Bye Sister: Welcome back to yet another influencer scandal

It was the mascara TikTok seen around the world.

Influencers have always been questioned about whether or not they are being genuine with their product reviews, or if they are only promoting a product because they were paid to do so. 

The latest addition to this discourse has been with TikTok beauty influencer, Mikayla Nogueira and a video she posted on Jan. 24. 

In the video, Nogueira, who has 14.4 million TikTok followers, had a paid promotion to showcase a L’Oréal mascara. There was an almost instant discussion about whether or not Nogueira applied fake eyelashes to make the mascara look better by giving her longer lashes.

The whole beauty community was in shambles, once again. It was sistergate 3.0, but this time, the fans were the ones left the most offended. They could not believe that an influencer that they admired would lie to millions of their fans. 

It is essential that you, the consumer, are aware of the business of being an influencer. Are these people actually not being paid, or are they being paid to say that they are not being paid? 

Because of all that drama, guess what product started to sell more? The L’Oréal mascara that she used. People need to realize that brands use influencers to get attention, no matter if it’s good, or bad. Influencers are the reason why products sell. 

Brands dedicate a lot of advertisement money just to pay off these influencers to showcase, or even mention, a product. Every decision made is for money, and money only, integrity will always come later. 

When looking at people promoting something, you have to take everything with a grain of salt. Not every product is made for everyone, but it is the job of an influencer to make it seem like it is. And you cannot just blindly believe someone just because you follow them.You cannot just take someone’s word for something, and believe it to be true. 

While influencers are “normal” people and not considered celebrities, they are still running their own businesses and doing their job. Do not put your full trust in these people — be skeptical.

Being influencer-baited is never fun. Words cannot describe the feeling of being so excited about a product, just for it to fail. But with life, there comes trial and error: it’s normal and natural. 

Yes, it is frustrating to live in a world where we hold these influencers in high regard when it comes to what is and isn’t good, but having to constantly be surrounded by them, and all their drama can be mentally exhausting. Deciding when is enough, is essential. 

Because at the end of the day, you would do it too for a check.

Graphic by — Rachel Fratt