After her video about NYC influencers being “boring” kicked off shockingly heated discourse in March, a TikToker says the end result was that she got fired.
“Do you guys wanna know what’s crazy?” Bridget (@martinifeeny) asked her 6600 followers last week. “Yeah, I lost my job because of that original video.”
What was the ‘NYC influencers are boring’ drama?
If you pay any attention to this particular sector of TikTok, you probably caught wind of the unexpected drama last month. It all started when Bridget admitted she was flat-out bored by how similar all the top NYC fashion influencers seemed to be.
“I hate all of the New York influencers. I think they’re boring as f*ck, and they’re all carbon copies of one another,” she said in a video that’s been viewed over 2.4 million times. “They all look like they shop at Revolve. They’re all just like, basic ass… but they’re skinny and pretty so stuff looks cute on them. But boring. No hate, but they just bore the f*ck out of me. Does anyone else agree?”
@martinifeeny Im SOOO bored by all these influencers lol #nycinfluencers #imo #nyc #tiktokgirls #bored ♬ original sound – MartiniFeeny
The answer was an unequivocal “yes.” Other NYC TikTokers chimed in with similar frustrations, even sharing stories about shockingly negative encounters they’d had with some of these alleged top tier influencers at events around the city. The conversation also turned to the way thin, white, blonde influencers who are NYC transplants tend to be platformed and catered to by brands more than other rising content creators, undoubtedly contributing to the homogenous vibe that left Bridget and others so uninspired.
But as her video went viral, there was also backlash from influencers who felt targeted, despite the fact that Bridget herself hadn’t named names, and it was mostly commenters across TikToks from various creators that were calling out those they felt fit the mold. Soon, articles were being written, sides were being taken, and Bridget was ultimately left dealing with the fallout.
Why did Bridget get fired?
A TikTok calling influencers “boring” is pretty tame as far as internet drama goes—certainly not something that would make most people worry about losing their job. But as Bridget went on to explain, she had been working for “the biggest luxury fashion brand in the world” at the time.
“That’s why I was bored, because they’re obsessed with those girls,” she continued. “It’s crazy. It’s like the only people they work with. But yeah, god forbid you speak your mind to your like, 90 followers at the time, you get clipped.”
@martinifeeny Replying to @TJ #nycinfluencers #boring #nycbfluncers ♬ original sound – MartiniFeeny
The internet responds to the firing fallout
Viewers were left torn on the matter after her revelation. Some wondered if one of the influencers who got offended over Bridget’s video pitched a fit to her job, while others agreed with her that it was ridiculous for her to get fired over expressing her opinion publicly.
But some commenters pointed out that, regardless of how valid Bridget’s opinion may be, publicly stirring up drama that could cause a rift between her company and the influencers they work with may not have been the wisest move.
“We need to start practicing some discernment while employed cus if your company is obsessed / work with them constantly why would you publicly post that you dislike them,” wrote @jewishgirlfriend10.
“If your job works with those people and you’re publicly bashing them it makes the company look bad girly how was that not obvious,” @nychousewife agreed.
However, another viewer noted that Bridget “didn’t name anyone they all just told on themselves,” which certainly adds a layer of complication to the matter.
Ultimately, it’s all a harsh reminder that social media really does impact our real lives—for better or worse—and everyone’s still figuring out exactly how to navigate that. And for Bridget, unfortunately, that now includes hunting for a new job. Hopefully, this time she’ll find one with a little less emphasis on obsessing over boring people creating boring content.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Bridget via TikTok comment.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
