The Internet HATES Black Women Unless We're Performing

00:36:43
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqLIu4KAI-E

Zusammenfassung

TLDRIn this video, Tony Brienne addresses the challenges faced by black women on the internet, particularly in the influencer space. She argues that black women often have to perform or conform to certain standards to gain recognition, while white influencers can achieve success with less effort. Brienne discusses the racial pay gap, the disparity in brand opportunities, and the need for a more diverse representation of black women in media. She emphasizes that black culture drives many trends, yet black creators are often overlooked. The video calls for a conversation about these systemic issues and advocates for equity in the influencer economy.

Mitbringsel

  • 💪 Black women face unique challenges in the influencer space.
  • 📉 There is a significant racial pay gap in the creator economy.
  • 🌍 Black culture drives trends, yet black creators are often overlooked.
  • 🤝 White influencers gain success with less effort compared to black women.
  • 🎤 The algorithm favors whiteness and soft aesthetics over bold content.
  • 📢 A call for more diverse representation of black women in media.
  • 🎙️ The Decision Podcast discusses impactful life choices.
  • 💔 Black women shouldn't have to perform to be seen or valued.
  • 📈 Many black creators feel pressured to conform to certain aesthetics.
  • 🗣️ It's important to have conversations about these systemic issues.

Zeitleiste

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The video introduces the topic of how the internet often overlooks black women unless they are performing, highlighting the exhaustion and exhilaration of being a black woman. The host, Tony Brienne, emphasizes the need for this conversation and shares a positive quote to start the video.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Tony promotes her podcast, 'The Decision Podcast,' which discusses impactful life choices. She mentions the success of her previous episodes and encourages viewers to listen and subscribe, setting the stage for the main topic of the video.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Tony discusses the disparity in recognition and opportunities between black women and white influencers, noting that white creators often gain success with less effort. She shares her personal experiences as a content creator, highlighting the challenges faced by black women in the industry.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    The video compares the content styles of black and white creators, pointing out that white creators often receive more views and opportunities for less effort. Tony uses examples of specific influencers to illustrate the differences in how their content is received and rewarded.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    Tony addresses the issue of black culture being appropriated by white creators, who often gain recognition for trends started by black individuals. She emphasizes the need for black women to perform to be seen and the challenges they face in being recognized for their contributions.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    The video highlights the emotional struggles of black women, sharing a poignant story of a woman dealing with postpartum depression. Tony stresses that black women should not have to reach a breaking point to be acknowledged and that their stories hold power and strength.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:36:43

    Tony concludes by discussing the need for diversity in brand collaborations and the tendency for brands to favor a specific type of black creator. She calls for a broader representation of black women in the influencer space and encourages viewers to engage in the conversation about these issues.

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Mind Map

Video-Fragen und Antworten

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    The video discusses how the internet does not favor black women unless they are performing.

  • Who is the creator of the video?

    The video is created by Tony Brienne.

  • What does Tony Brienne say about white influencers?

    She points out that white influencers often gain success with less effort compared to black women who have to work harder to achieve the same recognition.

  • What is the significance of the quote shared at the beginning?

    The quote emphasizes the importance of letting go of what no longer aligns with oneself, setting a positive tone for the discussion.

  • What does Tony Brienne say about brand trips?

    She mentions that black influencers are often treated poorly or overlooked in brand trips compared to their white counterparts.

  • What is the racial pay gap mentioned in the video?

    Black influencers reportedly make 35% less than white influencers on average, even with similar follower counts and engagement.

  • What does Tony Brienne suggest about the representation of black women in media?

    She calls for a more diverse representation of black women in media and influencer spaces, beyond just the 'palatable' archetype.

  • What is the Decision Podcast?

    The Decision Podcast is Tony Brienne's podcast where she discusses impactful life choices and shares stories from various guests.

  • What does Tony Brienne say about the algorithm on social media platforms?

    She believes that the algorithm tends to favor whiteness and soft aesthetics over bold and creative content.

  • What is the overall message of the video?

    The video aims to highlight the systemic issues faced by black women in the influencer space and advocate for recognition and equity.

