If you are addicted to Youtube makeup channels like I am, you are also familiar with the controversies that often follow our favorite Youtubers. Jaclyn Hill pretty much never has a makeup collaboration launch without some kind of drama. And then there's Jeffree Star. It's a rare day if Jeffree Star in not mentioned on a drama channel along with his ex friends Manny MUA and Laura Lee.
I've never supported any of these individuals. I am not subscribed to their channels, I have never purchased makeup from their brands. I don't connect with them on any kind of personal level and find them to be fairly obnoxious and polarizing. Then Shane Dawson released a series entitled "The Secret Life of Jeffree Star." Behind the scenes of his glamorous lifestyle (and boy is it glamorous) is a man who has gone through unspeakable heartache, heartbreak and abuse. He was open, honest, vulnerable and real. He's apologized numerous times for his past mistakes and I think that Jeffree Star has truly changed and grown. I think drama is in his blood, he will always tell it like it is and it will continue to follow him (or he will continue to actively insert himself in it.) That said, I think he has become someone worthy of my support. I respect everything he's been through and everything he's accomplished. I've witnesses his generosity, his willingness to take others under his wing and show them the ropes.
Two of the people he took under his wing are Manny MUA and Laura Lee. The world may never know what led to their falling out, but I feel that no matter what happened Jeffree Star deserves more respect and gratitude then they've given him. A mean picture taken on a brand trip surfaced and led to people uncovering a series of old tweets from Laura Lee that were racist and cruel (fat shaming for instance).
As a publicist, I often think of what I would advice my clients to do if they were in that situation. In this case, I would have advised Laura to immediately make a heartfelt apology. I'd tell her to offer no excuses and to own up to everything. I'd tell her to take a long break from social media and use that time to work on herself and figure out ways to actively give back to the people she hurt and the community who has supported her for so long. I'd suggest she also call Jeffree Star to apologize.
That is not exactly what Laura Lee did. First, she deleted her Twitter most likely to avoid all of the backlash she was receiving. One day later, it was back up. Then instead of putting up an apology video, she put up a makeup video like nothing happened. Finally, she put up an apology video where she claimed the cruel tweets that she wrote were "retweets" and blamed this on being a small town girl from Alabama. There was a lot of crying, but nothing seemed genuine.
Laura has lost a ton of followers and brands seem to be dropping her and quite honestly, I think that is the correct thing to do. I do not support bullying her, but I think it's important for the beauty community to take a stand and show that this kind of behavior and hate will NOT be tolerated. We have the power to decide which influencers will get millions of followers and brand trips and it's time we start choosing better.
Jkissa is an extremely talented makeup artist/beauty influencer who never gets involved in drama. She rescues pittbulls and uses her channel as a platform to educate the importance of adopting animals. Her channel is vegan and cruelty free. She's honest with her subscribers only recommending brads and products she truly loves. She is someone who deserves 5 million subscribers and the opportunity to collaborate with any brand she chooses. She is someone we can actually admire and look up to.
Christen Dominique has over a million followers and her own beauty line that is now sold at Sephora. Yet she responds to her fans on Twitter whenever she can. She's always kind and respectful, never speaking badly of anyone. When people had issues with her second palette, she immediately sent EVERYONE who ordered her palette a new one, no hassle and no questions asked. You can tell that she's grateful for her success and that it hasn't changed her.
Nicole Renee Cutler also has an organization dedicated to rescuing animals and features animals in need on her channel regularly. She doesn't announce giveaways as click bait, but announces them in videos so that only her loyal subscribers have a chance to win. She much prefers affordable products and has no problem choosing an affordable dupe over a luxury item that was sent to her in PR.
Raw Beauty Kristi, Samantha Ravndahl, Jamie Page and Alanna Davison are friendship goals. These are girls are who are genuinely supportive of each other, who build each other up. They are honest with their subscribers, they talk about real issues (depression, self esteem, etc). They've been in the game for a long time, but they've stayed true to themselves and the friends who have been there for them, not the people they think might increase their viewership or further their careers.
These are the people we should be supporting. It's the beauty guru's who would turn down a brand trip to Ibiza because a brand is not cruelty free, the beauty influencers who will risk getting kicked off a PR list to give their honest review, the influencers who don't clap back to drama, the beauty influencers who do what they are doing not for fame or fortune, but for a genuine love of their craft and a genuine love for their subscribers.
