say, and buy: the principle of social proof. To learn what is correct, we look at what other people are doing.”
The impulse to be part of a vindicated group – in this case, the people “cancelling” James Charles – is
compounded by the unparalleled visibility of the sentiment. Social media analytics site Social Blade was
live-streaming the subscriber differential for Charles and Westbrook, allowing viewers to watch Charles’s
fall from grace in real time, and contributing to a collective mentality which lacked awareness of the
potential nuance in the feud
Brooks says that watching Charles’s subscriber count go down was “a meme and a moment on social media
in itself”.
With mainstream outlets including the BBC, CNN, Sky News, The New York Times, The Washington Post
and The Atlantic covering a YouTube story for the first time, the herd was endorsed more than ever and the
echochamber became even louder.
The complexities of sexual impropriety allegations
It’s impossible to separate the reaction to Westbrook’s video from the allegations themselves. While the
accusations of treachery and entitlement may have riled viewers on an emotional level, the reaction to her
claim that Charles was pressuring men into sexual contact elicited a more complex response.
It would be naive to say that the Me Too movement has completely changed society’s view on sexual assault
and harassment, but it is fair to suggest that in cases where accusations are made, the morally correct
response is broadly understood to be: believe the victim. But we forget that the allegations against Charles
did not come from a victim, but from a former friend who – by her own admission – was a bystander in
more than one of these apparent instances. Further, the power differential in the allegations against Charles
isn’t as straightforward as that of Harvey Weinstein, for example – allegations of a straight,
white, male multimillionaire Hollywood producer coercing young unknown female actors into sexual acts
under the understanding that their refusal would end their careers.
The ‘Messy Make-up Trivia ft Jeffree Star and
Tati’ video from January, before the feud
(James Charles/YouTube)In an episode of Radio 4’s Late Night Woman’s Hour, host Emma Barnett discussed the situation at the time
with beauty journalist Sali Hughes and writer and broadcaster Miranda Sawyer. Hughes, who admits she
didn’t know who James Charles was until that week, points out that he is “this barely-an-adult, young gay
man in make-up – which is a hard thing to be in society”.
When discussing the sexual harassment allegations, which largely centre around Charles aggressively
pursuing men he knew to be straight, Sawyer says: “People get hit on all the time, ask any woman. It’s just
ludicrous. He’s 19, if he sends a [direct message on social media] to a 30-year-old straight guy saying ‘you’re
fit’ I mean really – lucky you. I think that mainstream America is incredibly homophobic, and they’re
running scared of the idea – it’s so 1970s – that ‘a gay guy can turn you gay’.”
Of course, Charles does have a huge following, wealth, and stature in the community, so it’s not unfeasible