Jeffree Star, James Charles, and other famous influencers have been criticized for exploiting animals to promote an upcoming fashion brand.
Videos, and photos featuring various influencers posing with a baboon and capuchin monkey on their shoulders started popping all over Instagram in the last few weeks. Major influencers such James Charles, Jeffree Star, Daisy Keech, and Michael Yerger are all seen doing similar poses to promote a new clothing brand called Bananas Monkey. Yes, very original.
Bananas Monkey sells T-shirts, hoodies, and sweatpants. The brand describes themselves as ‘A lifestyle that’s never been normal, Bananas Monkey is for the weird and different among us.’ The company also says it aims to help its customers “embrace the unconventional” through clothes that add “an offbeat twist to classic silhouettes.” It all sounds a bit vague, and while the brand creators are unclear, the internet is speculating that the brand is owned by Austin and Catherine of the controversial Ace Family.
Fans of the beauty gurus seemed to be especially disappointed by Jeffree, and James’ somewhat hypocritical actions. Both youtube stars are often seen promoting cruelty-free beauty products and yet were seen using live wild animals as a prop, which seems contradictory to say the least.
Jeffree particularly set out to upset the biggest crowd of people with his repeated mistakes, and infamous scandals.
The heat for the pr package for Bananas Monkey also stems from Jeffree Star’s decision to include a live alligator in his latest makeup campaign video. That, combined with his recent pose with the primate seem to create a disingenuous image for his products, which are reportedly cruelty free.
The increase of wild animal usage as a prop seems to have become a bigger issue with popular platforms such as TikTok.
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TikTok videos showing wild animals in captivity can encourage viewers to seek out exotic animals as pets, possibly resulting in harm to both the creatures and their owners. Animal-rights organization PETA told Insider that’s especially true for primates, which are part of a ‘shady’ industry that forcefully separates babies from their mothers to be raised as pets. She went on to say that brands like Bananas Monkey are “helping to fuel” the controversial animal trade.
1. A company called Bananas Monkey sent around a baboon & another monkey with PR boxes for its launch to influencers
Using primates like this is not only abusive, but also ends up encouraging private ownership of primates.@JeffreeStar @jamescharles @michaeleyerger @DaisyKeech pic.twitter.com/Up0D5Goz3a
— Yashar Ali ???? (@yashar) November 11, 2020
People were understandably upset. A longtime Jeffree fan tweeted calling out Jeffree Star for posing with an alligator and now with monkeys.
I've been a fan but it really sucks to see animal exploitation in your reveal with the alligator and now supporting monkeys in the PR u received. Animals used for entertainment can be treated bad, drugged, poor living conditions, painful training, etc. Animals are not actors
— Elle8164 (@Elle8164) November 10, 2020
The influencers were not the only ones who suffered backlash online, a lot of people also criticized the company Bananas Monkey for sending the animals to the influencers’ house in the first place.
https://twitter.com/benj_eryx/status/1325942107434086406
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Another twitter pointed out the hypocrisy in having a cruelty free makeup brand and yet also posing with wild animals and influencing harmful animal trade practices.
Jeffree Star: My makeup brand is vegan and cruelty free!!! ⛔️
JEFFREE STAR ALSO: possing with aligator on brand launch, possing with monkeys for fun ????????#jeffreestar #bloodmoney #jeffreestarcosmetics #hypocrite pic.twitter.com/8wKTYG1p31— Lucinda (@lucinda_tvth) November 10, 2020
What do you think, was the criticism warranted?
Video Created By:
Anes Hasi
