The Death of the Celebrity Beauty Brand?

24/7 resources & support for anyone in the U.S. affected by DV:
Call 1-800-799-7233
Text "START" to 88788

____________________________________________________

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:39 Blake Lively early career & overview
01:27 Blake Brown initial brand issues
07:30 It Ends With Us press tour drama
11:28 Failed attempt at creating a cultural moment
13:21 Negative impact on DV survivors
16:19 Justin Baldoni’s message to survivors
16:29 The problem with self-promotion in a DV film
18:52 Blake Lively’s leaked allegations
20:40 Resurfaced interviews of Blake being mean
22:30 Manufactured outrage & performative feminism
25:04 Blake Brown is STRUGGLING
26:05 How can Blake Lively save Blake Brown?
29:31 Pros & cons of being a celebrity founder
31:17 How celebrity brands should pivot

Credits:
____________________________________________________

Discount Codes:

FTC: This video is not sponsored and is not meant for children.

[StateofKait]

Hey everyone, I worked really hard to focus only on the valid criticisms of Blake Lively as it relates to her brand and negative impact on DV survivors. I'm sure some viewers will interpret this as being mean, but none of this was created out of malicious intent. As women, we deserve better, especially when a celebrity is profiting off women's trauma without doing the work to help them.

A lovely viewer also pointed out the discrepancy between how women and men are scrutinized, and that is 100% correct. I had originally written a section about how I don't believe Blake would've received the same praise as Justin Baldoni if the roles had been reversed. Women are held to a significantly higher standard, whereas men are praised for doing the bare minimum. I decided to delete that section of the video because I felt it side-tracked the conversation, but it's definitely applicable to the media scrutiny of Blake and I'm glad someone mentioned it.

I also saw a comment from someone who was upset that I brought race into the conversation regarding Blake’s performative white girl feminism, so let me elaborate:

White women have a particular brand of feminism that centers ourselves in situations where it is inappropriate to do so. Blake is the perfect example of this. When her allegations claimed Justin fat-shamed her, she expected to be labeled a feminist and gain support from other women, not realizing that her behavior would read as hypersensitive and attention seeking. We tend to be quick to claim we’re being oppressed, when women of color have to fight like hell to be heard in situations that are far more dire. That is why race is relevant.

Let me know if you'd like to see other commentary videos that blend beauty and pop culture. This was certainly an interesting one to create and I hope you find value in it.

[JadedGen]

I grew up in extreme DV. My bio dad beat my mother and my sister, myself until one day my mom was at work, my oldest sister at school. He got high and angry, shoved my baby sister in her crib in the closet. I hid behind a chair, he passed out. I crawled to her crib to sit by her. Are cried for hours. Till she puked, snd peed through her diaper. 10 hours later my mom returned from work. She freaked out, we left that night.

Blake is privileged. Insensitive. Ignorance.

I went on and chose relationships that lead to DV. Because it’s what I knew. I eventually broke the cycle. But you aren’t the same ever again.

[pennPi]

The silver lining of this scandal is that the subject of DV is getting more attention. I was shocked to learn from a news interview of a woman running a shelter for battered women that in the state of Texas 1 in 3 women suffer DV! That’s an insanely high stat.

[aseygirl]

This is why I love Julia Roberts… Sleeping with the Enemy… she got it, she had empathy, and she understood the impact her platform had. Blake… sit down - you didn’t deserve that role and the way you have made a joke of DV is disgusting.

[PaleOpal]

Thank you for addressing this. My friend died from DV on February 17, 2017. RIP Alicia

[elliottfg]

Blake is solely led by her ego, she was never going to be able to play this role. Having read the book (which reads like a wattpad fic)its clear that only Justin Baldoni tried to do it justice. I hope to see him in more stuff!!

[melmel]

I was completely unfamiliar with Justin before this movie came out. I really hope he has a long & successful career.

[AA-qbni]

She's basically Serena. Rude and entitled. She's not even a great actress and is mainly known as someone's wife 😂😂 It's about time she was exposed for being rude.

[dianebruno]

Enough with these celebrity brands. Why make these people richer by buying their cash grabs.

