If you’ve been in the YouTuber beauty make-up world for any length of time, you will know that Jaclyn Hill was, at one point, one of the biggest names in beauty. With over 5.3 million subscribers, 400 videos, and an impressive 600 million views, Jaclyn Hill was a force to be reckoned with. She was a powerhouse who in the late spring of 2019 launched the flagship of the Jacyln brand with an aptly named “Jaclyn Cosmetics”. Soon, she would come out with lifestyle and jewelry brands (Koze and Jaclyn Roxanne respectively) too.
For a YouTuber to make the jump from influencer to CEO and command multiple businesses was inspirational!
Except, it really wasn’t. As Morphe, an influencer-heavy make-up brand, went under and their financials were fully disclosed, the truth came out. Jaclyn Hill was never the CEO of her cosmetics line. Her name and face were used and she did on multiple occasions state that she was the CEO of her “little girl dream”, but the truth of it was that Jacyln had little if any, control over what happened to the brand. Still, that did not stop her from proclaiming that it was a “family business” or that she was highly invested in the products that were produced, and the quality that was delivered to millions of eager fans. In the end, when Morphe went under, so did her brand and her reputation.
Personality Ethics
Jaclyn presented herself in a certain light that allowed her to gain greater influence over her followers who were genuinely excited to see her step out onto her own. It was the natural progression of her career. To go from GRWM videos to launching her own brand, was an influencer’s dream. Many other beauty followers have followed the track, but unlike Jaclyn, they maintained ownership rather than passing off the hard work of running a company to a parent company. Jaclyn fell into a trap that every online or influencer personality falls under: the Personality Ethic Issue.
This is a line of thinking or a belief system that your personality is the main driving force of your success and will make up for any shortcomings. To the Personality Ethic, this can work for some time. It’s visible to see in anyone who maintains any semblance of a personality. The better your personality, the more people like you. The more people like you, the greater your influence, the greater your influence, the more power that you have. It’s a pretty neat concept. There is something to be said for a winning personality.
People have made their careers at being a genuinely good person like Bob Ross, Mark Hamill, Tom Hanks, Keaneu Reeves, Dolly Parton, and of course, everyone’s favorite neighbor: Mr. Rogers. Then you have people who get branded as “Mr. Rogers of the Internet” like Boogie2988. Formerly a powerhouse of a gaming YouTuber, Boogie lost his good standing when he went full “mask off” and displayed less than Mr. Rogers-like traits.
From bragging about his wealth, to being unable to take any form of criticism, and attempting “shock-jock” humor that actively hurts what little reputation he possesses; Boogie is a clear display of what the personality ethic looks like as it self-destructs. Without a solid personality, people like Boogie, who openly admit that they are no longer good at the work that gave them the attention and success in the first place, will find themselves sliding into the void that is obscurity.
To his credit, Boogie did have a very successful run on YouTube and Jaclyn Hill’s view count is doing well. Despite the controversy surrounding her, Koze, and a lack of communication with her fans, Jaclyn can turn things around. But the difference between Boogie and Jaclyn is that Jaclyn remains consistent with her personality and she is skilled in make-up. Boogie’s personality shifts from passive, grandiose, and arrogant to whiny. Additionally, the fact that he is terminally online and continues to engage in attention-seeking behavior shows that he is willing to sell out what little goodwill he has left. Whatever “success” he has it’s either due to commentary channels keeping him relevant or him debasing himself for internet clout.
The Authentic Self
To be perfectly blunt, Personality Ethics are shit. The temptation to create a highly polished image, the “perfect” self, either for views, gains, or to garner your influence is high, but it is a precarious thing to do. Because once you put on a mask and present anyone other than your true authentic self, any little discrepancy, will end your facade. Again, take Boogie for example. Hailed as the “Mr. Rogers of the Internet”, his facade was broken once the darker side of him came out in full force. He never displayed his true authentic self. When he was exposed and his “edgier” self was seen, Boogie had two choices.
Choice 1 – Admit the Mask
Everyone puts on a different side of themselves, a different mask, when engaging in various facets of our lives. That is perfectly normal. The way we act with our grandmother will be different than how we act in a client-facing role, or with our significant other, or with our friends. However, there should be some form of consistency. This should not be, by any means, a Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde scenario. For Boogie, it was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He had a choice to admit the mask to his extensive audience and save his reputation.
In admitting the mask, acknowledging less than stellar behavior, and vowing for greater clarity of how things will be moving forward and improving oneself, things can be rescued. More than anything, fans/audience members, want acknowledgment. By providing acknowledgment and validating a community’s concern, is nothing short of pure gold. It is generating goodwill and strengthening the community.
Choice 2 – Double Down
There are few if any people, in this world who are fully comfortable in admitting mistakes and coming clean. It is easier, in the short term, to deflect, deny, and avoid. In the long term, it is the most detrimental anyone can do to their career. This is a poison move. It generates distrust within a community. In the long term, it erodes the goodwill and the community. Why would anyone invest in someone uninterested in growing both as a person and as a creator?
Out of the two choices, one that would strengthen a community and the other that would be the poison pill for any creator, Boogie picked the choice 2.
Twitter feuds and videos lashing out at any criticism were undoubtedly the final straw that broke many of Boogie’s fans’ backs. People saw that Boogie was disinterested in anything vaguely resembling self-improvement. Any admission of fault was quickly backed up with half-hearted excuses of “I’m dumb” and “I’ve never made a good decision” followed by the continuation of the behavior that alienates everyone. The authentic self that he now displayed to the world and his dwindling audience members was someone who would not change and fight anyone who attempted to help him.
Making the Decision
We all have in our lives to make the decision of who we present to the world. Being your authentic self does not mean showing the world every single part of you, but coming to terms with the parts that make up you. There will always be things that we do not wish to show to the world and that’s fine. But it is the core of our character that we have to be willing to show to the world.
Are we trustworthy? Dependable? Are we gossipers? Backstabbers? Are we innovators? Gloryhounds? Fakers?
As always, if you or a loved one are struggling is in crisis, experiencing severe emotional distress, or in need of immediate assistance, please do not solely rely on the information provided on this blog. Instead, we strongly encourage you to seek help from qualified mental health professionals or utilize the hotlines here. If you are seeking therapeutic services and do not know where to begin, please consider Psychology Today.
