Influencers have a lengthy history of making controversial statements. Whether it's about race, gender, sexuality, or matters of suicide, there seems to be no filter for many YouTubers. Influencer Lindy Tsang is being added to that list after she compared the criticism that she received for posting a controversial video to the death of a young K-pop star.
A BuzzFeed article revealed the questionable statements, and social media isn't having it.
Lindy Tsang, also known as Bubzbeauty, on YouTube is a beauty and motherhood influencer with quite the following.
With over 2.8 million subscribers on YouTube and more than a decade on the platform, viewers look to her for everything from how to apply lashes to how to juggle life as a working mom. Her content often garners hundreds of thousands of views, and her fanbase is dedicated.
But recently, she caused quite the stir when she posted a video of her son playing with penis soap.
She posted a clip of her young son innocently playing with soap in the shape of a penis on her YouTube channel. And while her son was completely unaware of the nature of the activity, her followers surely did. And when approached with an influx of criticism, Tsang simply told people to relax.
"To those who are butthurt about this being inappropriate, don't worry and chill!" she wrote on her Instagram story.
She went on to compare the criticism to the death of K-pop star Goo Hara.
"Recently I heard in the passing of yet another Korea[n] Idol Goo Hara," she said. "And was so saddened by the news. Now I look at idols who are popular today and wonder which one is next to suicide."
The comparison is jarring considering the situations were not the same.
Hara was found dead last Sunday.
According to CNN, rumors of suicide began immediately after Hara was found unconscious in her Seoul home in May, after she had posted the word "Goodbye" on her Instagram account. Goo was in the midst of a legal battle with her ex-boyfriend Choi Jong-bum, who Hara said was blackmailing her with an alleged sex tape.
What has followed is countless accounts of cyberbullying, which many believe contributed to her death.
But Tsang wasn't done.
"Celebrities and influencers are not immune to your judgment even though you expect them to suck it up. They're people. With feelings," she continued on the story. "You cut them open and they will bleed the same colour as you."
Since the release of the BuzzFeed article, Tsang has continued to defend herself, believing that the situations are comparable, but social media continues to attack.
