After the wake of the “Varsity Blues” college acceptance scandals, partially surrounding YouTube “beauty guru” Olivia Jade, myself and others took the opportunity to reflect on what impact this would have. Of course, it is going to change the course of admissions and what credentials students needs to be allowed into prestigious universities, but it also alters the role these beauty stars should have in influencing young people’s ideals. Olivia Jade, the daughter of “Full House” star, Lori Loughlin, has 1.9 million subscribers, many of whom are as young as elementary schoolers. Is the fraud she and her family committed behind closed doors to get her into college just another example of why these influencers should not be perceived as perfect role models?
When I was 12, YouTube gurus like Bethany Mota (@macbarbie07), Meredith Foster (@Stilababe09) and more were starting to gain not only attention, but millions of subscribers. Their “DIY”s were all my friends and I talked about and we were scouring the local Rite Aid looking for the Lip Smackers used in the latest tutorials. Even with all this fandom, we were conscious that these girls lived on the Internet and we only really kept up with their lives when they posted videos. This must be different now, something I discovered by my eleven year old cousin’s James Charles themed birthday cake and a brand new palette of his. All of her friends have beauty gurus on Snapchat, follow them on Instagram and pretty much track their lives. When this Olivia Jade scandal first arose, my first thought was, “What will these young girls think now?”
It is almost as if because these influencers are good at makeup and can dress well, they are the older people they should trust for every example. It is the opposite, though. A lot of these young girls and boys made a lot of money very quickly and become disconnected from the lives they once lived. Olivia Jade is a different situation because she originally had money from her parents, but regardless, she leads a quite different life from a lot of the viewers. This bribery scandal is now teaching viewers two things: you don’t need to work hard to achieve success and it is okay to deceive people. Olivia Jade, I’m sure, had a very busy schedule with uploading and coming up with new content, but it is not just for her to use that as an excuse to violate the law. Most of all, however, she is teaching people that prioritizing fashion and beauty over education is right, when they should just be additions to your lives. Young girls must be taught that their minds are so much stronger than their appearances and they can make a lasting impact. Parents should advise their children that they should not always trust these celebrities and must take them as people to look up to for tips, not a complete role model.