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Untertitel
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Automatisches Blättern:
  • 00:00:00
    Being a black woman is probably one of
  • 00:00:01
    the most exhausting yet overly
  • 00:00:03
    exhilarating experiences in the entire
  • 00:00:05
    world. What is up you guys? Welcome back
  • 00:00:07
    to my channel. And if you're new to my
  • 00:00:09
    channel, welcome to my channel. My name
  • 00:00:10
    is Tony Brienne. And in today's video,
  • 00:00:13
    we're going to be talking about how the
  • 00:00:14
    internet does not like black women
  • 00:00:16
    unless they're performing. That is a
  • 00:00:18
    word. Ooh, I don't know if I'm going to
  • 00:00:20
    make people mad, but it's a conversation
  • 00:00:22
    that needed to be had and I have a lot
  • 00:00:24
    to say. And I broke this video down in
  • 00:00:26
    several talking points. But as always,
  • 00:00:28
    y'all know I like to start off every
  • 00:00:29
    video with a little bit of positivity.
  • 00:00:31
    So, let's first start off with the quote
  • 00:00:33
    of the day. I let go of what no longer
  • 00:00:36
    aligns with me. Today's verse of the day
  • 00:00:38
    is Psalm 37:5
  • 00:00:41
    and it reads, "Let the Lord be your
  • 00:00:43
    guide into the future. Trust in him and
  • 00:00:45
    he will help you." And without further
  • 00:00:47
    ado, my lovely people, let's get
  • 00:00:50
    straight into today's video.
  • 00:00:54
    Before
  • 00:01:03
    we get into today's video, actually,
  • 00:01:04
    sorry y'all. I forgot to do my little
  • 00:01:05
    promo promo. Tony Brand TV is not only a
  • 00:01:08
    YouTube channel. Tony Brand TV is a
  • 00:01:10
    podcast. So, we are available on all
  • 00:01:12
    audio streaming platforms. So, if you
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    don't want to watch me, if my face is
  • 00:01:16
    making you angry, you're doing the
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    dishes, you're cleaning up, you're
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    driving your car, and you can't watch
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    me. I'm available on everything. All
  • 00:01:23
    right. Apple, Spotify, you name it, I'm
  • 00:01:26
    on it. The links are down below. So, if
  • 00:01:27
    you guys want to listen to this episode,
  • 00:01:29
    please listen. Okay. Please be sure to
  • 00:01:31
    subscribe to my podcast, The Decision
  • 00:01:33
    Podcast. It's my sitdown interview
  • 00:01:35
    podcast where we talk about how one
  • 00:01:37
    choice can impact your entire life.
  • 00:01:39
    First woman on the show was a woman that
  • 00:01:41
    unfortunately contracted HIV by her
  • 00:01:43
    sugar daddy. And that video blew up
  • 00:01:45
    along with the other videos doing very
  • 00:01:47
    well, too. And we are going on season
  • 00:01:49
    two. So, if you guys have not checked
  • 00:01:50
    out season 2 or season 1 yet, please be
  • 00:01:53
    sure to watch and listen because we're
  • 00:01:55
    also available on all audio streaming
  • 00:01:57
    platforms. So, join the gang of over
  • 00:01:59
    24,000 people and then some that are
  • 00:02:02
    watching the Decision podcast. Now,
  • 00:02:04
    let's get into today's video on the
  • 00:02:07
    internet. Unfortunately, whiteness is
  • 00:02:09
    still and always has been the standard.
  • 00:02:12
    However, black women and women of color
  • 00:02:14
    are still the blueprint, but they don't
  • 00:02:16
    get that recognition. I'm sure we've all
  • 00:02:18
    watched white influencers go viral for
  • 00:02:20
    just lip singing in a camera. We've seen
  • 00:02:22
    white women gain massive internet
  • 00:02:24
    success by saying hawk tua.
  • 00:02:27
    Oh, you got to give them that hawk to
  • 00:02:29
    and spit on that thing. You get me?
  • 00:02:31
    Sorry, that still just gets me. But
  • 00:02:34
    anyways, they're getting flown out on
  • 00:02:35
    trips, getting massive brand deals,
  • 00:02:38
    while black creators with millions of
  • 00:02:40
    followers or more followers than their
  • 00:02:42
    white counterparts are getting
  • 00:02:43
    overlooked, underpaid, flatout ignored,
  • 00:02:46
    or having to do the most in order to
  • 00:02:49
    gain the same success. And I'm not
  • 00:02:51
    speaking from the sidelines. I am a
  • 00:02:54
    full-time content creator, and I see it
  • 00:02:56
    time and time again. In my head, I'd say
  • 00:02:59
    I'm pretty well-dressed. I'm well
  • 00:03:01
    spoken. I know I can represent a brand
  • 00:03:03
    well and I think I'm pretty attractive
  • 00:03:06
    in terms of physical attraction if you
  • 00:03:08
    want someone to look a certain way if
  • 00:03:10
    they're going to promote an item or a
  • 00:03:12
    product. However, I've seen creators
  • 00:03:14
    with either half my following or not
  • 00:03:16
    nearly close to it that also create
  • 00:03:19
    pretty mindless content get
  • 00:03:21
    opportunities that I probably never was
  • 00:03:24
    or would be considered for. This isn't
  • 00:03:26
    about jealousy. This isn't about
  • 00:03:28
    dragging other women. This is about
  • 00:03:30
    calling out a system that continues to
  • 00:03:32
    promote and push either white
  • 00:03:33
    mediocrity, whiteness in general,
  • 00:03:36
    silence, and soft aesthetics over
  • 00:03:38
    talent, storytelling, impact, and real
  • 00:03:41
    influence. So, today we're going to be
  • 00:03:44
    discussing a few attributes as to why
  • 00:03:46
    black women have to feel the need to
  • 00:03:48
    perform in order to not be overlooked.
  • 00:03:51
    So, let's first start off with my first
  • 00:03:53
    talking point, which is the continued
  • 00:03:55
    rise of white influencers. A lot of
  • 00:03:58
    white creators are doing less but
  • 00:04:00
    receiving more. And a perfect example of
  • 00:04:02
    this is Leah Halton. Leah Halton is this
  • 00:04:06
    beautiful girl that literally just gets
  • 00:04:08
    paid for being pretty. And child, I
  • 00:04:10
    think that is one of the best jobs in
  • 00:04:12
    the world. So, I'm not even mad at it.
  • 00:04:14
    But in a lot of cases, black women that
  • 00:04:16
    are getting paid for being pretty have
  • 00:04:18
    to do some strange things for some
  • 00:04:20
    change in order to receive the same
  • 00:04:21
    benefits that these white women are
  • 00:04:23
    getting. Is it because white women are
  • 00:04:24
    better? No. It's because in a lot of
  • 00:04:26
    cases, white women don't really have to
  • 00:04:28
    do much in order to receive certain
  • 00:04:30
    opportunities. I mean, look at every
  • 00:04:32
    popular Tik Tok sound. When you click on
  • 00:04:34
    that Tik Tok sound to look at the other
  • 00:04:36
    creators that may have made a video to
  • 00:04:37
    that said song or sound, who is
  • 00:04:39
    typically in the forefront? Yes, white
  • 00:04:42
    creators. And not just white creators,
  • 00:04:44
    white women creators or white girls. And
  • 00:04:47
    they're lip singing and you're just
  • 00:04:48
    like, "Oh, like she's lip singing not
  • 00:04:50
    even like with energy." No, lip-s
  • 00:04:51
    singing can be a really good talent.
  • 00:04:52
    Okay, if you're a really good lip singer
  • 00:04:54
    and you put your all into it, I will gas
  • 00:04:56
    you up. I want to see fireworks. I want
  • 00:04:58
    to see you shake it, dance, do all of
  • 00:05:00
    that. But they're not doing that. Okay,
  • 00:05:01
    what they're doing is having the phone.
  • 00:05:04
    Grab my phone. And they're just like
  • 00:05:05
    this. I like you. You like me? Yeah, I'm
  • 00:05:08
    hot.
  • 00:05:10
    1 million likes. Okay, they don't have
  • 00:05:13
    to do much. And it must feel freaking
  • 00:05:16
    great cuz quite frankly if all I had to
  • 00:05:18
    do is record myself singing songs on the
  • 00:05:20
    internet and not have to sit down and
  • 00:05:22
    write these long scripts and these
  • 00:05:24
    hourong videos. Well, film these hourong
  • 00:05:26
    videos. I would be very appreciative of
  • 00:05:28
    that. But I love what I do. I'm not
  • 00:05:30
