There’s been a lot of drama brewing in recent days, yet whilst there’s almost always a petty little feud brewing in the influencer world, the James Charles and Tati Westbrook saga has taken pettiness to new heights. This kind of influencer feud has reiterated the fact that influencers in the digital world are ephemeral; they fall off the scene as suddenly as they emerge. Often, their brutal exit is determined by their once ‘loyal’ followers, confirming that these cult-like followings are about as dismissive as they are ‘supportive’.
The toxicity of cancel culture is everywhere.
Whilst the drama has been brewing, Tati Westbrook has taken to YouTube in recent hours to publicise an apology that marks a surprising end to the feud (well hopefully, anyway). The 18 minute video doesn’t feature a single ad, and as she fights back tears, Tati makes a very dignified mends to an extremely toxic feud.
“I was trying to reach someone who was unreachable and I had been trying to deliver the same message so many times because it wasn’t just about one thing.”
“I am hurting…but so is James and so is our community and a huge audience and I guess I just pray that we can all just be kind with each other through this.”
Tati Westbrook also revealed that she has opted to take an extended break from YouTube.
“I’m going to take a time-out and I’m going to come back and I’m going to continue to play with makeup because it makes me the happiest.”
Is This Too Good To Be True?
Yet whilst her apology seems dignified and honest, there’s really no guarantee that there won’t be continued fallout. The unravelling of this feud has proven that even when you suspect it’s over, there’s more name calling, shaming and cat-calling that adds fuel to an already roaring fire. Since her initial video was uploaded 6 days ago, Tati has accrued over 4 million YouTube subscribers – lifting her to a now staggering 10.5 mill following.
From such a petty feud, Tati’s copped a pretty hefty career-boosting bonus…and so it’s with this that I take her video with a grain of salt. Despite my scepticism, the reactions on her YouTube seem to all be of praise and endorsement. And to make matters even more interesting, yesterday marked the first day since the beginning of the saga that James Charles’ following actually increased.
Ugh, there’s no denying that the influencer space is a volatile field I’ll never want to actively take part in. It’ll certainly be interested to see if this is a surprisingly civil end to what was a ridiculously dramatic feud. This saga is a whole new level above the Jordan/Kylie showdown and I don’t quite know how to handle it.
Sources: Tati Youtube.
