The general public has become the judge, jury and executioner to celebrities and influencers.
Celebrities are A-list or household names, including Kanye West or Colin Kaepernick, whereas influencers are those who attained fame through social media platforms such as Jeffree Star, a makeup guru who rose to fame after his prolific MySpace presence.
The collective disapproval of well-known individuals’s actions has culminated into something
widely known as “cancel culture.”
Cancel culture was introduced to public consciousness around 2017, according to an Aug. 6, 2020 Insider article.
From 2017 to 2020, being canceled was an influencer’s worst nightmare.
One of my favorite influencers, Tana Mongeau is all too familiar with cancel culture.
Mongeau rose to fame on YouTube in 2015, posting weekly storytime videos about her life experiences that came as a result of her unorthodox teenage years.
Her videos highlighted her sense of humor and made me laugh from beginning to end.
She found a lot of popularity with teenage girls and the LGBTQ+ community.
However in 2017, in a now-deleted YouTube video, she had her first date with serious cancellation after she accused fellow YouTuber Ian Jomha, better known as iDubbbz, of being racist after he used the n-word at one of her meet and greets.
Shortly after, videos of her using the same slur surfaced.
As the incriminating videos of Mongeau circulated, iDubbbz cemented her cancellation in a Feb. 6, 2017 video titled “Content Cop - Tana Mongeau,” where he called out Mongeau’s hypocrisy.
Flash forward to 2022, when Mongeau launched her podcast called “Cancelled.”
In the podcast, she posted content similar to what she had on YouTube, except this time, with higher production quality and a co-host, fellow influencer Brooke Schofield.
The podcast was extremely entertaining and covered up-to-date conflicts Mongeau found herself in, she also rehashed past scandals that often included drama with men she had dated or with other women influencers.
The point is, celebrities and influencers are starting to see that being canceled may not be the end of the world.
In fact, people like Mongeau are capitalizing on the fact they’ve been canceled.
This is a clever marketing tool that traces back to the saying, “All press is good press.”
Another influencer whose content I frequent, but also uses this problematic-based persona to their advantage is Trisha Paytas, who is known for doing and saying off-the-wall things to garner attention.
Paytas built a name for themself by trolling people on YouTube.
Unfortunately, their trolling has come at the expense of people's culture.
One example is their creation of “Popstar Trishii,” in which they mocked and appropriated Japanese culture.
They also received criticism from their now-deleted 2020 YouTube video titled “MEET MY ALTERS” where Paytas diagnosed themself with dissociative identity disorder, a mental illness causing people to develop multiple distinct personalities, according to a Cleveland Clinic article.
Paytas has cleaned up their act since 2020, and is now a parent to their beautiful daughter, Malibu Barbie Paytas-Hacmon.
Their content has shifted from trivial trolling to relatable car conversations, in which they try out new menu items from various fast food restaurants.
Paytas is not the first person to admit to their problematic ways and has no problem taking accountability for their past wrongdoings, something I admire and believe is a genuine sign of growth.
By no means am I condoning the things these influencers have done or said in the past, but I’m raising the question as to whether or not “canceling” them is the best course of action if people want to see influencers and celebrities stop being controversial.
Social media has allowed influencers to utilize being “problematic” as a tool in their repertoire.
People know what to expect when they see Mongeau or Paytas pop up on their screen, being scandalous is on-brand for them, and their audience (including me) is eating it up.
Social media has the ability to ruin reputations of influencers, but celebrities who found their fame through a broader audience are a different story.
A recent incident that comes to mind is Beyoncè’s performance in Dubai.
Social media scrutinized Beyoncè for performing in the large Middle Eastern city because of their anti-LGBTQ+ laws, but let’s be honest, are we really canceling Beyoncè?
The answer is no, so let’s allow her to get that $24 million bag without trying to cancel her.
However, in Kanye West’s case, his revolting behavior has earned him a spot on the public’s shit list.
Whether he’s harassing Taylor Swift or praising Donald Trump, social media genuinely seems to be irritated with his antics.
I think people have handled West’s contentious actions well.
Whenever I hear people talk about him, there seems to be an overall theme of disappointment.
Many conversations I’ve had in 2023 regarding West always seem to go a little something like: “I love his music, but…”
Cancel culture is not the key to accountability.
Influencers and celebrities gaining notoriety by making damaging comments and doing heinous things is the fault of those who partake in cancel culture, not the celebrities or influencers themselves.
Cancel culture has clearly been exploited by public figures and is starting to have the reverse effect.
If you feel like someone’s actions are horrifying enough to the point where they should no longer have an influential platform, the answer should be indifference to their content.
With all this being said, can you people please let me watch Trisha and Tana in peace?
