bad about being influenced! I've been there and so many folks have too. I think it's really amazing you're consider the how, which is a great way to learn. I'm all for that 😀
@@paisleyhunter same - excited to see where you go on your journey! Let's combat the forces of mindless influence 💪
Such a good video! I think there is one point that I would try and add from the content creators/influencers perspective, and this may be a whole video in itself.
And that would be using the excuse of "I just post the link and it's up to the consumer to decide if they want to purchase this item" and "I didn't force them to make a purchase" "I just mentioned this amazing deal" and the I have no control over what someone else does after I posted the link, for example how long someone keeps the item, if they donate it vs throw it away or resell it. Pushing the blame on everyone else because they are one person and are only responsible for themselves.
These are all excuses I have heard influencers say in the past.
I almost wish they would just reframe some of their verbiage. Instead of what that the influencer said about "PSA my jeans are only 15 Quid today" maybe change it up to "if your in the market for a new jeans the ones I am wearing are on sale for 15 Quid" I think adding in the disclaimer of: if your in the marked would stop so many people from purchasing and really thinking about if they need those jeans just because it's a good deal.
this is a really great point I'm glad you added! I've been thinking a lot about the relationship between influencers and their audience and I think this might be a bit of its own video.
I know this is how she makes her money but she could buy such nice clothes that are not only not created with slave labor but also well made ones. sad world we live in
another thing about these people in the comments whiteknighting for influencers - part of the reason we follow influencers is because we find them aspirational and enjoy the opportunity to identify with them in some way, even if our lives are vastly different. I think a lot of people feel disempowered by their own financial insecurity, especially in the US, and they particularly enjoy vicariously living through an influencer who has seemingly very few or no limitations when it comes to their purchasing power or ability to consume. whenever someone rightfully critiques this “no limits” attitude toward consumption, it has the potential to make them feel personally attacked and indignant, as if the person making commentary is telling them that they actually don’t have the right to have whatever they want whenever they want and feel as financially free as they wish they were. it just disrupts the fantasy.
it’s the same reason one of temu’s taglines is “shop like a billionaire” - it’s the same fantasy, albeit a weirder framing because it’s not like billionaires would likely be interested in purchasing the questionable products they have, but it gets at the same idea
i’m honestly so fed up with these vapid, hollow, and out of touch “influencers”. i want them to go away already. their “content” provides absolutely zero value to the world whatsoever
Oh my GOD i thought ZARA was cancelled!? They just won't die!!!
It’s because Cancel Culture is not effective. If anything it can be counter-productive because it brings more attention to that brand and/or person.
Zara's parent company is a huge multinational. They don't just own Zara but stuff like Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear or Bershka. Unfortunately, as long as there's consumer demand for this kind of clothing they won't go anywhere, and trust me, their business is as strong as ever. Source: I work for them
I am really liking these longer thematical videos, but I wish there were time stamps. :)
thanks for the feedback, working on it!
Yes, there's absolutely a thinking that if you "earned your money" you have the right to do with it whatever you want. I'm getting the feeling that the majority of even low income people think this. They can't connect the dots in their brains as to why someone didn't fairly/ethically earn their money and why they shouldn't have a right to do with it whatever they want. They can't connect the dots on how allowing this is exactly what is keeping them struggling and poor.
you've captured a part of the thinking here that I didn't touch on, and that's someone EARNED their money so they get to spend it how they like. As in, that money is mine so I can do with it what I like and potentially, I put in hard work so I've 'earned' spending it. I haven't fully fleshed out my own thoughts on this but thank you for highlighting this addition!
i just don't care how people spend their money
exactly! they’re fine with being exploited by the 1%, but throw a fit if someone on disability buys a new shirt or something
@@coolchameleon21omg so true, they will have an aneurism thinking about someone with food stamps buying a steak and cake on their bday but a frickinh millionaire can buy $15 slave labor pants because she “earned it” some people moral compasses terrify me.
I paid ~$80 for my Torrid jeans…but I’ve owned the same 3 pairs for about 5 years now. I can’t find any that fit me the same and they are incredibly durable. Yes I do still wear my skinny jeans 🤷🏻♀️
I’ll never give up on skinny jeans😂 they work with so many types of silhouettes and are more versatile imo. I own a few pairs of jeans that are different cuts, but will always own a pair of skinnies
people think that shes doing this for her audience that can only afford £15 jeans. but its cheaper to get second hand jeans, she could use her platform to tell people how to do that. its just not possible to monetize charity shops with affiliate links as every item is prettymuch unique and mixed up together.
the monetization really is a big thing
Unknowingly, follow this sustainability lifestyle because as a second child, I always got a hand down 😅😅
lol the fact I had an amazon add on this video....
