This is not a rant post. This is my take on an issue. Take it for what it's worth.

In the last couple of weeks I have noticed a growing atmosphere of negativity in the beauty community on Youtube. I'm not talking about haters who leave silly comments like "OMG YOU'RE UGLY!" or stuff like that, but negative vibes from viewers who watch YT guru videos. After finding this video and also after receiving a lot of negative comments on entering contests recently, things have just come to a head.

I think viewers need to think about a couple of things. First of all, YT to most people making makeup videos is a hobby carried out in spare time. Many of us have full time jobs, are in relationships, have children, have other hobbies and friends that take up a lot of time. Once you reach a certain number of subscribers, it's just not possible to answer everyone's questions, emails and comments. I get hundreds of comments, messages and emails each day - to reply to them all in lengthy responses would be a full time job in itself. I'd love to have that kind of time to respond to everyone, but frankly, I just don't - I'd be sitting in front of the computer all day, every day. Maybe if I was in high school, or unemployed, or a student or someone who maybe has a lot of free time, I would be able to do so. But I don't, my job and other areas of my life would be suffering. In the beginning when I started on YT, I'd answer everyone's messages because frankly, I just didn't get that many. Is that possible now? Unfortunately, no. If you are unsubscribing to people just because they don't answer your message, it's really a loss to you. Would I ever unsubscribe to someone just because they didn't reply to my message? Certainly not. I realize that people have a life outside of YT, especially if they are bombarded with hundreds of messages every day. I mean it applies to anyone who has a large following - Fred has over 1,000,000 subscribers on YT. Do you think he gets around to answering every message/comment/question he gets? Anyone who expects him to is clearly naive to say the least.

The second thing is, ANYONE can be a Youtube "guru". Anyone. Create a Youtube account, change your settings to "Guru", upload videos and presto. Being a "guru" doesn't give you a higher status or anything of the sort, even if you have a lot of subscribers. It just means people are appreciating what you do and enjoying watching your channel. I am so thankful to my subscribers and it definitely makes YT a lot more fun, but some subscribers ask a lot from you. Some questions are easily answered by Google, searching other videos, or checking the video description box. Watching someone's video to me is already something I am thankful for, thankful they took their time to make the video and put themselves out there like that, so that I can learn from it. Anything beyond that is just a perk, hating on that special effort is pretty damn low. When it comes down to it, YT is about sharing videos - we are not your personal makeup assistant here for your every beck and call. It should not be taken for granted that video makers answer all your emails and questions - it's a nice gesture but it's not something that should be so easily demanded. It seems lately that viewers just automatically expect these things. And while we do try to answer as many questions as we can, it's just not possible for us to always do so.

I honestly think Gurus have the hardest lot on Youtube. Because we create a "How To" kind of video, we are bombarded with additional questions. If we were listed as Directors and just made comedy videos, do you think we would get the same volume of questions? People would post "haha so funny" and be on their merry way. So being a "Guru" entails an even larger time commitment than some YT users can even imagine because it's the nature of what we do on YT. I'm not saying it's not enjoyable and that it's a pain in the ass - on the contrary! But it means we just can't be here for everyone, every time.

I think some people are losing sight of what the YT beauty community should be all about - having fun. I am sure that's why most other video makers started their channel and continue making videos, because it is a fun hobby and great way to interact with like-minded people. It feels lately that this "fun" is starting to diminish by all the negative lash back. Why do people feel the need to make a video bitching about other people who spend hours of their own time making videos? Why not invest that time into doing something creative, doing something positive, instead of tearing others down? It makes me very disappointed. I don't think most people are in this for "Internet fame", I know I'm certainly not and I certainly don't think of myself as some kind of celebrity. I'm just a regular girl who likes makeup and likes sharing that passion with others. I started out the same as anyone else, knowing nothing about makeup, and somehow now have over 40,000 people watching me put on makeup. It even baffles me sometimes! But I've been passionate about makeup art before YT and I would still be passionate about it even if I wasn't doing this. If anyone ascribes fame to me, it's the viewers, not myself. I don't see it as a popularity contest either. I just do my thing and let others do theirs and am happy for them. If people like what I'm doing - cool! If not, oh well.

I hope this has clarified some things. I really do appreciate my subscribers and please understand if I don't reply to your email/comment/message - it's not that I think I'm so great and you're not worth my time. Please realize I just do not have time to answer everyone's questions, or your question was already answered either in the video, in the description info box, on my blog, or on my FAQ page. I don't want to have to worry about offending someone just because I don't have time to answer their messages. I realize that as someone who asks a question, it can be frustrating not to receive an answer. But it's not personal and it's not because we don't care. I was thinking of starting an off-topic YT channel a while ago, but I'm thinking I won't now - god forbid someone will be pissed off if I don't invest adequate time in it!

Thanks for reading, and hopefully understanding.



Important update:

It has been brought to my attention from a subscriber that someone on Youtube is saying - without any proof whatsoever - that I created a second account and am leaving hateful, racist remarks on people's profiles....???? I don't even know what it is referring to but:

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FALSE.

It disgusts me that people stoop this low out of whatever reason they may have to say such things about me which are completely void of truth and knowledge. I only have one account on Youtube and that is MissChievous. I would never sign up a second account to leave disgusting hateful comments. I have no grievance with other video makers and am completely against starting any kind of drama, it is not the atmosphere I wish to promote. I cannot believe that things have gone this far that I actually have to negate such ruthless, vile and despicable lies.