    saying I'm not happy that I have this
  • 00:05:32
    platform. But y'all, it's 11:38 p.m.
  • 00:05:34
    right now and I've been filming since
  • 00:05:35
    6:00 p.m. I'm filming in bulk right now.
  • 00:05:38
    Yes. But if I was just singing videos, I
  • 00:05:40
    could have been done in an hour and Oh,
  • 00:05:42
    I said 6 p.m. child. I've been filming
  • 00:05:44
    since 400 p.m. My bad. That's even
  • 00:05:46
    longer. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. I took 1 hour
  • 00:05:50
    break to eat dinner. Yes, I've been
  • 00:05:51
    filming for about 7 6 to 7 hours. But if
  • 00:05:53
    I was just a beautiful white creator,
  • 00:05:55
    that could have took me hours to just
  • 00:05:56
    pick popular Tik Tok sounds, put a
  • 00:05:58
    caption on top of the video or don't put
  • 00:06:01
    anything on top of it at all. And
  • 00:06:02
    there's my content for the week. I think
  • 00:06:04
    a perfect example of this, and I've
  • 00:06:06
    brought this up before in past videos,
  • 00:06:08
    is the comparison between a Monae
  • 00:06:10
    Mcichael or a Jackie AA compared to an
  • 00:06:13
    Alex Earl or an Alex Cooper. For one, I
  • 00:06:16
    liked both these women at one point. I'm
  • 00:06:18
    not a big fan of Alex Earl anymore
  • 00:06:20
    because too much has come out about her.
  • 00:06:21
    But I will give her the credit. I used
  • 00:06:23
    to watch her content. I liked it before.
  • 00:06:25
    And you guys have heard me bring her up
  • 00:06:26
    in these videos cuz I actually used to
  • 00:06:28
    generally like her content. I watched it
  • 00:06:30
    when I was what, like a little bit post
  • 00:06:32
    past postgrad cuz me and her are the
  • 00:06:33
    same age. I think we're like 2 weeks
  • 00:06:35
    apart or something. I remember it was
  • 00:06:36
    like her 22nd birthday. I was like, "Oh
  • 00:06:37
    my god, we're the same age." Whatever. I
  • 00:06:39
    liked her content, but her content was
  • 00:06:40
    like wild. She literally would just
  • 00:06:42
    record herself, set the camera down,
  • 00:06:44
    tap, do makeup, stop, do a little blush,
  • 00:06:46
    stop, talk about getting drunk, stop,
  • 00:06:48
    talk about going out, and she posts that
  • 00:06:51
    video. But as you had Monae, Monae was
  • 00:06:53
    doing whole cinematic pieces for her
  • 00:06:55
    TikTok. That girl was doing every
  • 00:06:57
    transition. and she was doing all these
  • 00:06:59
    cool edits. It was really fun, really
  • 00:07:01
    bold, and amazing. But the crazy part is
  • 00:07:03
    is Alex grew quicker than Monae. Though
  • 00:07:05
    they both blew up around the same time,
  • 00:07:07
    Alex still had the bigger platform, and
  • 00:07:10
    she still does to this day. I mean, if
  • 00:07:12
    you compare Alex's numbers to Monaet's
  • 00:07:14
    numbers in terms of views on Tik Tok,
  • 00:07:16
    Alex gets more views on a regular basis,
  • 00:07:19
    though they are both successful. And
  • 00:07:21
    then when I bring up Alex Cooper, I
  • 00:07:23
    actually like Alex Cooper, but if you
  • 00:07:25
    look at her on a deeper scope, when she
  • 00:07:27
    goes to do her interviews, she goes in
  • 00:07:29
    like typically her big call her daddy
  • 00:07:31
    sweatshirt, her hair up in a claw clip,
  • 00:07:33
    and a bare face or just very minimal
  • 00:07:35
    makeup. As a black woman, we cannot do
  • 00:07:37
    that, okay? We have to put on our very
  • 00:07:40
    best all the time. If my hair was not
  • 00:07:42
    sllicked back right now, y'all would not
  • 00:07:44
    be watching it, okay? Because I guess a
  • 00:07:45
    messy bun on a white woman looks
  • 00:07:46
    different than a messy bun on a black
  • 00:07:48
    woman. or if my makeup wasn't done. I
  • 00:07:50
    think I've done like a very very rarely
  • 00:07:52
    some videos without makeup on, but no.
  • 00:07:54
    Overall, I have a full face of makeup on
  • 00:07:56
    every time I come on camera. And that's
  • 00:07:58
    because as a black woman, we get
  • 00:08:00
    respected less if we just don't do that
  • 00:08:03
    or the algorithm won't push our content
  • 00:08:05
    out as often. And then when I said
  • 00:08:06
    Jackiea, Jackiea has this very crisp
  • 00:08:09
    content where it looks very HD. But then
  • 00:08:12
    one white influencer from UM Miami is
  • 00:08:14
    just in her college dorm and she sets
  • 00:08:16
    her camera up in her messy room and the
  • 00:08:19
    vanity is here and she doesn't really
  • 00:08:21
    have to do much and she gets probably
  • 00:08:23
    more views than Jackie and Jackie had to
  • 00:08:25
    work her way to the top a lot harder
  • 00:08:27
    compared to the other makeup beauty
  • 00:08:29
    influencers that were blowing up around
  • 00:08:31
    the same time that she was. They were
  • 00:08:32
    all blowing up. But Jackiea always
  • 00:08:34
    seemed to like feel like she was being
  • 00:08:35
    left in the past. Even with me with my
  • 00:08:37
    commentary, I always try not to compare.
  • 00:08:40
    But it does sometimes get frustrating
  • 00:08:41
    when you'll see your white counterparts
  • 00:08:43
    doing probably the same video, maybe
  • 00:08:45
    even talking about the same topic. I'll
  • 00:08:47
    get like this amount of views and
  • 00:08:48
    they'll get significantly more views
  • 00:08:50
    than me. Am I grateful for the platform?
  • 00:08:52
    Absolutely. But you pay attention to
  • 00:08:54
    those things when you see people that
  • 00:08:56
    are lighter than you that are getting
  • 00:08:57
    more views. And no, that's not me trying
  • 00:08:59
    to play victim. Once again, I watch all
  • 00:09:00
    types of commentary channels. Y'all will
  • 00:09:02
    be shocked. I watch every race of
  • 00:09:03
    commentary. I'm just a commentary
  • 00:09:04
    watcher and I end up becoming a
  • 00:09:06
    commentary creator which is super cool
  • 00:09:08
    too. I watch everyone but I noticed that
  • 00:09:10
    I peep those little things and a lot of
  • 00:09:11
    the black creators that do commentary
  • 00:09:13
    get shadowbanned a lot more frequently
  • 00:09:15
    when they talk about certain topics
  • 00:09:16
    especially when we're speaking about
  • 00:09:17
    black people. We get blocked from being
  • 00:09:20
    able to speak about these things because
  • 00:09:21
    it's considered not suitable for
  • 00:09:22
    advertisers. Why is that not suitable
  • 00:09:24
    for advertisers? I I just don't
  • 00:09:26
    understand that. But the major
  • 00:09:27
    contradiction about this is that in this
  • 00:09:29
    decade, in this year, black culture
  • 00:09:32
    dominates every single trend. From music
  • 00:09:35
    to aesthetics to slaying to humor, black
  • 00:09:38
    creators are typically the start of
  • 00:09:40
    these things going viral. But it's the
  • 00:09:42
    white creators that get blown up for
  • 00:09:44
    doing just that. I mean, if you guys
  • 00:09:45
    remember from Love Island USA season 6,
  • 00:09:48
    when Leah kept saying, "Oh, she did her
  • 00:09:50
    big one."
  • 00:09:50
    After that, he literally did his big one
  • 00:09:53
    up there. That was like a movie. And
  • 00:09:55
    then in this season, season 7 of Love
  • 00:09:57
    Island USA, one of the other cast
  • 00:09:59
    members said, "Oh, so and so did their
  • 00:10:01
    big one." And then I saw somebody
  • 00:10:02
    comment, "Oh my god, like she's copying
  • 00:10:04
    Leah." Baby girl, that is a ve. That big
  • 00:10:08
    one phrase comes from black culture.
  • 00:10:10
    Same with the sounds that we use, the
  • 00:10:12
    humor. Like I said again, a lot of what
  • 00:10:14
    is going viral and what is making these
  • 00:10:16
    white creators stand out more comes from
  • 00:10:18
    AAV and comes from black culture. Sorry,
  • 00:10:21
    just had to say that much. So, when you
  • 00:10:23
    do start seeing these sounds trend or
  • 00:10:24
    these videos trend and it starts off
  • 00:10:26
    with black creators, it is very shocking
  • 00:10:28
    to see white creators take that spot. I
  • 00:10:31
    don't know if you guys saw the Super
  • 00:10:32
    Bowl this year, well the halftime show
  • 00:10:34
