A new controversy has been sparked by beauty influencer Jeffree Star, who accused fellow influencer James Charles of predatory behavior during his recent appearance on the Tana Mongeau podcast “Cancelled”. Star said that Charles, who is now 24, tried to use his fame and wealth to coerce a 19-year-old young man to see him alone. The younger man said Charles invited him to his hotel room and, when he hesitated, he allegedly said, “I paid for this room”, which was an apparent implication of expectation of reward.
Those allegations reignited echoes of a scandal a year earlier when beauty influencer Tati Westbrook publicly accused Charles of making improper advances toward young men, even labeling him a “danger to society” in a video watched by millions. Star alluded to the notion that Westbrook’s original allegations were staged to “teach [Charles] a lesson” and that there’s more to the story than everyone realized.
Dramatic accusations had quickly become blazing the fire across all social media. Commentary platform Drama Alert catalyzed an intense discussion after posting a summary of Star’s claims, soon trending among users. Out of the issues, some viewers went to praise Star’s stance, while others said that Star himself has had cases leveled against him in the past. This brought forward the seriousness of a complex web of allegations that have repeatedly come up within this beautification community.
Charles has not yet made any public reaction to Star’s latest comments. At the very minimum, this re-emergent controversy brings back the issues of accountability and power dynamics of influencers besides their ethics of responsibility. People have been clamoring over more scrutiny of interactions between influencers and people they influence given that these personalities truly have a significant impact on digital space. This isolated incident touches on deeper concerns within the beauty community: it relates to transparency and responsible behavior from social media personas.
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