Even if you love Ninja Kitchen products, the lack of diversity on their platforms, pointed out by one creator, is one thing to not love. After Ninja reached out to a Black content creator for free content, the creator says she quickly noticed the creators on Ninja’s page didn’t look much like her.
In the video, Nakeyta (@naturally_nakeyta) explains how she loves the Ninja Indoor Grill and that she has been steadily using it and making content with it since last winter. Eventually, Ninja commented on one of her posts with interest in working together but did not offer compensation. Later, they reached out again via message on TikTok with an email for Nakeyta to be in contact with. After Nakeyta reached out to them via email, she said she never heard back from Ninja again.
The video has over 3.7 million views and 8,540 comments as of Saturday morning.
“So then as a creator you’re sitting there and wondering what is causing [Ninja] to not want to move forward with working with you…so you start to do your research and you look at their Instagram and TikTok and you realize that all of the content that they have reposted, all the creators they have worked with, hands are this side of my hand color,” pointing to the inside of their hand, “instead of this side of my hand color,” pointing to the outside of their hand, Nakeyta states.
The comments section was overflowing with support for Nakeyta as many acknowledged the ways Black creators often are shunned from brands because they don’t fit their image or because they don’t think Black creators are profitable to work with.
This is a challenge that has been heavily covered by other news outlets like Business Insider, which quoted a 2021 study that found Black content creators make 35% less income than their white counterparts.
@naturally_nakeyta Just to be clear I don’t expect brands to want to work with me just because I posted their product. BUT wanting my content for free is crazy lol #contentcreator #ninja #rant #fyp ♬ original sound – Nakeyta.
On the other hand, some comments felt that Nakeyta was overreacting and wrong for pointing fingers at Ninja.
“Again as creators please stop reaching and going over board expecting brand deal same with the subway girl who made the pizza their not required to. Same with fashion nova ppl make a lot of hauls,” says one comment.
Nakeyta responded to this with a video explaining how she didn’t start promoting the grill to get a deal. She simply did it to make good content and because she gets a commission from sales via her Amazon list link on her TikTok page. She later released another video showing screenshots of all the increased engagement and profits they were getting via Amazon for promoting the Ninja Indoor Grill.
Nakeyta released a later video where she updated her followers that Ninja did respond to them and that they are taking time to consider their response to Ninja carefully.
@naturally_nakeyta THANK YA’LL SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT #contentcreator #ninja #rant #fyp #payblackcreators ♬ original sound – Nakeyta.
“…I wouldn’t want to move forward without highlighting the fact that their social media platforms do lack diversity…We all support Ninja. So I feel like it would just be appropriate to be able to go on their social media and see representation from all sorts of creators”, Nakeyta mentions in this fourth response video.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Nakeyta and Ninja for comment via email.
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