    at least with Kendrick Lamar when he had
  • 00:10:36
    Samuel L. Jackson being like the
  • 00:10:38
    narrator for his set during the halftime
  • 00:10:41
    show. And Samuel L. Jackson says, "Too
  • 00:10:44
    loud, too reckless, too ghetto.
  • 00:10:46
    Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto." Mr.
  • 00:10:52
    Lamar, do you really know how to play
  • 00:10:55
    the game? Then tighten up.
  • 00:10:58
    To me, when he said that, it connected
  • 00:11:00
    to the fact that when black women or
  • 00:11:02
    black people in general do anything,
  • 00:11:04
    it's considered too loud, too reckless,
  • 00:11:06
    and too ghetto until a white person gets
  • 00:11:09
    their hands on it. It seems we're only
  • 00:11:11
    celebrated when someone's inspired by
  • 00:11:13
    us. But we get treated wrongfully when
  • 00:11:15
    we're the ones doing that exact trend
  • 00:11:17
    that others are celebrated for. Oh, the
  • 00:11:20
    trend that we created. So, we've already
  • 00:11:22
    discussed how the internet hates black
  • 00:11:24
    women unless we're performing. But it
  • 00:11:25
    also does too when we're crying, strong,
  • 00:11:28
    unbreakable. But what happens when we're
  • 00:11:30
    just human? This weekend, I was invited
  • 00:11:32
    to DC by Free and Just to hear more
  • 00:11:34
    about women's rights and abortion
  • 00:11:36
    rights. And while I was there, I was
  • 00:11:37
    given the opportunity to interview a
  • 00:11:39
    woman named Leilani, and her story shook
  • 00:11:41
    me.
  • 00:11:41
    One night, he was crying and crying and
  • 00:11:43
    crying, and I could not function, and uh
  • 00:11:48
    I tried to kill my son. She was dealing
  • 00:11:50
    with postpartum depression and in that
  • 00:11:52
    moment she felt completely alone. She
  • 00:11:54
    wasn't performing. She was sharing the
  • 00:11:56
    rawest part of her story with me face to
  • 00:11:59
    face.
  • 00:11:59
    I remember having to catch myself like
  • 00:12:02
    what the hell is wrong with you and I
  • 00:12:05
    cried out and I was just like, "God,
  • 00:12:07
    help me. If you can't do anything else,
  • 00:12:10
    help me."
  • 00:12:11
    And I realized black women shouldn't
  • 00:12:13
    have to reach a breaking point just to
  • 00:12:14
    be seen. She didn't tell her story for
  • 00:12:16
    sympathy. She told it to save someone
  • 00:12:18
    else. Postpartum lasts ups to two years
  • 00:12:21
    and you could think that you are totally
  • 00:12:23
    fine one day and the next day you are
  • 00:12:24
    literally having a in the shower sitting
  • 00:12:27
    on the floor mental breakdown.
  • 00:12:29
    This is why Free and Just created this
  • 00:12:31
    space because our truth isn't
  • 00:12:33
    performance, it's power. It provides us
  • 00:12:35
    strength. And Leilani's story is like so
  • 00:12:38
    many other women's stories who feel
  • 00:12:39
    alone, scared, and pushed to their limit
  • 00:12:42
    during their most vulnerable times.
  • 00:12:44
    Thank you Leilani for sharing your
  • 00:12:45
    story. Her and baby boy are still here
  • 00:12:47
    today. And thank you, Free and Just for
  • 00:12:49
    allowing her and myself the platform to
  • 00:12:51
    share her story. So, in terms of
  • 00:12:52
    creativity, when I see the white
  • 00:12:54
    creators doing the lip-syncing or doing
  • 00:12:56
    the get ready with me to go and get
  • 00:12:58
    matcha,
  • 00:13:00
    I'm sorry. It's like a lot of these
  • 00:13:01
    creators all do the same content and
  • 00:13:03
    their content will get blown up a lot
  • 00:13:05
    quicker than the hilarious black or
  • 00:13:07
    brown creator doing a story time,
  • 00:13:10
    creating fashion content, creating
  • 00:13:12
    educating content, or heck, say they are
  • 00:13:14
    vlogging and getting their matcha for
  • 00:13:16
    the day. there's a lot more excitement
  • 00:13:18
    or intent put into it, but they get half
  • 00:13:20
    the reach or don't get the same
  • 00:13:22
    opportunities as their white
  • 00:13:24
    counterparts. And I really think Tik
  • 00:13:26
    Tok, Instagram, and even YouTube, I love
  • 00:13:29
    you, YouTube, cuz you have helped me so
  • 00:13:32
    much in my career, obviously, but I feel
  • 00:13:34
    as if all of these platforms tend to
  • 00:13:36
    push whiteness a lot more. It's like the
  • 00:13:39
    algorithm favors aesthetics and softness
  • 00:13:42
    and quiet versus bold, brilliant, and
  • 00:13:45
    fun and creative. But isn't that what
  • 00:13:47
    these platforms claim they want their
  • 00:13:49
    creators to do on their said platforms?
  • 00:13:52
    Yeah, I guess only if you're a white
  • 00:13:53
    woman from Calabasis. I don't know.
  • 00:13:56
    Okay, so I love to cook, but let's be
  • 00:13:58
    honest, sometimes the way my schedule is
  • 00:14:01
    set up, I just need my dinner to be
  • 00:14:02
    easy, but still look like I put some
  • 00:14:04
    work into it. That's where Every Plate
  • 00:14:07
    has been saving me. Every Plate is a
  • 00:14:09
    meal kit service that brings restaurant
  • 00:14:11
    level recipes straight to your door, but
  • 00:14:13
    without that restaurant level price tag.
  • 00:14:15
    I've made their crispy buffalo ranch
  • 00:14:17
    chicken and the cheesy Mexican street
  • 00:14:20
    corn hash and chum. Chef's kiss. 10 out
  • 00:14:23
    of 10. It's giving flavor. It's giving
  • 00:14:26
    comfort food. And most importantly, it's
  • 00:14:28
    giving me back time in the kitchen.
  • 00:14:31
    Plus, the recipes are super easy to
  • 00:14:33
    follow. Like 30 minutes or less. No chef
  • 00:14:35
    degree required. And it's honestly
  • 00:14:37
    cheaper than what I've been spending on
  • 00:14:38
    groceries lately, cuz grocery prices are
  • 00:14:40
    out of control these days. Jesus. So,
  • 00:14:43
    what are y'all waiting for? Dig into
  • 00:14:44
    these flavor-packed meals that your
  • 00:14:46
    household will absolutely love. New
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    customers can get meals for just $1.99
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    each. Go to everyplate.com/mpodcast
  • 00:14:54
    and use my code tony199 to get started.
  • 00:14:58
    So, now let's get into brand trips and
  • 00:15:00
    events that happen and who exactly is
  • 00:15:03
    invited. So, we already have spoken
  • 00:15:05
    about so many times Tart's Dubai trip
  • 00:15:08
    and honestly all of Tart's trips where
  • 00:15:10
    they constantly either are treating the
  • 00:15:12
    black influencers or creatives that they
  • 00:15:15
    bring on their trips horribly or not as
  • 00:15:17
    well as their white creators or they
  • 00:15:18
    just flat out don't invite them at all.
  • 00:15:20
    We can talk about that for days on end.
  • 00:15:22
    Tart can honestly have its own video if
  • 00:15:24
    we really want to talk about how they
  • 00:15:26
    typically don't favor their black and
  • 00:15:28
    brown influencers and creatives. But
  • 00:15:30
    think about Revolve Festivals. Revolve
  • 00:15:32
    festivals, you always just see white or
  • 00:15:35
    palatable creators. You don't really see
  • 00:15:37
    creators that are black. You'll see a
  • 00:15:39
    little sprinkling and tokens of them,
  • 00:15:40
    but there's not a lot. Think of Aloe.
  • 00:15:42
    The Aloe brand is super white. They
  • 00:15:45
    really cater to their white audience
  • 00:15:46
    over their black and brown audience. But
  • 00:15:48
    if they do invite those black or brown
  • 00:15:51
    creatives, those black or brown
  • 00:15:53
    creatives are typically more of the
  • 00:15:54
    palatable creatives. What do I mean when
  • 00:15:56
    I say this? Well, I'll say this much.
  • 00:15:59
    Think of when you guys see the black
  • 00:16:01
    girl luxury aesthetic, which are like
  • 00:16:03
    the girls that do Pilates and they wear
  • 00:16:06
    the pink and they have the bows in their
  • 00:16:07
    hair. And once again, they have the
  • 00:16:09
    matcha, they're doing yoga, they have
  • 00:16:11
    the aesthetics, their apartment looks
  • 00:16:12
    like every person on the internet with
  • 00:16:14
    the beige and the whites and the blacks.
