In the 14 years that YouTube has existed, it has gained traction from the plethora of viral videos and popular trends. YouTube has become its own ground-breaking culture in which minimalists and individuals of all ages rely on to seek advice or entertainment.
Much like anything on the internet, YouTube has its downsides: one of them being the negativity that easily spreads. Naive individuals who reveal their face on their own channels are constantly criticized by people who easily hide behind a screen. However, the overwhelming hate can come from its own creators targeting each other as well.
YouTube is no stranger to cyber-bullying, but the beauty community has toxicity growing in its roots. From criticizing young amateurs on their work and promoting false advertisement for views, the beauty community on YouTube holds a cage of scandals.
The beauty community is one of the most favored areas on YouTube along with the gaming and vlogging community—its creators being makeup and fashion gurus and its audience being any individual who aspires to learn more about said subject. The beauty community has expanded from videos that showcase one’s work to promoting their own original product.
Although different communities from YouTube have had their fair run of accusations and battling for personal gains, the beauty community has slowly begun to reveal its true colors through the top beauty gurus. Many scandals, feuds, calling-outs, and petty attempts have been made from individuals who claim to be raiding positive energy.
Jeffree Star is a famous beauty guru who holds many controversial social feuds, involving the likes of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, Jerrod Blandino of Too Faced, and Laura Lee. Star has accused many other competitors in the beauty industry of selling products that are fake, overpriced, and overrated—and even going as far as attacking their personal lives.
One of the most recent scandals to take place has been the feud between ex-best friends, Tati Westbrook and James Charles. A friendship that began as Tati being a mentor/mother figure to James Charles, a young beauty guru who has grown over the years with Tati’s help, turned into a problematic story with accusations thrown left and right.
Westbrook posted a 40-minute-long video explaining that Charles is a manipulative young adult who preys on straight men. From stating the betrayal she felt when James began supporting her competitor’s products to the disgust she felt when he ‘forced’ himself on a waiter at her birthday dinner, Westbrook left no detail out.
As Charles’ subscriber count decreased by over 2 million in a span of 3 days, Charles responded with a backlash of a 40-minute-long video explaining his side of the story. Other beauty gurus got involved and began to take one or the other’s side.
Currently, no one is aware where James Charles and Tati Westbrook stand. Only one thing is clear as more secrets are being revealed: the YouTube beauty community is no longer a home where enthusiasts can share their passionate skills with the world as it used to be.
Like social media, posts can be deleted. But what goes on the Internet stays on the internet. Many of the negative vibes that fall from the beauty community come from the beauty gurus themselves. Using their own platform, they easily manipulate the minds of young individuals who look up to them.
What started out as a supportive site became a war zone of gaining popularity through fake compassion. As many beauty gurus become famous influencers who sell their own products, their ugly intentions come to light when they begin to use their audience and publicly shame other influencers to expand their business for personal gain.
