When I was little, I remember there was a song we were taught at school. The lines of the song went like this:
'Be careful little hands what you do,'
'Be careful little mouths what you say.'
'There is a Father up above and he's looking down in love,'
'So be careful little mouths what you say .'
In this case, be careful what you say, cuz' there are many people who are influenced by you!
Sadly in the beauty, and many other lifestyle industries, it seems quite easy for influencers to sell their integrity for a few thousand dollars. As a result, it makes it very difficult for you the consumer, to trust the 'opinions' and 'advice' from some of these influencers. Some of these people may not have ever used the product, heard about the product or service before, but at the right price tag, they can act like they have been using the product for a lifetime.
As a result, many genuine influencers are buried by this type of corruption.
According to Tati Westbrook, James Charles told her that promoting her vitamin brand, Halo Beauty, wasn't a great idea because of the disparity between their audience age.
James is 19 with an audience of 12-19 year olds whereas Tati is 37 with a viewer-ship of 25-35 year olds.
This is to me is understandable considering Halo Beauty is '...suitable for all ethnicities and types of hair over the age of 18.' - Quote from Halo Beauty FAQ.
HOWEVER, James in a seemingly unpresidented move, decided to promote anti-anxiety sleeping gummies:
What in Jesus Navas' name is 'sleep vitamins' anyway?
In my opinion, James Charles used his influence, to sell sleeping pills to teenagers. Teenagers tend to fall within a gullible category and he basically sold out his audience for a good time at Coachella, allegedly.
To me, that is highly unethical and anyone with the slightest amount of moral and ethical fortitude would think again before promoting something like this.
To me, it is basically sleeping pills in the form of gummy bears! Go to SugarBear Sleep and read the user reviews for youself.
Lets look a little into this Sugar Bear Sleep Vitamin.
What is Melatonin?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, "melatonin is is a natural hormone made by your body's pineal (pih-knee-uhl) gland. This is a pea-sized gland located just above the middle of the brain."
It is basically the hormone that is responsible for helping you sleep.
A Hopkins Medicine doctor reccomends that melatonin should be taken in doses of 1-3 milligrams.
On the other hand, Sugar Bear Sleep Vitamins reccomends, twice that.
On the company's website it states under it's FAQ that, "Anyone age 13 and older ( can use the product )! We recommend anyone under age 18 receive their guardian’s or healthcare provider’s permission."
More than likely, James Charles may not have known any of this information before using hashtag AD on his Instagram stories.
My larger concern is, what organization is there to regulate companies like Sugar Bear to sell products like this which is targeted to children!
As a consumer, you NEED to take the time to do your own research and make informed decisions about anything you consume. I am a micro influencer and I have a responsibility to my readers to be honest and direct about anything I recommend. I have to do my own research and make sure I am not ignorant about the things I speak of.
What are your thoughts on this issue? Didn't think this article would have gone here ehh?
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XOXO Shaina