Influencers Under Fire

Influencers+Under+Fire

Covid cases are still raging in the USA, specifically in Los Angeles County, California where hospitals are being forced to ration oxygen and turn away ambulances. Despite this, social media influencers seem to be continuing life as normal, garnering heavy backlash from both fans and critics. 

TikTok influencers have been at the heart of these criticisms. Many people have started to notice that for months TikTok stars have been telling fans to stay home and not be selfish, but at the same time, they have been attending parties and enjoying travel. One of the biggest influencers on the platform, 16-year-old Charli D’Amelio, is currently facing immense backlash. 

Charli D’Amelio quickly rose to fame on TikTok with her dancing skills, quickly surpassing every other creator, making her the most popular influencer on the app with 105 million followers. She has recently been under fire for traveling during the pandemic and hanging out in LA with her friends.

After a drama account, “TikTok Room,” posted what appears to be D’Amelio with her friends in the Bahamas, many fans got upset because they were confused as to how she could be so careless.

On her most recent TikTok posts, creators and users filled the comments with comments such as, “You’re not immune” and “How dare you come back after not addressing ANYTHING that you have done, and all the lives you have possibly destroyed.”

Fans have also found old videos of her talking about how inconsiderate it is to travel during a pandemic and are now upset at her hypocrisy.

James Charles, a popular YouTube beauty guru, has also gotten criticism for continuing to collaborate with influencers. Fans have noticed that he has met up with celebrities and influencers from different “social distancing bubbles” to do their makeup.

People also got angry when James blocked someone who called him out for breaking COVID guidelines and meeting up with various people. 

While many influencers are facing backlash, very few have responded. Many internet users now are left to wonder how seriously these people are taking the pandemic and why they are ignoring protocols when they can make content from home, risk-free.