I don't mean to sound like a grumpy old woman here, but, when I was growing up, there was no such thing as a YouTuber. There were people who made YouTube videos, sure, and - by the time I hit my mid-teens - there were one or two recognisable faces from the platform, but people who actually make a living off the website didn't really become a thing until a few years ago.

When they did, though, they became the next generation of celebrities.

They're not just vloggers anymore; they're people who publish books, start their own clothing lines, and tour the world to meet their fans. They're household names. They are brands. And for that reason, fans - especially younger viewers - idolise them just as they would any other celebrities.

So, when a beauty blogger named Eugenia Cooney started gaining a lot of attention on YouTube, some viewers became concerned that her tiny figure was sending out a bad message to young girls. Some became so outraged by her online presence, in fact, that they tried to shut her down.

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In 2016, a concerned follower of Cooney's, Lynn Cloud, started a Change.org petition to remove the vlogger from the video platform in order to prevent young, vulnerable girls from starving themselves in order to look like her.

"She knows that she’s influencing young teenage girls into thinking being 60 lbs. is normal. It’s most definitely not," Cloud said. "Ever since she has moved out of her mother’s house recently, she has been getting skinnier and skinnier. This clearly isn’t a ‘high metabolism’ or any other type of losing body weight uncontrollably condition."

And it seems that Cloud wasn't the only one to hold this opinion, as over a reported 20,000 people signed the petition with her.

In response to this, Cooney made a video in which she insisted that she is not a bad influence, and that she has never endorsed being thin.

"Some people are saying I'm like a bad influence on girls. I just want you guys to know like I have seriously never have tried to be a bad influence on YouTube or to influence anyone badly. I would never want to do that. I have never told anyone to try to like lose weight or to try to like change the way they look or to look like me."

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The petition was eventually taken down and Cooney was able to continue putting up videos, but several other new petitions have sprung up in the original one's place.

Then, on July 29th this year, a video was removed from the vlogger's channel by YouTube and she had a strike put on her account. It was eventually revoked, and her page is now back up and running as usual - but Cooney still seemed oblivious to the reasons why her content was reported in the first place.

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However, fans were unhappy that Cooney still isn't able to see why her material might be considered a bad influence for younger people, and tried to use the experience to warn the vlogger that more of her videos may get taken down if she continues to promote an extremely dangerous lifestyle.

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From an outsider's perspective, it certainly seems that Cooney has a health condition that has left her with so little weight on her bones. It's definitely not a sustainable way to be, and it really ought not to be promoted to viewers who may be self-conscious about their own body image.

However, if YouTube steps in to block Cooney's content, what's to stop them doing the same from overweight or obese YouTubers? Should that be something that's allowed on a platform like this? Where do we draw the line?

It's not an easy problem to solve, and it certainly can't be a pleasant experience for Cooney to be at the receiving end of so much criticism. All we can hope for is that she seeks help for whatever it is that has left her so thin, and that her viewers realise that being skinny is not the same as being healthy.

A beauty vlogger has been slammed on social media after claiming to have "beat the cr*p" out of her two-year-old daughter for ruining her makeup palette.

In a video she uploaded to her channel, called My Toddler Ruined My JSC Alien Palette | Now I’m sad…, YouTuber Michelle Grace proceeded to tell her audience that her toddler had ruined two of her eye shadow palettes.

Check out the controversial video below:

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"Y'all hear that right?" Michelle, 23, asked in the video. "My 2-year-old just got her a** beat because no matter how many times I tell her not to mess with my makeup, she never f***ing listens. I put it away so that she can't find it, and what does she do? She finds it."

"At this point, I need a frickin' safe with a combination on it to keep her out of it. She has ruined two palettes of mine and one of them is being discontinued. One second, my hand hurts. 'Cause I just beat the cr*p out of her. Not literally, but I taught her a lesson. Because I'll be damned if she's gonna walk all over me [sic]."

Check out this other controversial social media moment. This is the moment rapper YG asks his three-year-old daughter to smell a bag of weed:

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Meanwhile, Michelle's daughter can be heard crying the background.

