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A popular beauty influencer with over 12 million followers on TikTok defended “false advertising” in a now-deleted video.
“Even if she wore false lashes, why does that matter?” Mads Lewis said in her now-deleted video. “I know it’s false advertising, but isn’t it all false advertising? Technically, isn’t everything a bit of a lie?”
The debate over truth in advertising on TikTok began after beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira was accused of wearing fake lashes while promoting L’Oreal Telescopic Lift mascara. Nogueira had described her lashes as “THE LASHES OF MY DREAMS!” after using the product.
When users said they could see extra lashes, Nogueira denied she used extensions in now-deleted comments, according to Rolling Stone.
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Lewis, another influencer, argued that Nogueira’s potential use of false eyelashes isn’t a big deal as false advertising is rampant across the industry. The videos resurfaced on another TikTok account, which stitched the videos together to ensure the platform preserved Lewis’ perspective for posterity.
Mads Lewis attends the 2021 Breakout Awards at Universal Studios Hollywood on December 8, 2021 in Universal City, California. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“Don’t get me wrong, lying sucks,” she continued, comparing what Nogueira has done to food companies modifying their products in commercials. “But everyone does it — especially when it comes to social media, and especially when it comes to making money.”
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“Sorry if someone shoves $200,000 in your face and says, ‘Hey, promote my mascara, I don’t think you’d think about it.'”
Mikayla Nogueira on stage during the L’Oreal Paris INFALL-A-THON pop-up event at The Grove featuring live performances and product experiences from Infallible Fresh Wear at The Grove on March 19, 2022 in Los Angeles. (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for L’Oreal Paris/Getty Images)
Users condemned the hiring, arguing that the problem wasn’t that Nogueira lied, but that she built her platform on supposedly “honest reviews” of products and then was “caught lying multiple times.”
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Other TikTok beauty influencers were quick to criticize Nogueira, calling her behavior “bizarre” and accusing her of posting “misleading reviews” that could harm other influencers.
“People trust us and that’s not cool,” said Alissa Ashley, a beauty products reviewer with over 435,000 followers, in response to the controversy.
In a tongue-in-cheek report on the controversy, BuzzFeed noted that “investigating a beauty influencer’s blatant error” is a step backwards from some of the controversies that have plagued such reports for the past few years.
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Recent controversies have included James Charles sending inappropriate texts to minors, and allegations of racism and bullying from influencers like Laura Lee and Jefree Star. Buzzfeed noted that these users still have over a million followers each.