I Still (heart) Rice Bunny!

 

 This post was originally going to be about all of my favorite people of Youtube, but after surfing the Internet this morning, I decided against it. Instead it will be about one of the women I originally intended to address: Michelle Phan. If her name sounds familiar then it should because she's the most powerful woman on Youtube recently becoming the first woman to reach over 1 million subscribers on the popular video site.  Her work as a makeup artist has gained her coverage from CNN, E!News, Vogue, Nylon Magazine, and other countless sources. Thanks to this success Michelle was able to score a deal with Lancome to become a spokesperson for their products. As always with those who find success, there comes a lot of scrutiny and hate.

Michelle's as Lady Gaga

Sites aimed at destroying Michelle's reputation and image have begun to pop up on the web. These sites are reportedly run by other makeup guru's who have gone to any cost to ruin the rising star. They have used Michelle's Facebook, Twitter, and even Xanga posts and turned them into weapons against her.

The alleged gurus have claimed that Michelle steals the looks of other makeup artists and claims them as her own. Working around great artists everyday, and being one myself, I believe that claim is untrue, yet one that could easily be made. There are only so many things you can do with makeup. Chance of creating a look that is similar to other artist is not rare. It is seen in songs, poems, art, and yes, makeup. This does not mean that the looks were stolen, just similar to, or even inspired by other artists.

The trolls even go on to criticise Michelle for simple mistakes such as misspelled words in her video titles and tweets, claiming it to be unprofessional. It's a tweet people. When using only 150 characters, you may want to shorten words to get the message across, and there are even some circumstance when you may actually misspell a word.  Everyone makes mistakes and making a few grammar mistakes is perfectly human and bound to happen. That is why we have spell checker.





Inspired by fairies, Michelle created these looks for Halloween

Claims that Michelle makes about her past and personal life are even challenged. They claim that she lied to her fans about her pet rabbit Mr.Bun Bun's  death, making it seem as if he were actually alive when he wasn't. Michelle doesn't have to let her fans in on her personal life if she chooses not too. There is no written law that says she must let her fans know what is happening in her life at every moment of the day.

If these haters have me riled up, some of Michelle's fans do too. Complaining that she doesn't upload like she used to and that her videos are all sponsored are all comments that appear on her page, in tweets, and on her Youtube videos. There was a dry spell when we subscribers didn't get to see any new videos for a while but what many fail to realize is that Michelle is currently leading a very busy life. With trips to Thailand, making videos for brands and companies, and tending to her own personal life she has did not have the time to make any new tutorials. Yes, Michelle does promoted videos from time, but she have to make a living somehow and promoting herself is all apart of that. It should also be noted that Michelle never promotes products that she does not stand behind or did not use. If she did not trust the product she would not endorse it.
They even complain about her deleting comments on her videos that she deems negative. It is still her video and she has the right to delete, spam, or approve any comment that she likes. If the comment is attacking her or what she is doing, then why not delete it? Especially if the comments are accusing her of being unoriginal, ugly, or any other demeaning comments that may impact her self esteem or character. She has every right to do with the comments as she pleases.

Thankfully I'm not the only fan who doesn't like the way that these sites have treated Michelle. A few Youtube video responses have shot up on Youtube, like this one that Michelle tweeted herself.

Now that my rant is over, I leave you all with Michelle's newest video tutorial and a few parting words.

To you lifeless Internet trolls who have been hounding Michelle behind your computer screens: get a life and find a new job. You won't go far bringing someone else down, it will only come around to haunt you.

To Michelle, if you ever happen to stumble upon this, be sure to keep your head up. You are a beautiful woman and will continue to grow in your industry and be successful in whatever you do. Keep your head up, and "Good Luck".



PS. Pictures stolen from her Facebook page and internet source. A direct link to her Youtube page is on the right. (^_^)
~Chan