  • 00:16:16
    Yes, that is who they will most likely
  • 00:16:18
    invite. They're not going to invite the
  • 00:16:20
    creative that is really good at
  • 00:16:21
    storytelling or the creative that is
  • 00:16:23
    really funny. They rarely, rarely do.
  • 00:16:26
    I'll speak from my personal experience.
  • 00:16:28
    So, I've been in Atlanta for almost
  • 00:16:31
    three Wait, is it almost three years
  • 00:16:32
    now? No, almost two years now. Okay, I'm
  • 00:16:34
    like aging myself. Almost two years now.
  • 00:16:36
    And I've literally only got invited to a
  • 00:16:39
    handful of events. And I always found
  • 00:16:40
    that shocking. So, I'm like, why am I
  • 00:16:42
    not getting invited to these events? Cuz
  • 00:16:43
    I'll see like my peers, they're getting
  • 00:16:45
    invited to these events. Um, and they
  • 00:16:47
    have a much smaller following than me.
  • 00:16:49
    But from what I've noticed is that from
  • 00:16:51
    their content, which this has nothing to
  • 00:16:53
    do with them. This is no shade thrown at
  • 00:16:55
    anybody, but they have more of that
  • 00:16:57
    matcha loving, Pilates princess, soft
  • 00:17:00
    life aesthetic vibe about them. Now, I'm
  • 00:17:03
    sure some of y'all will say, "Well,
  • 00:17:04
    Tony, that's literally your vibe." Cuz
  • 00:17:05
    you guys have said this before because I
  • 00:17:07
    like to wear makeup and I wear pink and
  • 00:17:08
    I wear dresses. That's very true. But
  • 00:17:10
    the content that I put out, I'm talking
  • 00:17:12
    about this. These brands aren't thinking
  • 00:17:14
    about inviting a diverse amount of
  • 00:17:16
    creators. Not every creator is a vlog
  • 00:17:18
    matcha loving girl. Okay? I do love my
  • 00:17:20
    matcha though. I do drink matcha. My
  • 00:17:22
    sister put me on years ago. No, I did
  • 00:17:23
    not follow the trend. She's been a
  • 00:17:25
    matcha lover. I tried it. I liked it.
  • 00:17:26
    And then now I buy matcha. Maybe that's
  • 00:17:28
    the one thing I did get a part of the
  • 00:17:30
    trend with is that I did buy matcha in
  • 00:17:32
    my house cuz I was buying matcha so much
  • 00:17:33
    outside. I said I'm going just buy some
  • 00:17:35
    matcha. And the box was like I think $30
  • 00:17:37
    and I'm saving a lot of money cuz matcha
  • 00:17:39
    be $7 to $9. So yeah, I did that much
  • 00:17:41
    cuz I try I started trying different
  • 00:17:43
    flavors and seeing what I liked through
  • 00:17:44
    that. But I say this all to say is that
  • 00:17:47
    I mean a lot of brands tend to only want
  • 00:17:49
    the creator that is more digestible,
  • 00:17:53
    should I say. And with Atlanta being a
  • 00:17:55
    predominantly black city, you will see
  • 00:17:57
    more black creatives at these events,
  • 00:17:58
    but a lot of them are carbon copies of
  • 00:18:00
    one another. Like they all have the same
  • 00:18:02
    exact aesthetic. And I've always said
  • 00:18:04
    this, I'm like, wouldn't you want more
  • 00:18:05
    diversity? Cuz there's so many content
  • 00:18:07
    creators in Atlanta. Like Atlanta has so
  • 00:18:08
    many creatives that have really massive
  • 00:18:10
    followings. But I always see the same
  • 00:18:12
    girls get invited to these events and
  • 00:18:14
    they also have significantly smaller
  • 00:18:16
    followings compared to like I guess the
  • 00:18:18
    Jadaas or the Desidered
  • 00:18:21
    content creators in the city. So no, I'm
  • 00:18:23
    not dragging the women that I said are
  • 00:18:25
    very similar aesthetics that get invited
  • 00:18:27
    to these events. I'm more so speaking on
  • 00:18:29
    the brands and what they consider and
  • 00:18:31
    deem as a safe creator when it comes to
  • 00:18:34
    black creators. It's like they only
  • 00:18:36
    celebrate and invite one kind of black
  • 00:18:38
    woman when black women are so diverse.
  • 00:18:41
    And a great example of this is when a
  • 00:18:44
    creator by the name of Clark, who I
  • 00:18:46
    absolutely adore. So this woman deemed
  • 00:18:48
    Clark as a palatable black creator and
  • 00:18:52
    she got dragged and Clark dragged her as
  • 00:18:55
    well. I also want to add in that the
  • 00:18:56
    creator I'm about to show you was not
  • 00:18:58
    the exact creator that Clark was talking
  • 00:19:01
    about. that creator deleted the video on
  • 00:19:03
    Tik Tok after it went viral. But after
  • 00:19:05
    she made that video, it became a whole
  • 00:19:07
    public discourse of people talking about
  • 00:19:09
    whether or not Clark is palatable or
  • 00:19:11
    whether or not Clark has privilege to
  • 00:19:13
    some sort when it comes to her being a
  • 00:19:15
    content creator. So, take a look at what
  • 00:19:16
    one person that created Discourse had to
  • 00:19:19
    say in terms of Clark being more of a
  • 00:19:21
    palatable black creator. I think that
  • 00:19:23
    Clark is a wonderful example of a black
  • 00:19:25
    woman. Wonderful. I think that she's
  • 00:19:27
    great for young black girls to see. I
  • 00:19:29
    think that her platform deserves to be
  • 00:19:31
    seen by all black girls so that they can
  • 00:19:33
    see what they are able to accomplish
  • 00:19:34
    when they put their mind to it. I I just
  • 00:19:36
    think she has an amazing platform. I I I
  • 00:19:39
    like her, right? But when it comes to
  • 00:19:41
    the conversation we having about her
  • 00:19:42
    being palatable to white people, yeah,
  • 00:19:44
    she definitely is. She definitely is.
  • 00:19:46
    But it's not her fault, right? It ain't
  • 00:19:47
    nothing that she's doing or going out of
  • 00:19:48
    her way to do. It just is what it is.
  • 00:19:51
    When it comes to aesthetically how she
  • 00:19:52
    looks, she fits into the safe black
  • 00:19:55
    category, right? Again, that ain't no
  • 00:19:57
    fault of her own. It's not even really a
  • 00:19:59
    negative thing, but it's true, right?
  • 00:20:01
    She has a look that, you know, it's not
  • 00:20:03
    intimidating to black I mean, excuse me,
  • 00:20:05
    her her look is not intimidating to
  • 00:20:06
    white people. It's very safe. So, she
  • 00:20:08
    can cross over to different
  • 00:20:10
    demographics, right? You got people who
  • 00:20:13
    may not have as much money as her, may
  • 00:20:14
    not be in the same social class as her,
  • 00:20:16
    but they can look up to her. Then you
  • 00:20:17
    got the girls who are in the same social
  • 00:20:19
    class and she's relatable to them. Then
  • 00:20:21
    you have people from other races who a
  • 00:20:22
    lot of her accolades stand out to them
  • 00:20:24
    and so they follow her for different
  • 00:20:25
    reasons, right? There's a lot of
  • 00:20:26
    different reasons on why people would
  • 00:20:27
    follow her, but we're not going to sit
  • 00:20:29
    up here and act as if
  • 00:20:31
    she does not fall into a safe black
  • 00:20:34
    category as where other black people may
  • 00:20:37
    not when it comes to brands wanting to
  • 00:20:39
    work with them.
  • 00:20:39
    You guys never get tired of saying dumb
  • 00:20:40
    [ __ ] on the internet. And it's crazy to
  • 00:20:42
    me, but like listen, you do you. I do
  • 00:20:44
    think the conversation about the racial
  • 00:20:46
    pay gap that exists in the creator
  • 00:20:47
    economy is really, really important. So,
  • 00:20:50
    I'm going to help you out by letting you
  • 00:20:51
    know the reason why I have a sevenf
  • 00:20:53
    figureure business and bought a $1.5
  • 00:20:55
    million house at 23 is not because I'm
  • 00:20:57
    palatable to white people. I made the
  • 00:20:59
    most money I've ever made last year in
  • 00:21:01
    2024 where every other [ __ ] video I
  • 00:21:04
    swear was about the election or about
  • 00:21:06
    white people voting for Trump or poor
  • 00:21:08
    white people, racism, [ __ ] white
  • 00:21:11
    influencer saying the n-word. Like I've
  • 00:21:12
    never shied away from any content or
  • 00:21:14
    topic that's important to me as a black
  • 00:21:16
    woman, but I've still been able to make
  • 00:21:18
    seven figures because I have been
  • 00:21:19
