Keep scrolling for the unexpected brand that won over TikTok (with an ad, no less).
Selena Gomez announces social media break following days of online drama
Selena Gomez has been embroiled in TikTok drama this week with Hollywood’s nepo baby girl gang.
On February 21st, Selena debuted a fresh brow lamination on her TikTok stories.
In a text overlay, the Rare Beauty founder wrote “I wish I was as pretty as Bella Hadid” and went on to say that her brows were accidentally over-laminated— indicating her severe brow lamination resembled Bella’s signature high brow line. (Reminder: Selena and Bella share an ex, The Weeknd.)
Just hours later, Kylie Jenner posted a screenshot on Instagram stories of a FaceTime call with Hailey Bieber where both women zoomed in on their eyebrows.
Kylie also posted a glam selfie to her Instagram stories, writing “this was an accident ?????” over her brushed-up eyebrows.
Kylie provided no context for her stories but users were quick to jump on social media to accuse her and Hailey of mocking Selena’s eyebrows.
Though Selena and Hailey seemingly made nice in October 2022, Hailey is a longtime friend of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, hence why some were inclined to believe that Kylie would participate in mocking Selena in support of her friend.
Kylie denied the allegations in a TikTok comment on a video by @devotedly.yours.
In response to Kylie’s comment, Selena said she agrees that the situation was blown out of proportion.
One day later, Selena fanned the flames even more when she took to the TikTok comments in a resurfaced video of Hailey shading Taylor Swift at an award show.
In the video, which is clearly years old, Hailey makes a gagging face at the mention of Taylor’s name while on stage co-presenting.
“So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game,” she reportedly wrote. The comment appears to have since been deleted.
Selena announced on February 23rd via TikTok live that she will be taking a break from social media.
Read the full story via Centennial Beauty.
Emma Chamberlain gives a sobering take on internet fame
In a new profile for The New York Times, Emma Chamberlain discussed the reality of internet fame and why she’s ready to leave her YouTube career “behind”.
Emma said she started YouTube as a way to distract herself from her depression and anxiety. But after becoming one of the most successful internet personalities of all time, her mental health got worse.
“It got to a point where my depression came back, and the reason was because my whole life was on the internet. I felt so exposed. I felt so much pressure, and I was scared. My anxiety was out of control. In this moment, I’m at a good place. But maybe a year and a half, two years ago, it was challenging.”
Emma explained that her anxiety is brought on by constantly feeling like a target, both physically and psychologically.
“I spend a lot of time by myself, and I feel like a target. It’s hard to feel safe. That’s on a physical level. But on a psychological level, the internet is constantly witch-hunting.”
She went on to say that internet fame makes her feel “powerless” in her identity because, in a way, the public has complete control over the future of her career. This has led Emma to strive for perfection in the way presents herself to the public.
“I’m terrified because I am human and I’m not perfect and who knows what people could find about me. Somebody could make up a lie about me tomorrow and ruin my life. I feel powerless about my own identity at times, because I feel like it’s in the control of the public. […] Feeling out of control in my identity has caused psychological harm. It’s caused severe perfectionism. Everything I do, I must be perfect. I must treat everyone perfectly. I must show up to everything on time. […] It’s this fear of not being a perfect-enough person because I feel like any moment, any mistake, could be the end. I’ve seen people get destroyed on the internet. It’s a scary place to exist.”
Though few people will ever reach Emma’s level of fame, this sentiment is felt by users from every walk of life who choose to post online. Social media can give you the world, and within an instant, that world can be ripped out from under you.
Read Emma’s full interview via The New York Times.
TikTok by Erica Nicole explores how the internet has made young people “no longer teachable”
On the topic of toxic internet culture, a TikTok video by user Erica Nicole explores the problems that can arise from adults sharing online spaces with young people who are still learning about themselves and the world around them.
Erica stitched a video by 26-year-old right-wing creator Pearl Davis, in which Pearl slammed modern women for being “bad wives”.
In her stitch, Erica said that the “greatest crime of the internet is equalising us across age and developmental stage”.
She went on to say that a lot of young people go through a “loud and wrong stage” as part of growing up and developing analytical skills. Historically, this wasn’t a big deal, as this stage was generally contained within our age group.
Social media, particularly Twitter and TikTok, have opened this up. These platforms are “one big room” with millions of young people co-existing with adults.
