After 14 years of being a beauty influencer, Jaclyn Hill seems to be losing her audience. At least, she thinks she is. ICYMI, the recent Jaclyn Hill drama about her content’s views (or her perceived lack thereof) is all over TikTok, and users have thoughts.Â
As many influencers do, Hill took to TikTok on Dec. 4 to air her grievances about a decrease in viewership of her videos. She blames the apps and their algorithms for “punishing her” for not posting consistently by not showing her videos to her loyal audience. She explains how the issue isn’t engagement, it’s low views. For example, “when you have a million followers, but you’re getting 30,000 views, this is just not the way it used to be,” she said. She continues to add that “life happens” and she is “burnt out” from over a decade of producing content, and shouldn’t be put in “TikTok jail” when this happens.Â
Fans instantly took the comments to push back at Jaclyn, saying that the influencer was being “out of touch.” One user commented, “Girl, we can’t afford FRUIT and you’re telling us this in front of your $800 Balsam Hill tree and $135 sweatshirt.” Another wrote, “I can’t connect to a $10,000 purse or shoe haul when $10,000 would pay off all my loans and change my life.”
Hill transformed her rant about low views into an opportunity to curate her content for her audience. “My ears are open, I’m listening,” she says from bed in her informal follow-up video. She recognizes her viewers are tired of the “influencer era,” so she asks them what they want to see.Â
Others are still upset, saying she is completely missing the point. Referencing the dystopian film Hunger Games, one user commented, “District 12 is tired of watching District 1 complain about luxuries some of us would die to have.”
However, some fans have come to Hill’s defense in the comments as well — with some constructive criticism. One fan wrote, “I love you, and I’m an OG follower, and will continue to follow you, but we’re just tired out here trying to pay our bills, while the influencers live in these lavish homes, it’s just not relatable anymore,” and another commented, “Would love more makeup looks/tutorials/grwm!!! Love your videos and thankful for you because you taught me so much!!”
In addition to a slew of unsatisfied comments, some TikTokers even made their own videos about the drama. Captioned “we’re in an affordability crisis, Jaclyn,” one user made a minute-long video explaining why “wealthy influencer doesn’t get why people don’t watch her videos anymore.”Â
“Jacyln, you’re rich, and you won,” the creator, @daadisnacks, said in their video. “But I’m sorry if people don’t want to be drowned in overconsumption by influencers when they can’t afford groceries or housing.”
Whether or not Hill truly understands her audience’s issues with her original rant, she seems to be listening to their suggestions. Her latest post, which has accrued over 3 million views, is a tutorial of her box-dying her eyebrows. And the world keeps spinning, I guess.