    absolutely [ __ ] exceptional since the
  • 00:21:21
    first day I came on this app. Let us not
  • 00:21:23
    forget when you guys were first
  • 00:21:24
    introduced to me on this app in 2021. I
  • 00:21:28
    was taking 19 credit hours at Columbia.
  • 00:21:30
    I had to petition the university to even
  • 00:21:31
    be able to take that many hours because
  • 00:21:33
    it is not sustainable and typically not
  • 00:21:35
    healthy and not recommended or even
  • 00:21:37
    [ __ ] allowed for students to take
  • 00:21:38
    that many hours when they're not working
  • 00:21:40
    a full-time job, let alone also having
  • 00:21:42
    all the [ __ ] outside of school that I
  • 00:21:43
    had. I was doing my fashion law
  • 00:21:44
    internship 3 days a week. I was the only
  • 00:21:46
    other person in the legal department for
  • 00:21:48
    actually most of my internship, me and
  • 00:21:50
    the general counsel because the other
  • 00:21:51
    attorneys had left for the majority of
  • 00:21:53
    the time I was there. I was president of
  • 00:21:55
    the criminal justice coalition at
  • 00:21:56
    Colombia. I had other extracurriculars I
  • 00:21:58
    was a part of. I was also working with
  • 00:21:59
    the healthcare tech startup that was
  • 00:22:01
    based in Nashville that I took you guys
  • 00:22:02
    on like a few business trips with that.
  • 00:22:03
    I was working on my own [ __ ] tech
  • 00:22:05
    startup that I had with my best friend
  • 00:22:07
    Chrissy. Like we're now picking it back
  • 00:22:08
    up. But at that time we were like
  • 00:22:10
    applying to incubators. We were
  • 00:22:11
    receiving grants for it. Like we were in
  • 00:22:13
    accelerators like literally very very
  • 00:22:15
    very much building a [ __ ] business on
  • 00:22:18
    top of everything else that I was doing.
  • 00:22:19
    And then I also started selling my own
  • 00:22:20
    planners that I designed, created
  • 00:22:22
    myself, distributed, created my website.
  • 00:22:24
    Everything I've ever done I've done
  • 00:22:25
    completely on my own. And I've never had
  • 00:22:27
    someone make a website for me, do any
  • 00:22:29
    like editing for me. I write a [ __ ]
  • 00:22:31
    script for every video that I post. Like
  • 00:22:32
    all my vlogs, the reason why it's like
  • 00:22:34
    this kind of seems like a story. Like,
  • 00:22:36
    wow, my favorite show is on is because
  • 00:22:38
    it's [ __ ] scripted. Running a [ __ ]
  • 00:22:40
    network over here, [ __ ] And even with
  • 00:22:41
    all of that, I still found the time to
  • 00:22:43
    go out on dates. Like, I created an
  • 00:22:44
    entire series. No one had ever made a
  • 00:22:46
    date in the life vlog until I made the
  • 00:22:48
    first one. That blew up and took off.
  • 00:22:50
    Other people have been biting my [ __ ]
  • 00:22:51
    for years since then. Like that is how I
  • 00:22:54
    cemented my place as a New York City
  • 00:22:56
    influencer. It was not trying to be
  • 00:22:58
    palatable to white people. And whether
  • 00:22:59
    you think that I am or not, the fact of
  • 00:23:01
    the matter is I'm one of the only
  • 00:23:02
    creators who even talks about the
  • 00:23:03
    sensitive issues that I do and have over
  • 00:23:06
    the last year when I made the most money
  • 00:23:07
    I've ever made as a creator. So it's not
  • 00:23:09
    even like up for debate. Well, yeah,
  • 00:23:11
    it's just because she, you know, only
  • 00:23:12
    does this or she doesn't talk about
  • 00:23:13
    anything that's serious like other black
  • 00:23:15
    creators do this. None of that. And the
  • 00:23:16
    racially ambiguous [ __ ] all that. Leave
  • 00:23:18
    it at the [ __ ] door. The conversation
  • 00:23:20
    is not about, well, this black
  • 00:23:21
    influencer is making this because of
  • 00:23:23
    that. It's about the fact that all of
  • 00:23:25
    the black New York City influencers, all
  • 00:23:26
    of the black influencers, period, have
  • 00:23:28
    to be extraordinarily exceptional to get
  • 00:23:31
    the certain platform, the numbers, the
  • 00:23:33
    teams, the managers that our white
  • 00:23:36
    counterparts get who have even less
  • 00:23:38
    followers than we do or less interesting
  • 00:23:39
    content or who are doing less work
  • 00:23:42
    simply by virtue of just being white and
  • 00:23:44
    being themselves and being the
  • 00:23:46
    predominant culture and just everything
  • 00:23:48
    that is like [ __ ] glamorized and
  • 00:23:50
    platformed online. Leaving ignorant
  • 00:23:51
    comments like this is part of the
  • 00:23:52
    problem because I need everybody to
  • 00:23:54
    understand every [ __ ] black creator
  • 00:23:58
    has to be extraordinarily exceptional to
  • 00:24:01
    get the same opportunities or even be
  • 00:24:03
    maybe recognized for remotely the same
  • 00:24:06
    [ __ ] opportunities as our white
  • 00:24:07
    counterparts who are not similarly
  • 00:24:09
    exceptional. I want to play devil's
  • 00:24:11
    advocate here. This is not to say I
  • 00:24:13
    think Clark is even in the slightest
  • 00:24:15
    white adjacent. I don't think that Clark
  • 00:24:17
    is whitewashed. I don't believe that
  • 00:24:19
    Clark is at the level of an Alex Earl in
  • 00:24:21
    terms of opportunities that she gets,
  • 00:24:22
    but Clark gets a lot of opportunities
  • 00:24:24
    and I'm sure she's incredibly
  • 00:24:25
    successful. But I also don't want to
  • 00:24:27
    demean the fact that she is incredibly
  • 00:24:29
    smart. She's educated. She's beautiful.
  • 00:24:32
    She's inspirational. She has all of
  • 00:24:33
    these things as a black woman and she is
  • 00:24:35
    a fully black woman. But when it comes
  • 00:24:37
    to brands, there is a very much so
  • 00:24:39
    particular kind of black woman that
  • 00:24:41
    these brands will work with. And I
  • 00:24:43
    personally believe that Clark matches
  • 00:24:44
    that aesthetic. And same with the Monae
  • 00:24:46
    Mcichael. I mean, I personally wouldn't
  • 00:24:48
    even deem Monae black, though she is
  • 00:24:50
    half black. She's mixed race, obviously,
  • 00:24:52
    but I never knew she was black until she
  • 00:24:54
    put it in her bio. I was like, "Oh, I
  • 00:24:56
    didn't know she was Puerto Rican and
  • 00:24:57
    black." But when I say this, she still
  • 00:24:58
    is considered more likely to gain
  • 00:25:01
    success on the platform and make a lot
  • 00:25:04
    of money because they are like kind of
  • 00:25:07
    softer compared to other creators, black
  • 00:25:10
    creators that do too much, who we'll get
  • 00:25:12
    into a little bit later. So recently I
  • 00:25:14
    saw Collect's response video to somebody
  • 00:25:16
    saying that she is palatable to white
  • 00:25:17
    people and attributing that to her
  • 00:25:19
    success. And unfortunately I'm going to
  • 00:25:21
    say I see where they're coming from. Let
  • 00:25:22
    me word this very carefully. Especially
  • 00:25:24
    recently there is a kind of black woman
  • 00:25:27
    lifestyle influencer core. It's a
  • 00:25:29
    blueprint that started with Jackiea.
  • 00:25:31
    Love her. But it's being turned out over
  • 00:25:33
    and over and over and over again by a
  • 00:25:35
    lot of these management companies. I
  • 00:25:37
    have friends who are insanely talented
  • 00:25:38
    makeup artists. Create the most stunning
  • 00:25:40
    and intricate editorial makeup looks.
  • 00:25:42
    They use makeup. They put the product on
  • 00:25:44
    the face. Have huge platforms. Great
  • 00:25:47
    engagement. Still haven't been invited
  • 00:25:48
    on any brand trips. If you look at these
  • 00:25:50
    brand trips, these makeup brand trips,
  • 00:25:52
    all you're seeing is the clean girl
  • 00:25:53
    makeup. Nine times out of 10, they're
  • 00:25:54
    corporate turned influencer. Think of
  • 00:25:56
    the Clarks. Think of the Any Given
  • 00:25:57
    Sundays. Again, these are in like I
  • 00:26:00
    enjoy these creators, but there is for
  • 00:26:02
    sure a aesthetic that is prioritized
  • 00:26:03
    amongst black creators. And Clark fits
  • 00:26:06
    that aesthetic. That's not to discredit
  • 00:26:07