This was eye opening! My shopping habits are sooo much like my parents, who never threw out anything, than I care to admit. My style is so casual now that I literally wear things until they wear out then they become dust cloths!😆 Clothing that gets thrown out are underwear and bras… everything else can live a second life somehow. I’m fortunate that dress clothes I have chosen are more classic and rarely a trend-not that I care about trends. (I’ve never been “cool”.) I choose what I like and wear it no matter what. I’m perplexed by the whole “influencer” job…. don’t most people only buy what they like? Why would anyone buy something just because someone else has it? It doesn’t mean it will look the same on me (the viewer) as the influencer-heck, I learned that long ago from fashion magazines, influencers are the new magazines! 😆
Thank you for these videos-we need more content out there keeping advertising honest. 👍
I can't wait to enjoy this new video, I love your channel and the content you bring! it would be nice if you also will talk about book influencers and the consumerism linked to that world (compulsive shopping of books and accessories, multiple e-readers changed so quickly, etc.). Thank you if you will accept my suggestion!! ❤
thanks for the suggestions and hope you enjoy the video 💕
Why have ai never heard of any of these “large” influencers? Not once. I think these companies are hoping for more influence than these people really have. The numbers sound huge, but you wonder how many people, once subscribed/following are seriously watching these people. And those who buy their stuff..their “merch” are just …seriously stupid. I wonder how many of those awful, outrageously expensive tote bags that one influencer sold to her sycophants have ended up either at GoodWill, a thrift shop, in the back of a closet or in a landfill?
I appreciate the information about the problem of fast fashion.
I love your content and admire you so much.
thank you so much 💕
We can deconstruct comments defending her on a deeper level through white feminism and infantilizing white women
Haven’t finished the video so not sure if you covered this but thrifted clothes don’t have affiliate links so no 🤑
You know, she might be rich but her audience isn't. And to influence someone means to show them things they can afford too. I bet that most people that follow her can't afford buying sustainable made clothes and certainly not at a rate for her to keep her influencer status. I am not surprised that she's promoting fast fashion. Not at all. She needs to be relatable, to stay relatable and to also promote this illusion of being able to buy new things and have stuff even if you're not earning much.
Fast fashion is terrible, butI love how he says how easy it is to thrift jeans, not a for a larger person like me where I live, once we find a pair we wear them to death lol but then I buy jeans like one every 5 years. And try to buy responsibly, but the easiness to thrift depends lol
Of course, she doesn't care, lol. Influencing is just a job. It is only parasocial to fans.
I guess I don't get it? I don't know this person because I don't follow just... people. My social media has art on it, if you post selfies, I unfollow. Anyway, I bought $20 jeans at Target the other day because the last time I'd bought jeans was 10 years prior and my previous jeans don't fit. I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on jeans, and there's no Sears anymore to go to so... yeah, Target.. Like is this.. is this not about people like me or.... idk. I just needed jeans that fit, and that's where I had to shop.
I wouldn't sweat your jeans at Target. I think if you're putting in effort to do your best then you're doing great. This video isn't about folks like you who put in effort to wear clothes as long as possible or buy a new pair of jeans at target every now and then. This video was more about influencers who make their living encouraging their following to buy more things and promote unethical products/practices.
Followers and influencers do have a symbiotic relationship so in this case Molly Mae can't make money or sell things if her audience wasn't interested and willing to shop. You also aren't someone who sounds like you're doing much of this either, so this isn't about how you shop. I appreciate your open mind on this though 😀
@@shawnaripari ah okay, that makes sense. Yeah I, I've seen a lot of videos about influencers and honestly I'm trying to understand because I just... I honestly don't get it? Why do people follow people that... well I don't even know what she does? What does she do? Why does buying the thing that she has even come into it? Is it like a mindset thing, or a popularity thing (cos like, she doesn't know you so how would that work), or what? I *get* the brand part, she's talking to a lot of people. I just don't understand the follower part. Why are people caring what jeans she wears? Or what cup people have? Or... man, I dunno. I watch a LOT of people here on youtube do video essays and the like and I might like what you say, but I couldn't care less what shampoo you use, even if your hair is shiny and soft looking. kwim?
@@shawnaripari at this point maybe my confusion is a video topic lol. "explain this to the AuDHD person what this even means like they're five" /lh
It's kind of ironic that your videos that nudge people to be thoughtful consumers are bracketed by ads that are pushing us to buy, buy, buy.