"And I know a lot of parents might not agree with me," Grace continues. "But I don't normally — I don't normally spank my child, unless I really have to, and usually, it's just a pop. And it barely hurts. She cries for like, five seconds."

While the original video has since been deleted from her official channel, the content has been reuploaded on other YouTube channels and elsewhere on the internet.

Unsurprisingly, the video was met with fierce backlash online, with many social media users condemning Michelle's "abusive" behavior towards the youngster.

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One user tweeted: "My kid was throwing all kinds of sh*t at me (playfully, it was a game to her) and destroying the house when she was two. Know what I didn’t do? Hit her. Because why? SHE WAS TWO BUT ALSO EVEN IF SHE WAS 15 SHE DOESN’T DESERVE TO BE PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED!!!!!! [sic]"

Another added: "Don’t hit/pop/spank your kid. There is never a reason to strike a child. Teaching them to fear you isn’t parenting. You’re normalizing violence. Stop. Learn and do better."

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Michelle has since responded to the criticism with a lengthy statement posted on Twitter.

"What I did should have never been done," she began. "I acted out of emotions and had a lapse in judgment. That being said, I’m truly sorry if it all came off the wrong way. It was [a] poor choice of words and I admit that."

The incident has led to a Change.org petition being set up to have Michelle removed from YouTube.

Joey Swoll strikes again.

The popular fitness influencer has once again shown his power on social media after getting a group of women banned from a spa after they mocked a naked stranger.

Going to the gym or spa can be a daunting experience for anyone self-conscious of their body, so it should be the done thing to make people comfortable at these places.

Sadly, some take it upon themselves to ridicule others either to hide their insecurities or just to be an awful person.

Luckily, people like Swoll are on hand to call out bad behavior, and it can have devastating consequences for those involved.

Swoll has taken a stand against what he describes as "arrogant" behavior after discovering a disturbing incident at Champneys Luxury Health Spa in the UK.

The influencer, whose real name is Joseph Sergo, expressed his outrage on social media over the recording of a nude woman in the spa's locker room.

In a video posted on his Instagram account, Swoll didn't mince words: "This video really p*sses me off. Pardon my language but what the f*** is wrong with you? How do you not know better than to do this to somebody?"

The footage, which circulated on social media on March 5, shows the woman changing in the locker room before the camera pans to two individuals, identified as her friends, laughing in the sauna.

The video, described as "perverted," was allegedly posted on one of the friend's Instagram stories with the caption "even a free show," per the New York Post.

Swoll, visibly angered in his video response, criticized the perpetrators for their lack of respect and empathy towards the woman.

"You and your friends sit there arrogantly laughing at her and enjoying this 'free show' as you call it – and you even tagged the location of this spa," he said.

Taking further action, Swoll directly messaged Champneys Spas via Instagram to condemn the behavior of the individuals involved. In response, Champneys Spas issued a statement expressing their shock and dismay over the incident.

"We are absolutely appalled and so upset by the actions of these individuals. Champneys is a place that prides itself on being somewhere to relax and unwind in a safe and comfortable environment, we do not condone or accept any conduct that puts our guests at risk," the spa's statement read.

The statement continued: "We have identified the guests, banned them from our properties and reported the incident to the police. Rest assured, we are reviewing our procedures and policies to ensure this does not happen again."

Swoll, urging the affected woman to press charges, emphasized the importance of respecting privacy and personal boundaries. "You need to do better. Mind your own business," he insisted.

Comments flooded in from shocked viewers, with one person stating: "This is so awful to see. The poor woman who has been violated, can’t imagine how it’s left her feeling. Why do people think it’s ok to film others without consent and in private places."

A second added: "That’s a straight up FELONY. Haul them off to prison! Where the hell do people get the absolute AUDACITY to do something like this??"

Featured image credit: Chanin Nont/Getty

An influencer has taken down an Instagram troll after they wrongly slammed her figure.

Australian model and bikini designer Karina had the perfect response for the hater, who called her "obese" and "repulsive".

Karina - who goes by @karinaairby on the platform - often posts body positivity messages on her account, encouraging her followers to love themselves regardless of their shape and size.

But despite her message of love and acceptance, Karina is still the victim of online trolls.