    her blackness. I don't know what was
  • 00:26:09
    going on in that comment section. I
  • 00:26:10
    don't endorse that. But let's be for
  • 00:26:11
    real. There's like a box that black
  • 00:26:13
    women are put in and if you do not fit
  • 00:26:15
    in that specific box, you're not getting
  • 00:26:17
    [ __ ]
  • 00:26:17
    Once again, these ladies are beautiful,
  • 00:26:20
    talented, and so deserving for the
  • 00:26:22
    accomplishments that they received.
  • 00:26:24
    However, to brands, they're most likely,
  • 00:26:26
    even if it's not said out loud, branded
  • 00:26:28
    as the acceptable version of black
  • 00:26:32
    femininity. And we can even take this
  • 00:26:34
    into colorism and texturism, though they
  • 00:26:36
    both are darker. They're brown women.
  • 00:26:38
    But let's really tie it into texturism
  • 00:26:40
    and futurism. They both have softer,
  • 00:26:42
    looser textured hair. They both have
  • 00:26:44
    features that you would not consider
  • 00:26:45
    them being black. Like I did not even
  • 00:26:47
    know that Monae was a black woman. Well,
  • 00:26:49
    a half black woman. And then as for
  • 00:26:51
    Clark, I thought Clark was mixed myself.
  • 00:26:53
    If you look at her, she does have more
  • 00:26:54
    of those euroentric beauty features. Not
  • 00:26:56
    exactly her face. I think she does look
  • 00:26:58
    like a black woman for sure. But in
  • 00:26:59
    terms of hair texture and what people
  • 00:27:01
    think that black women look like in
  • 00:27:02
    terms of them having kinkier hair, Clark
  • 00:27:04
    has looser curly textured hair. So once
  • 00:27:06
    again, they are more digestible. Does
  • 00:27:09
    that contribute to their success? I
  • 00:27:10
    can't say that 100%. But if we look at
  • 00:27:12
    the creators that have been around
  • 00:27:14
    forever, but just do a little bit more
  • 00:27:17
    bolder, louder, and more culturally
  • 00:27:19
    embedded content, they often get ignored
  • 00:27:22
    or don't make as much money as these
  • 00:27:24
    ladies are making. White creators are
  • 00:27:26
    literally getting the $10,000 deals and
  • 00:27:28
    the $15,000 brand deals, whereas a lot
  • 00:27:31
    of black creators are just getting
  • 00:27:32
    gifted opportunities and just accepting
  • 00:27:34
    it because it's like, hey, this is free.
  • 00:27:35
    I mean, we can really clock into the
  • 00:27:38
    hair industry and how much they exploit
  • 00:27:40
    black creators and black women in
  • 00:27:42
    general, but before we get into that, we
  • 00:27:44
    may need to really think about our
  • 00:27:45
    mental health. And that's why I believe
  • 00:27:47
    that you should check out Better Help.
  • 00:27:49
    This is an ad by Better Help. Workplace
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    stress is out of control right now.
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    According to recent reports, 61% of the
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    global workforce is experiencing higher
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    than normal levels of stress. And let's
  • 00:28:01
    be real, most of us can feel this.
  • 00:28:03
    Whether it's burnout, pressure to
  • 00:28:05
    overperform, or just juggling it all, it
  • 00:28:08
    takes a toll. Now, we can't always
  • 00:28:10
    necessarily escape the job. But what we
  • 00:28:13
    can do is begin taking small steps to
  • 00:28:15
    start taking care of ourselves. That
  • 00:28:17
    might mean sitting on your balcony
  • 00:28:19
    outside in the sun for 10 minutes, going
  • 00:28:21
    on a quick walk at the park, or just
  • 00:28:23
    finally giving yourself space to breathe
  • 00:28:25
    and reflect. And that's where therapy
  • 00:28:28
    can really come in. Therapy isn't just
  • 00:28:30
    for people in crisis. It's for anyone
  • 00:28:32
    that's just trying to show up better.
  • 00:28:33
    Whether that's for themselves, for their
  • 00:28:35
    job, or for their relationships. Whether
  • 00:28:37
    you need help setting boundaries,
  • 00:28:39
    working on your anxiety, or just talking
  • 00:28:41
    through the day, therapy can be your
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    anchor. BetterHelp is the world's
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    largest therapy platform with over
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    30,000 licensed therapists and more than
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    5 million people help today. It's rated
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    4.9 out of five stars in the app store
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    and lets you connect with a therapist
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    anywhere around the world. As the
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    largest online therapy provider in the
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    world, BetterHelp can provide access to
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    mental health experts and professionals
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    with a wide range of expertise. My
  • 00:29:10
    listeners will receive 10% off their
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    first month of BetterHelp if you go on
  • 00:29:14
    betterhelp.com/tonbrienne.
  • 00:29:16
    That's b t.com/tonbrienne.
  • 00:29:22
    So, a lot of these companies take
  • 00:29:23
    advantage of the fact that a lot of
  • 00:29:25
    these black creators know that they're
  • 00:29:27
    overlooked. So, they use that to their
  • 00:29:29
    advantage by not offering these creators
  • 00:29:31
    as much, if anything at all. A lot of
  • 00:29:33
    these brands will offer free products,
  • 00:29:35
    especially these Asian brands that are
  • 00:29:37
    trying to sell hair. They will
  • 00:29:38
    disrespectfully tell you, "Hey, I know
  • 00:29:40
    you have 300,000 followers or 300,000
  • 00:29:43
    subscribers, but our budget's only $50
  • 00:29:45
    for you to make three reals, two Tik
  • 00:29:47
    Toks, create a static post, make a story
  • 00:29:49
    post, oh, and put the hair link in your
  • 00:29:52
    bio. Are you crazy?" They may not be
  • 00:29:54
    that crazy because black creators are
  • 00:29:56
    sitting there and actually doing it. But
  • 00:29:58
    it's because we get very few
  • 00:30:00
    opportunities. So the one time we get
  • 00:30:01
    these opportunities, we're jumping on
  • 00:30:03
    it. I mean, most black creators once you
  • 00:30:05
    get your first 5,000 followers, I don't
  • 00:30:07
    even want to say 5,000 followers. I feel
  • 00:30:09
    like it's like your first a thousand
  • 00:30:11
    where these hair companies start
  • 00:30:13
    harassing you to send you hair and not
  • 00:30:15
    just send you hair, but send you hair
  • 00:30:16
    for free or for a very low pay because
  • 00:30:19
    apparently we should just be accepting
  • 00:30:20
    scraps. It gets very depressing and very
  • 00:30:23
    frustrating and annoying, honestly. I
  • 00:30:25
    mean, even look at a lot of these really
  • 00:30:27
    popular clothing brands websites. If you
  • 00:30:29
    look at the pictures that they repost on
  • 00:30:31
    their pages, it's typically not the
  • 00:30:33
    black creators that are posting the
  • 00:30:34
    content. They're posting their white
  • 00:30:36
    creators wearing their clothes and
  • 00:30:37
    they're posting their white creators who
  • 00:30:39
    are expressing their love for their
  • 00:30:41
    brand. A lot of them get called out for
  • 00:30:43
    never supporting their black and brown
  • 00:30:44
    creators. And this is what leads to a
  • 00:30:47
    lot of black creators ending up doing
  • 00:30:49
    the most. And this gets into the rise of
  • 00:30:52
    streaming. A lot of black women creators
  • 00:30:54
    who have massive followings aren't
  • 00:30:57
    making the same amount as white
  • 00:30:58
    creators. And we already said this,
  • 00:30:59
    right? But these black women with these
  • 00:31:01
    massive followings are either doing
  • 00:31:03
    questionable things or saying
  • 00:31:05
    questionable things or just not being
