Pokimane Slams Makeup-Free Tweet Controversy
Many gamers show their makeup-less faces from time to time, whether to participate in challenges or just to give their skin a break from heavy pigments. That being said, some streamers' bare-faced pictures go viral for all the wrong reasons, like Pokimane. Kotaku recounted a now-infamous stream where Pokimane appeared without makeup, explaining that the stream incited hateful comments and backlash from viewers who felt offended by her clean face. Though other women streamed without makeup to show their solidarity with Pokimane, her clean skin became somewhat of a meme. Now, Poki has tried to reclaim a notorious screenshot of the incident by posting a devastating tweet for her haters.
First, some context. After leading a hate raid against Pokimane, streamer JiDion immediately began backtracking on his involvement in the drama. Somehow, Pokimane heard his plea, and in a wonderful twist of internet fate, the two sat down to discuss the incident and eat sandwiches in a recent video. Pokimane and JiDion put their feud to rest, all while seeming to genuinely enjoy each others' company and enjoying a meal. JiDion – who originally changed his profile picture on Twitter to Pokimane's makeup-less selfie – dared his new friend to post the same image while bragging about how she makes more money than most other streamers.
Pokimane agreed and posted the image, captioning it, "this face makes more money than you'll ever see in your life." While many supported Pokimane's reclamation of the photo, others were less than content, inciting Pokimane to clap back against the haters online.
Pokimane's response to the hate
Pokimane was surprised to see how many reactions she received on her tweet, saying on stream that she didn't expect such a big reaction. She explained that people might not have known the context behind the tweet, inspiring their anger about a situation they knew little about. After all, harassers have used the screenshot of Pokimane without makeup to harass her for years. Pokimane said to the naysayers, "I hope you get that mad at multimillion or billion dollar conglomerates that take advantage of their workers in comparison to a random girl on the internet who's been streaming and working hard for 8 years to make her money." Pokimane went on to say that she does understand why some people might be mad at others for "flexing their wealth in general," but she noted that the same people who would hate her praise men who showcase their new sportscars online, even though that's a similar showcase of wealth.
Several of Pokimane's fellow creators commented on her tweet, joking and praising her for the good-natured show of her power. Valkyrae tweeted, "you're so hot for this," while friend TinaKitten complimented Pokimane's clear skin. Regardless of the negative pushback against her tweet, Pokimane seems to be maintaining her positive attitude and standing secure in her success.