Jenner (right) appeared on Charles’s channel
for a Halloween special in 2018 (James
Charles/YouTube)“We need to reestablish the balance because there is drama, and while that’s OK for some it’s not
necessarily setting the best example or showing the beauty industry in the best light. We need to take a step
back and look at the creators who aren’t all about the drama and the big flashiness, what they’re doing is be
exceptionally talented – and push those people to the forefront.”
While the rise, fall, and rise again of James Charles is unlikely to end a culture of scandal and drama among
the beauty YouTuber community, it may well be the catalyst for change in the way audiences react to it.
In June, YouTuber Jaclyn Hill (6 million subscribers) released a line of lipsticks which was met with
disastrous feedback and allegations that they were expired or contaminated due to reports of plastic and
metal shards embedded in the lipstick, holes and grittiness in the products and fluff and hairs in the
formula.
For those eagerly awaiting the next YouTube scandal, this was it. It featured a notoriously controversial
influencer, hundreds of thousands of angry consumers, conspiracy theories and endless commentary videos
and input from other established YouTubers.
And yet while the backlash has been harsh, it has also been measured. Drama channels are treating the
scandal with care, urging their viewers to be mindful of Hill’s mental health, and while she is losing
subscribers, the numbers are in the hundreds, not the millions.
It’s hard to imagine her getting off so lightly had this occurred pre-James Charles, and that is surely a sign of
a change in the tide of influencer backlash and cancel culture.