Old vs New School

Reading a thread on Reddit made me think about the original beauty gurus and the difficulties they faced to pave the way for the new “influencers”. There is another article about influencers purchasing followers and calling that influence. Some may figure no one gets hurt but in fact, it hurts people who put integrity into their social media content or blog posts.

First, I don’t call myself an influencer; I simply offer the latest in affordable makeup and share my thoughts about brands and products. In my opinion, an influencer has an agenda for pushing their “favorite” products, brands, etc, basically hoping that they get noticed for PR or sponsored content. I can write with the conviction that I do love every single brand I write or share on my social media. I happily spend my own money to purchase (and support) the brands; I am not on a single PR list.

I think around 2013 is when brands really started taking note of beauty Youtubers and the influx of customers who shared that their favorite guru mentioned the product/brand. It’s a no-brainer that brands would show their appreciation by sending a palette or mascara or whatever but it has now morphed into most beauty bloggers on Instagram feeling entitled to PR packages.

I remember watching Marlena Stell years ago and she, along with Nikkie Tutorials and Wayne Goss, bought all of her makeup. She shared her favorites but she didn’t push for her subscribers to purchase from MAC or any brands she used. Marlena and Michelle Phan would do tutorials but consistently tell viewers to use whatever products they had to create the looks. I miss the old days and tutorials; we just had fun recreating looks with whatever palette we had.

Change is good but the beauty community has morphed from fun and carefree to competitive and entitled. There has a been a brand or two that I’ve witnessed holding a PR search with public voting. This caused a spewing of hate in the comment section after the winners were announced. I’ve also seen brands simply pick people for numbers or the MUA created out-of-the-box looks, leaving amateurs and pros alike feeling left out. I’m going to say this in all caps: MAKEUP IS ART AND SUBJECTIVE. IF YOU AREN’T PICKED FOR PR, KEEP IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS AND DON’T LET THE REJECTION BRING YOUR CONFIDENCE DOWN. Brands are always watching and you never know what could happen.

I’ve been thinking about the type of content I want to film for my Youtube channel, and instead of writing this article and wishing for change, I’ve decided to start with myself and let my actions affect that change. Once I’ve mapped out my videos, you will see a lot from me.

Share your thoughts about the current beauty community and your thoughts about PR below. After that, follow Indie Clique for more launches, reviews, and my (unwarranted) opinions. You can find me on social media (links in sidebar).

*Photo is a stock photo from Adobe*

 All written content is copyright of AJ Monique. View the privacy policy for more details.