Influencers Respond to Black Lives Matter

By Goldie Schmiedeler

An influencer’s job is to promote a certain look or lifestyle in order to sell products. For fashion influencers, this means teaming up with brands to model their products for Instagram photos. In a time when entertainment, fashion, and beauty media can be found on the same platforms that give us world news, the role of the influencer becomes murky. When a social movement like Black Lives Matter occupies our newsfeeds, do we really want influencers to keep pushing fashion and beauty content?

The protests in response to George Floyd’s death make Flat Tummy Tea and mirror selfies insignificant. Many influencers have pressed pause on promoting their sponsorships, and it seems the common reaction is to either be silent, or to show support for BLM.

Unfortunately, numerous influencers missed the mark when trying to show support for BLM. On June 1st, Twitter user @ewufortheloss posted a video of social media personality Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin pretending to board up a storefront from protest looters in Santa Monica, California. The clip depicts Moriarty-McLaughlin posing for a photo holding a drill, standing next to a construction worker. She then hands the drill back to the worker and yells “Great job guys. BLM!” as she hopped in a black Mercedes-Benz and drove away.