What anger over top influencer says about China today

Li Jiaqi is also known as "Lipstick King"shabby Graphics

One of China’s most well-known influencers was criticized for calling the issue of a young follower about the high cost of makeup” nonsense.”

Livestreamer Li Jiaqi’s retort that those who couldn’t afford the 79 yuan($ 11,£ 9 ) eyebrow pencil did not work” hard enough” touched a nerve as young people in China struggle to find employment in the faltering post-pandemic economy. The 31-year-old has apologized, but his comments are still a topic of discussion.

According to a Weibo post that has received thousands of likes,” What hurt people was not the 79 rmb price tag, but your mindset and views on us.”

” You are unaware of the economic climate as it is right now. Many people continue to put in a lot of effort and struggle merely to preserve their tasks, it read.

China’s economy has received a steady stream of negative information over the last six months. The rate of youth unemployment is at an all-time deep. More than one in five 16 to 24 year olds were unemployed as of July. Officials announced the following month that they would temporarily halt disclosing employment data.
A full-fledged issue has long been brewing in the property market, which until lately accounted for a second of China’s total success. Some economists have lowered their economic growth projections for China below the government’s goal of about 5 %.

One of China’s most prosperous salespeople is Li, who first gained notoriety in 2017 when he began hosting online revenue lessons on the shopping website Taobao. He reportedly sells thousands of dollars’ worth of items every evening while selling a variety of goods, including food, cosmetics, and home goods. He previously sold 150, 000 lips in five minutes, earning the nickname Lipstick King. Li has amassed about 150 million fans over the years on various websites, but that amount has decreased since his divisive remarks.

Li’s remarks are evidence that his celebrity status has made him desensitized to their challenges, according to critics, given the dark leads millions of young Chinese faces experience. However, the children of the nation are increasingly disillusioned, as evidenced by the message that read,” In social media comments responding to the Li Jiaqi affair, I saw a China that is collapsing.”

Li was livestreaming a sales delivery for an eye pencil from the Chinese cosmetics company Florasis on Sunday when the discussion started.

Li retorted,” How is that expensive?” in response to a spectator who said the eye ink was too expensive. For so many times, this has been the cost. Prevent talking nonsense, he said, adding that home businesses have been having trouble.

He continued by reprimanding the audience, saying,” Sometimes you have to look inside and consider why you still haven’t gotten a pay increase after all these times.” Have you put in adequate effort?

College students at a jobs fair in China's Jiangsu province

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” Over the years, the rate has been the same! According to a widely circulated picture of the trade, he said in an explosion,” This is driving me crazy ,” which even shocked his co-host.

Immediately after the broadcast, online criticism erupted, prompting a series of tags on Weibo. Fresh Chinese women who have also been severely impacted by the decline make up a sizable portion of Li’s millions-strong next.

Some customers complained in their posts about their financial struggles and how their pay was out of proportion to the amount of work they put in.

No give increase is a result of our lack of effort. Since I haven’t received a pay raise in three decades, the cost of everything has been skyrocketing. I little longer participate in the large revenue these days because I only buy the necessities, according to another person.

State advertising even contributed, with CCTV criticizing Li. According to a comment posted on its site,” some Online stars and anchors were sincere before making money, and became very raised after doing so … and are doomed to be ugly.”

Li has experience with argument. Only hours before the celebration of the Tiananmen Square assault, he showed off an ice cream cake in the shape of a pond on his display in June of last year.

All mentions of the Tiananmen demonstrations or what happened after them are still taboo in China years later. Li immediately stopped airing his spread of the tank-shaped cake, and he vanished for three months before making a comeback in September of last year.

Li Jiaqi and his fans at an event in Hangzhou

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Li apologized in writing on Monday night for his” inappropriate remarks” in response to this year’s controversy. I am also informed that one’s work is difficult, he wrote. I sincerely apologize if what I said didn’t work for you all.

Later that day, he brought up the subject once more via video, saying that it was” not” his place to judge someone online.

Also, the commotion persisted. On Tuesday, Li’s remarks went popular, and many people urged a boycott of his video channel. Do not anticipate Li to be sympathetic to our condition, according to a Weibo users with the Baixiwen control.

Many of us put in just as much effort as Li does. Simply put, we are never fortunate enough to be as successful as he is. Being broke is not a choice for many people, according to another Weibo users.