Part Two: Knowing Your Responsibilities as a Public Figure
As an audience, we often hear the following excuses when YouTubers fail to put out content: “I’ve been dealing with personal issues”, “I’ve been busy traveling”, “I need a mental health break”, or “I just couldn’t bring myself to sit down and film.” Here’s the reality; if you have enough time to Tweet, Snapchat, and only post a video when you’re forced to make a public apology, then maybe YouTube isn’t the place for you. The beauty community is going through a trend where influencers are posting videos with titles like “My truth”, “My Apology”, “I’m going to do better”, or “Let’s Talk”, but the only reason they’re posting is because they were caught being terrible people.
We need influencers who act as role models and actively set out to make a difference in the lives of their subscribers rather than those who are hungry for drama. Granted, not all influencers are bad people and there is always room for self-improvement. For instance, Jeffree Star has made an incredible come back from the darkness in his past, Shane Dawson’s recent series, The Secret Life of Jeffree Star, is a small testament to how far he has come as a person and as a legitimate businessman.
This had to be an intimidating experience-knowing that there are so many people who could have used this series to exploit him or make him feel less than he is. If you haven’t watched the series, I suggest that you do. It’s a success story worth hearing. Jeffree is honest, genuine, and stands up for what he believes in. True, sometimes he’s a little controversial, but he’s working to put positive content out into the world. As a subscriber that’s all you can really ask for, isn’t it?
Check out part one here: https://www.hercampus.com/school/susqu/spilling-tea-beauty-community