  • 00:31:08
    very posh, very demure, very classy.
  • 00:31:11
    They're doing whatever it takes for them
  • 00:31:13
    to get a penny because they're not
  • 00:31:14
    likely to get a brand deal, which is
  • 00:31:16
    really sad. I mean, according to a 2021
  • 00:31:19
    influencer marketing hub strategy, black
  • 00:31:22
    influencers make 35% less than white
  • 00:31:25
    influencers on average. And get this,
  • 00:31:28
    this is even when follower accounts and
  • 00:31:31
    engagement are the exact same. So nearly
  • 00:31:34
    half of influencers, and I hope that has
  • 00:31:36
    gone down since 2021. I hope that number
  • 00:31:38
    is at 25% now, but white influencers are
  • 00:31:42
    making nearly half more than black
  • 00:31:45
    influencers. It's despicable. Oh, and
  • 00:31:47
    make sure you guys got that last note.
  • 00:31:49
    It's even when followers and engagement
  • 00:31:51
    rates are the exact same. So, I say that
  • 00:31:54
    all to say, as black creators, we notice
  • 00:31:57
    this. So, some, not me. I mean, I kind
  • 00:32:00
    of did. So, I ended up shifting to
  • 00:32:01
    commentary because I went from doing
  • 00:32:03
    like um college content and vlogs and
  • 00:32:05
    all these things. And I wasn't really
  • 00:32:07
    growing and I was getting so frustrated.
  • 00:32:09
    So, I was like, okay, let me go into a
  • 00:32:11
    space where I think that I can be more
  • 00:32:12
    relatable to people. And I ended up
  • 00:32:14
    doing commentary. and here I am today.
  • 00:32:15
    And that really helped grow my platform.
  • 00:32:17
    But some black women will go into doing
  • 00:32:19
    the streaming thing and they're saying
  • 00:32:21
    heinous things. They're now doing like
  • 00:32:23
    content houses where they're fighting
  • 00:32:24
    and stuff like making baddies houses and
  • 00:32:27
    things of that sort in order to get some
  • 00:32:29
    form of monetization because they're not
  • 00:32:31
    getting it from these brands. Animosity.
  • 00:32:33
    This is what animosity sounds like. You
  • 00:32:35
    mad at me about how I talk to her cuz I
  • 00:32:37
    call her a man and an assistant and you
  • 00:32:39
    riding so you riding harder behind her
  • 00:32:42
    than she is for her [ __ ] self. That's
  • 00:32:44
    the [ __ ] problem. So it gets
  • 00:32:45
    animosity. You don't even know what you
  • 00:32:47
    writing for cuz I call her a man. [ __ ]
  • 00:32:49
    I tell you a man.
  • 00:32:51
    Swift hit me on some [ __ ]
  • 00:32:53
    Everybody seen the other girl hit you
  • 00:32:55
    two times.
  • 00:32:56
    Yes, we seen that cuz she openly went
  • 00:32:58
    Everybody seen that.
  • 00:33:02
    Everybody seen that [ __ ]
  • 00:33:03
    That's what happened, bro. That [ __ ]
  • 00:33:05
    swift hit me in my head right here.
  • 00:33:09
    That [ __ ] swift hit me in my head, bro.
  • 00:33:11
    I know this [ __ ] bro. All right, let's
  • 00:33:13
    let's just get this understood. I'mma
  • 00:33:15
    answer this question too kind of for
  • 00:33:17
    with her. Okay. Um, how do you feel
  • 00:33:19
    about them calling you a bop?
  • 00:33:21
    A bop?
  • 00:33:22
    Yeah.
  • 00:33:23
    Go ahead and tell the people how you
  • 00:33:24
    feel.
  • 00:33:26
    I care, but then I really don't care cuz
  • 00:33:28
    it's like I only been with two people on
  • 00:33:31
    my channel. Like actually been with two
  • 00:33:33
    people. So I feel like me being with two
  • 00:33:36
    people is not being a 304. But I mean
  • 00:33:39
    based on the internet, based off what
  • 00:33:41
    y'all seeing from y'all's point of view,
  • 00:33:43
    I understand. But I don't really let it
  • 00:33:45
    get to me because I know what's going on
  • 00:33:46
    in real life. So,
  • 00:33:48
    okay. Yeah, she answered it perfectly. I
  • 00:33:50
    say the same thing like y'all y'all just
  • 00:33:52
    be looking from the outside in and it be
  • 00:33:54
    looking like something that is really
  • 00:33:55
    like
  • 00:33:56
    I feel like a lot of y'all be logging on
  • 00:33:59
    the internet when y'all bored and trying
  • 00:34:00
    to live your life through ours. So,
  • 00:34:04
    okay. Okay. Like I like it's always it's
  • 00:34:08
    always naughtiest hoes that get the
  • 00:34:09
    feeling it. My hoes they know. Your hoes
  • 00:34:13
    be feeling like they invincible. Most of
  • 00:34:16
    the laughing stock or entertaining
  • 00:34:18
    content is from black and brown
  • 00:34:19
    creators. And it's for a reason. They're
  • 00:34:22
    doing these things cuz that's the only
  • 00:34:23
    way they can make money or make a lot of
  • 00:34:25
    money or be at the same level of success
  • 00:34:27
    as the matcha loving white creator. And
  • 00:34:30
    quite frankly, I genuinely believe a lot
  • 00:34:32
    of the black creators are making this
  • 00:34:33
    boring I don't want to say boring. Let
  • 00:34:35
    me stop this more chill aesthetic day in
  • 00:34:38
    the life content because that is the
  • 00:34:40
    ticket to get on these brand trips.
  • 00:34:41
    These brands are not inviting a
  • 00:34:43
    diversity of different content creators.
  • 00:34:45
    They're inviting a very specific
  • 00:34:47
    archetype. Okay, the big brands are
  • 00:34:49
    inviting a very particular person. And I
  • 00:34:52
    personally believe if they really wanted
  • 00:34:54
    to spice things up, they should probably
  • 00:34:55
    add creators with different niches. I
  • 00:34:57
    would love to see comedians and
  • 00:34:59
    storytellers and the beauty creators all
  • 00:35:01
    on one trip. Now, that would be promo
  • 00:35:03
    for their brand. It would be exciting.
  • 00:35:06
    It'd be entertaining. But no, these
  • 00:35:08
    brands are like they want a very
  • 00:35:10
    particular look. And a lot of the time,
  • 00:35:12
    black people are not considered that
  • 00:35:14
    packaged look. And it ends up with black
  • 00:35:16
    people feeling the need to overperform
  • 00:35:18
    and do the most. I mean, look at Kai,
  • 00:35:20
    look at um what's that man's name? Desay
  • 00:35:22
    Frost, Brooklyn, uh Jay Senko, Lala
  • 00:35:26
    Baptiste, all these people. Wendy Ortiz.
  • 00:35:28
    Like, they're not bad people. Like, not
  • 00:35:30
    at all. I'm not going to say that. But
  • 00:35:32
    they do make certain content that can
  • 00:35:34
    once again be questionable or isn't
  • 00:35:36
    considered as poison posh because they
  • 00:35:38
    know that's what gets the views and the
  • 00:35:40
    views gives them money. And
  • 00:35:42
    unfortunately, they're not going to be
  • 00:35:43
    as likely to get these massive brand
  • 00:35:45
    deals. Maybe Kai, but a majority of them
  • 00:35:47
    are not. They get paid off of
  • 00:35:49
    performance like they're in a circus
  • 00:35:51
    versus the white creators get paid off
  • 00:35:53
    of their poshness and their whiteness.
  • 00:35:55
    All right, you guys. So, that is the end
  • 00:35:57
    of today's video. And as always, I want
  • 00:35:59
    to know what are your thoughts when it
  • 00:36:00
    comes to black people feeling the need
  • 00:36:02
    to overperform or even be more
  • 00:36:04
    palatable. Let's get the discussion
  • 00:36:05
    going on the comments down below. As
  • 00:36:07
    always, please be sure you guys are
  • 00:36:08
    liking, commenting, and subscribing to
  • 00:36:10
    my channel. I love and I appreciate all
  • 00:36:12
    the support that you guys give.
  • 00:36:14
    Remember, we're on the road to 300,000
  • 00:36:16
    subscribers. So, please be sure to like,
  • 00:36:18
    comment, subscribe once again, and share
  • 00:36:19
    the video. Check out the Decision
  • 00:36:21
    podcast. Check out Tony Brian TV the
  • 00:36:23
    podcast on all audio platforms and on
  • 00:36:25
    YouTube. I love and I appreciate you
  • 00:36:27
    guys so much. I will see you all in my
  • 00:36:28
    very next video. Love you guys. Bye.
  • 00:36:40
    Taking you in this moment.
Tags
  • Black Women
  • Influencer Culture
  • Racial Disparity
  • Social Media
  • Content Creation
  • Brand Opportunities
  • Representation
  • Racial Pay Gap
  • Cultural Appropriation
  • Empowerment