On Sunday, the 29-year-old received such a cruel comment that she decided enough was enough and took to Instagram to shame her critic, who called her "repulsive", "obese", and "disgusting".

She started with a joke about the troll's username, writing: "Firstly, how dare you bring The Office into this."

The influencer then launched into a much-needed lecture.

"Clearly you’ve had one too many [encounters] with blow up dolls and watched a little too much pretty porn and it’s warped perception. So today I’m going to publicly attempt to educate you on the female body" she continued, adding: "Buckle up buttercup. You’re in for a rude shock!"

Referring to her own stunning figure, Karina wrote: "This is not repulsive and very far from obese. Yeah I may have cellulite, eczema and some meat on my bones. But I’m a young healthy female that you could be so lucky to have a chance with."

She then presented the troll with some hardnosed stats.

"99.9% of women don’t look like a Barbie doll. 99.9% of women have cellulite, lumps, dumps, scars, stretch marks, muscle and skin. 99.9% of women would never date you because of your repulsive outlook on what a female should look like," Karina wrote.

She concluded the caption by hitting out at companies for promoting unrealistic beauty standards.

"Perhaps if more people [were] being themselves online and companies shared and marketed different body types you’d be better educated by now," the caption reads.

Karina's post has already racked up over 30,000 likes, with many people applauding her in the comments section.

"Hate that they're shaming The Office using that name while making such hideous comments. You keep being you girl and THANK YOU for defending all of us," one fan wrote.
"Yes baby girl, I couldn’t of said it better," added another.
A third simply commented: "PREACHHH" - and we couldn't agree more.

Featured Image Credit: Iain Masterton / Alamy

In recent years, many fashion and cosmetics labels have been making a conscious effort to be more inclusive in their branding and advertising. River Island hired its first Downs Syndrome model to show that their clothing was for all children, several fitness outlets have been using plus sized promoters in order to make exercise accessible to everyone, and many brands have taken to including a wider range of gender and race diversity.

So, when one beauty blogger - 21-year-old Kadeeja Khan - was approached by L'Oréal with the opportunity to promote their new vegan hair dye range, she was ecstatic. Khan suffers from severe acne and is known by her fans for speaking openly and candidly on her skin issues, so she assumed that L'Oréal were aware of this.

However, a short while after receiving the initial invite from the cosmetics brand, Khan received a second email which said, "L’Oréal can't be involved with people with skin issues." Understandably, the young blogger felt completely humiliated.

"After I’d already got my hopes up I was completely let down and insulted by their reason for not wanting to work with me," said Khan, who has almost 130,000 followers on Instagram. "It just shows that L'Oréal only want to work with people with perfect skin, but that isn’t real."

Having struggled with skin problems for years, Khan took the rejection very personally (as anyone would), and felt that it was a far bigger insult than any horrible comment she'd ever received from various strangers who'd tried to taunt her in the past.

"I know internet trolls will say horrible things to me, but to have that confirmed by an international brand has made me feel like there isn’t any space for people like me online," she said.

"To think we're supposed to live in an advanced society that not only ACCEPTS of ALL walks of life but actually embraces people of all backgrounds, religions, ethnicities and disabilities. Shame on you L'Oréal."

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This prompted the cosmetics brand to issue an apology to Khan, and explain their official stance on representation for people of all skin types.

"We deeply apologise for any upset caused, and have made direct contact with the individuals involved to clarify this unfortunate misunderstanding," they said.

"The photoshoot was designed to support a new hair colour launch and feature hairdressers and lifestyle bloggers. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding resulted in the agency casting bloggers with skin concerns for this shoot. This resulted in the wrong profile being cast, which was then poorly and insensitively communicated to the individuals concerned.

"We do not have regulations in place that restrict us from working with people with skin conditions. At L’Oréal we work with women and men with all skin types and celebrate beauty in all its diversity."

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Despite the humiliation (and the half-assed apology), Khan decided to use the experience as further encouragement to keep on doing what she does.

"That has given me fuel. Fuel to continue to show you that you're beautiful no matter what ANYONE says," she said. "That even if it’s someone so huge & big. It still means NOTHING. Never stop loving yourself for who you are & NEVER change."