You might not like my opinions on Jayda Cheaves (and Raven Tracy).
Note: Sexual Assault is mentioned in this piece. Also, if I seem frustrated in this, it’s because it’s a rant piece. All opinions here are my own. I speak for myself alone here.
As someone in the public eye because of my social media presence, being around more influencers in the cosplay community within the last few years has opened my eyes up to why most of these people are full of shit. Influencers aren't much different from celebrities; they are the modern-day version of socialites to a certain extent, because they are people we consider famous for who they are, for their personality. That being said, because I am in these spaces, I am allowed to have an opinion on how I feel, even if that opinion isn’t particularly positive.
Today’s blog post is inspired by two lines from the first season of Total Drama, Total Drama Island. Total Drama is one of the first series I can say I was obsessed with, as I saw the first season probably 6 times. I was able to take so much from it, with the major takeaway being, “We really shouldn't worship reality TV stars,” and I would say a more contemporary version of a reality star is an influencer with a substantial disposable income.
Heather said to Duncan, “All you do is go around scaring the crap out of everyone.” Duncan responds to Heather, “At least I'm straight with people!” That right there is all you need to know when moving around specific influencers. Too many of these are fake.
If you watch the series, you know that Heather is one of the most hated cast members, to the point where no one wanted her around. Why? It’s beyond Heather being a mean girl; Heather is a fake bitch. So much of the island season was her pretending to be Lindsay’s friend for her own personal benefit, to advance in the game. I don't like people like Heather, I never did. There are numerous people like Heather in the cosplay community and the broader nerd content creator community; that's gender-neutral, as I have seen men in this space do the same thing.
I would much rather have people dislike me for who I am than like me for someone I am not. It's interesting because once I became more vocal about our problems in the cosplay community, people turned away from me, which is fine. I am aware my loud opinions turn people off. I have never been a Duncan fan like everyone else in the Total Drama fandom, but I had much more respect for him than for many other characters in the series because he made it clear who he was.
Now, what does any of this have to do with Jayda Cheaves and Raven Tracy?
Let me go ahead and state that I do not know either of these women. That being said, this piece specifically addresses the way they carry their brands and businesses, as I take issue with these practices because I am an entrepreneur just as well. I am only talking about what has been made public. For years, people have automatically assumed that if you have criticism of an influencer, you are jealous of them. Jealousy is a word I have grown tired of hearing, as it is often thrown it out automatically when someone offers valid criticism of someone. Black capitalism is not going to save you guys, so stop worshiping rich Black people! Got it?
My business is nothing like theirs. I am aware. I look nothing like them. I am aware. My aesthetic is different from theirs. I am aware. Let’s get that out of the way, because I am fully aware that I am other than them. I do want to note that I follow women who look like them. I follow women with similar businesses to theirs. I have no issue with those women at all. These two have specifically done things that have turned me off. Just because someone who looks nothing like them and has a different business than them has some concerns does not mean they are hating on them. Got it?
I genuinely believe the company that you keep is a reflection of you. Years ago when Raven Tracy made it known she was dating the rapist Ian Connor and openly supporting him (let me make it clear I don’t know the details of their relationship and that his rape allegations were out before they were together) and that was enough for me not pay attention to her. I did not care what she was selling for this reason. I don't care about a pretty face that doesn't stand for shit. She was very open about this relationship, but it was ignored, which isn’t surprising because numerous people surround themselves with abusers and don’t understand the issue behind that. As time has passed, more people have become vocal about their dissatisfaction with her business, Body by Raven, stating that the clothing is of terrible quality and overpriced, they are not receiving refunds, and they are not being informed about the status of the products they ordered.
The most recent issue was a pop-up shop she hosted, which was a complete disaster; it was extremely chaotic as she threw her products at her crowd of customers, and they were fighting over the clothing pieces. That made it openly clear she likes being worshipped by these people; she treated them horribly, and they were still clapping and cheering for her attention. She was basically dog walking them. Personally, I also think so much of people being open about their frustrations with Raven Tracy recently is because she’s in a relationship with Diddy’s son, Christian Combs, who, like his father, has sexual assault allegations.
Jayda Cheaves is not much different from Raven Tracy when it comes to the issues with her numerous businesses she’s had over the years. People have spoken up before about their dissatisfaction, only to be harassed by her fan base. This was before people got to know her personality, which was somewhat revealed in the series The Impact: Atlanta, where her initially bad attitude turned people off. They started to see her more for who she was. People began to lose interest in her when they saw the distasteful way she spoke to her family and friends. It's frustrating to have an opinion about Jayda because anytime you mention her behavior towards others, especially when it comes to business, someone automatically assumes you’re criticizing her because she’s rich and attractive. The same applies to Ari Fletcher, the person she’s often compared to, who falls into the same category of influencer and has done similar distasteful things, and is associated with questionable people. It’s annoying.
I don’t sit here and dog walk people. I don’t use people to make me look good. And I sure as hell don’t surround myself with abusers and befriend people who have abusers in their circle. I might take a while to ship out orders, but at least I don’t act like I’m too good to respond to emails from my customers. I might take a while to ship out orders, but at least I am honest with my customers about what’s going on with production. I may struggle sometimes to run my business, but at least I don’t sit here and try to blame it on someone else. If there was an issue with the quality of a product, I take responsibility and do what I can to improve it, even issuing a refund if needed.
I ain’t perfect, I know I can be a dickhead from time to time regarding my takes but I know who the fuck I am. I don’t think I am better than anyone; I am aware I have my flaws, like everyone else does. I have never denied that.
Yes, sometimes it does feel a bit isolating, as I have decided to stop wanting to be around influencers due to their fake personalities and superficiality. I stopped trying to do everything I could to climb to the top. I do feel the discomfort from my peers when I'm at in-person events because I am open about what I stand for and am very particular about who I associate with. Like Duncan, I am aware that some people don't particularly like me for my personality. Still, unlike Heather, I won't use a person I obviously dislike and don’t care for my benefit. Duncan was unlikable, but at least he was straight up. That's why more people on that island respected him more than they did Heather. My business may never be as large as Jayda Cheaves's or Raven Tracy's. Still, I am upfront about my intentions with it, take accountability when I am at fault for something that goes wrong with production, and I am considerate of who I surround myself with, and treat my customers fairly.
Thank you all so much for reading. If you are interested in more of my writing, me and Amaya Janelle’s new book You Still Can Not Call Me Sis, is now available for purchase! Offered in paperback and ebook.
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