The theft and co-opting of the ideas of black women has a history that spans centuries. From the way we do our hair to our fashion sense and so much more, we are doing the work with none of the credit far too often. So who is to blame? That's the question social media is asking after this week's influencer drama.
As the saying goes, "With great power, comes great responsibility," and unfortunately, YouTuber Jackie Aina is finding that out the hard way. After another black beauty influencer placed blame on her for the actions of Patrick Starrr and Manny MUA, much of Twitter is torn. However, the situation is bringing light to a bigger problem: the plight of black women and expectations that are both unrealistic and irrational.
With the rise of Jackie Aina's success, the pressures have grown.
There's a lot of responsibility that comes with being arguably the biggest black beauty influencer of all time. From covers of major magazines, awards from WWD, and an extremely successful palette launch, 2019 has seriously been Aina's year. However, with her intense notoriety has come unrealistic expectations, and somehow, for many, she's become the token black voice and the gatekeeper of inclusivity and diversity.
And that was evident earlier this week when tensions arose with another popular black beauty influencer who accused two major YouTubers of stealing her work.
Chelsie Worthy, the creator of the much-imitated "traptorials," the innovative and brilliant makeup tutorials that come decked out with music, dance moves, and impeccable editing skills, accused Patrick Starrr and Manny MUA of stealing her style without giving proper credit. We have to admit, though, the evidence is compelling.
First was Manny Gutierrez.
Manny MUA basically stole Worthy's entire idea less than 48 hours after she posted a similar video. "MannyMua733 literally jacked @wvrthy entire VIDEO and style within a 24 hr period of her posting hers … I’m disgusted at how these large influencers steal from up-and-coming BLACK & BROWN influencers," someone noted on Twitter.
Then there was Patrick Starrr.
Starrr also did a tutorial using very similar transitions and music. And while his may not have been as blatant a copy as Gutierrez's video, it definitely raised a few brows.
So I bet now you're wondering what this all has to do with Aina.
Many others are wondering the same thing. Well, the two tutorials in question had one thing in common: They were both promoting Aina's new Anastasia Beverly Hills collab palette. Worthy proceeded to place blame on Aina for reposting the videos and not giving her credit. And while Worthy was well within her rights to be frustrated with Starrr and Gutierrez, her animosity toward Aina, who has been known to support Worthy, seemed out of left field to many.
But for others who felt otherwise, the trolling of Aina commenced.
And the intense, even cruel criticisms led to Aina completely deleting her Twitter account, expressing that she's sick of being a punching bag, and shouldn't be expected to speak on every single thing that's both black and beauty related. She defended herself by affirming that when she saw Starrr's tutorial, she didn't initially see it as a direct imitation of Worthy.
It all further continues the conversation about why black women are put on this unrealistic pedestal.
Aina has dedicated her entire YouTube career to uplifting black women, encouraging brands to diversify, and being an ally to other WOC influencers. Yet the moment she doesn't behave or speak out about topics that don't directly affect her, she comes under fire.
"I’m very upset about this Chelsie situation. I was very much on her side until it became a matter of putting it all on Jackie Aina, another black woman that has been black-balled and ridiculed as well … for over a f****g decade," someone tweeted.
At the end of the day, these YouTubers are people and should be treated as such. Catch us over here crossing our fingers for Aina's Twitter return.