I used to buy second hand clothes but I no longer do. I still buy second hand non clothing items tho. Not sure about in America but the quality of second hand clothes in where I live (Uk) became very poor and I actually buy less clothes after quitting buying second hand clothes. You can get first hand, cheap but good quality clothes. My cheap ‘fast fashion’ clothes do last me at least a few years minimum, I’m still my eBay bag I bought 10 years ago. I’m against overconsumption but it’s wrong to HATE someone because of her buying clothes and bags. Many influencers do sh it thing but it’s not their responsibility to teach your children. Parents should be. And grown adults should use their own brain, if someone say this pair of jeans is good go get it and you get it without thinking. It’s clearly a you problem.
Although I can't speak for the creator in the video (I can't imagine he'd hate her either though) I can say I don't hate her, if I hate anything it's the promotion of overconsumption and unethical fashion. Perhaps you were just speaking generally though. Either way, it's one thing for an individual to shop fast fashion it's another to promote it regularly to almost 8 million people and have this be a main form of income. You're also right that when it comes to overconsumption, or shopping fast fashion in this case, the creator doesn't bear the sole responsibility, the audience also holds some.
Yeah, the way you completely disregarded the meat of TallulahTaylor's comment to talk about something unrelated was disingenuous at best and deceptive at worst.
Taylor is correct. Influencers *do* get criticised for buying high end clothing. (Not just clothing, but also makeup, home supplies, etc) They get treated as though they're being unrealistic, or unrelatable, or show-offy, or elitist, or out of touch, or whatever. Even if it's perfectly sustainable, *especially* if it's perfectly sustainable.
People literally *want* to see influencers in cheap clothing to make themselves feel better about their own financial circumstances. They actively push for this sort of behaviour. Additionally, this is why people come to people like her; to tell them what to buy. Influencers are QVC/fashion magazines for the digital age.
This isn't about defending Molly Mae, it's about an unreasonable expectation that people in her line of work both do and don't wear the same sorts of clothing that their less well off audience members do. That they do and don't make the same ethically questionable decisions their audiences find themselves having to make.
Taylor isn't going to bat for Mae by pointing this out. She's making the relevant point that influencers like Mae are in a difficult to navigate situation and completely ignoring that isn't going to fix the problem at hand.
I do agree that Mae deserves censure for this, but I strongly disagree that ignoring the societal issues that lead to this sort of behaviour and completely absolving her audience of their own issues with entitlement over her, as well as garment workers, is actually helpful. All you do when you behave in this deeply unreasonable way is make the Maes of the world defensive and unwilling to cooperate.
I'm neither deaf nor stupid. You completely ignored this unwinnable dichotomy to go off about something Taylor did not say. Why even use her comment in your video if you weren't actually going to address its sole point? It comes across as you attempting to shame her for ... daring to like an influencer and think she's being treated unfairly.
And again, I am not defending Molly Mae. I'm defending TallulahTaylor and criticising *you*.
The reason this dilemma exists is because Molly and other creators value products that make money over sustainability. There are several ways of getting affordable clothing without buying from the insanely unethical fast fashion companies, such as thrifting or sewing/upcycling. There’s also the idea that one can talk about a product and still point out that it’s unethical. But thrifting and sewing can’t be put in a commission link, so they dont use it as often. Simple as that. She has a large platform and influences people. How do you think we got to a place in society where fast fashion is so popular? Because of people like her!
So if she chose to put out more ethical messaging on her platforms she can likely influence THOUSANDS of people to consume in a better way. Yes she’ll make less money but she will change some minds despite the hate comments (which she gets either way). Her dilemma lies in the fact that she wants to maximize money instead of making a little less (still very comfortable living) and being more ethical. She can even do something as simple as saying “Im only going to buy/use 3 pieces a month of fast fashion” so she can still advertise a bit but show its more ethical.
This commenter was commenting about Molly’s dilemma so yes it addresses her dilemma and the comment
You act as if I mentioned nothing about the criticism that folks like Molly Mae get or that I laughed it off or something. You are in fact right that some of the criticism is unfair and that subscribers/followers do act entitled to information. This is not ok. However, this is also used as a way to dust off all or many criticisms. Subscribers acting in certain way or the fact that she receives invalid criticism doesn't invalidate problematic behaviour. Right now we're not even discussing the most important issue because we're discussing this criticism bit. Ultimately, the problem is recommending or peddling unsustainable fashion (and people just buying more stuff generally) to an audience who very likely already have enough stuff.
Totally agree, regarding the judgement. People who say she shouldn’t be judged need to understand that these influencers with millions of followers are brands. Just like we should be critiquing Zara and Shein, we should also be critiquing the brand ‘Molly Mae’. Just because her brand is also her name, doesn’t mean they are the same thing.