“When you say something like [Pearl], who is consistently loud and wrong, and an older person comes to like call you in, teach you, correct you, you think ‘oh this is just a hater’. Right? Because we’re all equal here. […] The internet makes you think that we’re all equal players here in terms of expertise and analysis.”
She goes on to say that this has led to a lot of young people being “no longer teachable.”
Her comments have been flooded with users agreeing with her analysis and noting that they find this trait particularly present in young people entering the workforce.
Watch Erica’s full take via TikTok.
Jeffree Star threatens to sue media outlets that reported on his anti-nonbinary comments
Beauty mogul Jeffree Star is facing backlash for comments he made about trans and nonbinary people on a recent podcast.
While appearing on Taylor Lewan’s ‘Bussin’ With The Boys’ podcast, Jeffree said that conservatives follow him because he’s “not into all the other bullshit.”
“The ‘they’ and ‘them.’ And all that extra shit that we added during the pandemic because everyone was so bored in their fucking houses. They just started to make up more shit. […] That’s why the conservatives like me, because I’m just real. You’re not ‘they’ and ‘them’. You’re trans — you’re male, or you’re female. And people get so mad when I say that. How are you a ‘they?’ What the fuck does that mean? It’s stupid!”"
Understandably, the disgraced creator has faced an onslaught of backlash.
Days later, Jeffree took to Instagram stories threatening to sue media outlets that reported on his comments.
“What we’re not gonna do, is lie on my name. So anyone creating a lie, meaning the media outlets, I’m gonna Cardi B you. I’m gonna file a lawsuit.”
In 2022, Cardi B won a lawsuit against a gossip YouTuber who was found to have made "degrading and harassing statements" in 21 videos about the rapper, including falsely stating that she had worked as a prostitute.
Despite Jeffree comparing his situation to Cardi B’s, many have noted there is a big difference between a YouTuber fabricating stories about Cardi B’s past and mainstream media outlets reporting on something Jeffree said verbatim on a podcast.
See his threats in full via Twitter.
How Hilton’s 10-minute ad won over TikTok
Hilton Hotels recently made waves for disregarding promotional norms in a recent TikTok ad that has completely won over users.
Last week, Hilton dropped a 10-minute TikTok promoting the "it matters where you stay" campaign. The video begins with a clip of Paris Hilton asking, "Would you watch a 10-minute-long TikTok?" TikTok star Chris Olsen answers for us. Stylised like a stitch, Chris sits in the front seat of his car, saying what we are all thinking, "no." But soon Paris emerges from the back seat, attempting to convince us that it is worth sticking it out.
The remainder of the ad feels like a Hilton-centric TikTok FYP. The commercial splices together commentary-style videos, comedy skits, reaction videos and even a remix to cater to the short-form video app. The ad also features some familiar faces, Hilton collaborating with some of TikTok's most celebrated and popular creators.
TikTok users have since applauded the hotel company for the ad, with many in disbelief that they sat through an entire 10-minute TikTok.
While the ad featured some big names, its true triumph is how it satirises digital marketing. Tapping into the de-influencing movement that has recently taken over TikTok, Baron Ryan's feature in the ad pokes fun at influencers and how they are often forced to create promotional TikToks that misalign with their brand or typical content style.
Commentary creator @zethugqola notes that this kind of self-awareness has contributed to the campaign's success online.
“They took the fact that influencer marketing is no longer that influential. For marketers, it works, but it no longer gives the impact that it [once] did," she explains. "They also mock the fact that brands tend to take influencers out of their comfort zone and make them do something that is not typical to their content."
Kathryn, otherwise known as @twentysomethingstudent, claims that Hilton's decision to emulate TikTok's FYP through fake duets and stitches captivated viewers from the get-go.
“It uses recognisable faces who are really well known on the platform, and they let them create content in their own style, so it just feels incredibly natural", she shares. "They use in-app features to help drive engagement… they use duets throughout which aren't actually duets… they reference stitching and have the whole thing done as a loop, it's just done with such finesse."
The ad currently has over 18.3 million views and over 400K comments.
Read the full analysis via Centennial Beauty.
Has TikTok ruined New York Fashion Week?
This week’s infinite scroll podcast explores how TikTok has “ruined” New York Fashion Week a second time due to the platform’s obsession with exposing people, brands, and events. We look at several viral videos from creators who shared their negative experiences at Fashion Week related events and dive into examples of times when TikTok's culture of over-sharing has led to a real-life impact, for better or for worse.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.