[leeloowodz]

Wait ?! So the movie was supposed to come out in February, around Valentine's Day ? A movie about DV coming out on the day dedicated to lovers ? Well, that's not insensitive at all.

[Anonymous-shvk]

I was in an abusive relationship. I got out before it got physical. Actually, I got physical several times to snap him out of the mental and emotional abuse he used to inflict. He would follow me around and never let up until I would lock myself in a room and scream at him and almost broke my foot kicking the door when he stood on the other side. I was afraid of who I was allowing myself to become. I always thought of myself as strong and independent and intelligent. Insidious is EXACTLY the right word. He tried to bring me down and make me insecure in small ways at first that I hardly noticed. When I woke up, I couldn't believe I had allowed it to get as bad as it did.
That she wants to make a movie about DV an them promote herself, her businesses, , pretty clothes and accessories, and recommend drinking??
This is appalling. She has no conception of the disrespect she is showing to everyone who has ever survived an abusive relationship.

[lizgifford]

Blake seems to be clueless or just doesn’t care… disgusting.

[giantcupofcoffee]

An issue is that Blake’s attitude toward the story and subject matter match the vibe of the book/author and its readership fanbase. A lot of us in the book community don’t really engage with CoHo or her fans because they romanticize abuse. So it’s not even that Blake’s tone throughout all this is “wrong, ” because it matches the story that the book thinks it’s telling. That said, it costs nothing to try to be better…unless she fundamentally doesn’t understand the issues and reads the book as a love story, which lots of people do.

[mkr]

Isn’t this why we (people who had read the book prior to the production) were all so upset when it was released Blake was playing Lily? We knew this was coming, she is not a serious actress. She laughed the whole way through the movie, in every scene she’s giggling, smirking or just acting as she does in day to day life. I’m just so over seeing and hearing her name.

[shannonalfred]

Yes Thank you! As a DV survivor I love every word of support from you!!! My 11 year old daughter was the one who actually told me how the author is so problematic in how she portrays DV. It is up to all women and Men too! to stand against portraying any DV relationship as romantic. That is the worst description that romantic could have. DV is life crippling and those of us that have been able to escape will carry our trauma forever

[kellie_y]

This initially wasn't on my radar of concern UNTIL I learned that Lively was promoting her alcohol brand WHILE promoting her movie about DV. I'm like "ma'am, excuse me???" Both my parents were alcoholics and my father was a mean, violent alcoholic. Honestly, how is Blake Lively so excruciatingly tone-deaf and unaware of herself? I can't imagine the privilege of being so oblique.

I think you did so well explaining the issues surrounding her behavior in this self-created mess. More commentary videos would be a nice addition to your channel imo.

[larlar]

DV is not about expensive shoes, floral patterned clothes, a launch of a bad hair care line, a booze line, or an actress with her head up her a$$…it is about hell on earth, it’s about a tortured life. The real meaning to this movie has gone right over Blake’s shallow head. She doesn’t have the depth of character to play a part in this movie, or to discuss it later. Blake, volunteering at a DV shelter would do you a world of good! You don’t give a crap about DV victims…”it’s not in your realm of understanding”.

[seashellmermaid]

The PR of grab your girlfriends, wear your florals to watch me get thrown down stairs...WTF??
I left my abuser 3 years ago. I was so mentally abused I didn't recognize myself. I went to the police after a S/A. The police were a joke. The abuser took out a restraining order against me...the female judge sided with him, he has a friend as the police Sargent.
I saw the movie.
Ryle's character...that charisma, that charm...recognized it. It's intoxicating. He played his character well...and when he changed into the abuser...his eyes changed. Know that all too well.
Blake is so wrong. She missed an opportunity to bring so much more awareness and support to IPDV.

[riybe]

I cringed so hard when Blake said “But I wonder if they ask men about the clothes” since she makes being fashionable her entire personality. She was really trying to create her Scarlett moment while starring in a Woody Allen movie

[Doc]

Never been a fan of Blake. Always thought she was non authentic. When she tags along Swift, it gives me mean girl, middle school vibes.