TikTok star Mikayla Nogueira is facing criticism after a resurfaced video appeared to show her complaining about the difficulties of being an influencer.
Nogueira, who reviews beauty products on the platform, where she has amassed more than 13.5m followers, initially made the controversial comments, in which she explained her typical workday, in 2021.
In the video, which has been deleted but which has recirculated on TikTok, after spreading on Twitter and Reddit, the 24 year old opened up about the struggles of being an influencer in response to a comment from a follower who suggested she try reporting to a job “9 to 5”.
“Poor you. Report to a job 9 to 5 lol,” the comment read. In response, Nogueira began the video by noting that she was “feeling like a f**king a**hole today” before explaining that she was going to “fire back at people” because she was “so tired”.
Nogueira then proceeded to share her daily work routine, which she said consists of getting up at 6am and filming for multiple hours a day, before working on her other social media platforms. According to the influencer, she also has multiple meetings each day, before she can stop working around 5pm.
“Every single day, I get up at 6am. I spend about five to six hours filming video content that ranges from three to four videos and I spend a few hours editing that video content. Then I have to work on my other social media profiles, whatever it may be, Instagram whatever,” the beauty influencer said. “It’s f**king marketing. Then I’m in meetings 12 to 5pm. I literally just finished work and it’s 5.19pm.
“Try being an influencer for a day. Try it. Because the people who say it’s easy are so far out of their minds. Try it for a day.”
Nogueira then went on to allege that being an influencer is “not for everybody,” before claiming that there’s “a very small handful of people who can actually do this job”.
“Because it’s absolutely f**king insane,” she continued. “You do not want to have this job. I’m just saying.”
The resurfaced video has since sparked backlash on the platform, where the TikTok star’s followers have condemned her comments as being “tone-deaf,” with some also pointing out that Nogueira has a reported net worth of $2m from her career as an influencer.
“Girly that work ethic though we could NEVER,” one person wrote sarcastically in the comments under Nogueira’s recent video, while another said: “I finish work at 9pm… try being ME for a day.”
“What a difficult job,” someone else wrote.
Others described the difficulties associated with their own jobs while suggesting that the influencer would struggle if places were reversed.
In addition to criticism over the resurfaced video, the TikTok influencer also began facing backlash after her followers allegedly found past comments she’d posted under fellow influencer Jaclyn Hill’s Instagram posts.
While the comments have since been deleted, screenshots appear to show Nogueira criticising Hill for being an influencer under a 2018 post from the makeup artist.
“Must be nice to be rich and all you do is film videos for YouTube,” she allegedly wrote under a post Hill shared of her bedroom in 2018, while other screenshots show Nogueira appearing to comment “yikes” under Hill’s Instagram posts.
“It went from ‘must be nice’ to ‘try being an influencer for a day,’” one person commented under a TikTok video compilation of Nogueira’s comments, while another said: “Wow. Didn’t even expect those to be real but I just looked…very disappointing.”
As of 26 September, Nogueira has not addressed the resurfaced video or her comments under Hill’s Instagram. However, many of her followers have suggested that she should “apologise”.
Others have defended Nogueira in response to the widespread criticism she’s currently facing on the platform, with many reminding the TikTok star, who has spoken openly about her mental health struggles, to prioritise herself.
“People are really cruel. That’s all I’m going to say. Love you Mikayla,” one person commented under her most recent video.
Another said: “Just because your haters are louder than those of us that support you doesn’t mean they’re right. Keep your gorgeous head up.”
“Love you Mikayla. Take care of yourself through this. It’ll be over soon and your supporters will still be here,” someone else wrote.
The backlash also prompted one person to note how “scary” the internet can be. “The internet is the scariest place to ever exist. People will bring you up one day and in a second everyone turns on you. It’s fascinating to observe,” they wrote.
Nogueira has frequently used the platform to speak candidly about her mental health struggles, with the influencer opening up about “self-hatred” in August.
“I have to talk to you guys about something that I’ve been really struggling with for quite a while now,” she began a video uploaded on 30 August. “For the last couple months, my self-hatred has truly exploded.”
“What I mean by that is, I hate myself,” Nogueira continued. “I have zero confidence, I hate how I look, I haven’t felt beautiful in months, and I don’t know why this is happening to me.”
“Well, that’s a lie. I do,” she interjected. “It’s this job.”
In the video, the influencer, who has also spoken about her struggles with disordered eating, then went on to note that her career, which requires her to stare at herself for hours on camera, has caused her to continuously criticise her appearance.
The Independent has contacted a representative for Nogueira for comment.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, the Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
