Why influencers face resistance

Rejecting the “haul” culture of over-shopping and promoting conscious consumption, the de-influence movement is becoming mainstream—and here’s why.

In 2019, Diana Wiebe was immersed in social media when she came across an influencer promoting a heatless curling iron. She told the BBC: “They are curling irons that you can sleep on all night and wake up with beautiful curls.”

It was one of many products she was influenced to buy from TikTok, but like several others, including a skin cream and facial scrub, she quickly realized she didn't need them. “Honestly, the curling iron really disrupted my sleep and I didn't even make it through the first night,” she said, adding, “My hair is naturally curly, so I think the curling iron actually did too much Too much”.

Fast forward to 2025, and Wiebe, who lives in Ohio, is now an influencer herself, but there's a difference between her and many others. She is trying to “de-influence” her followers into buying things they don't need.

In her daily TikTok videos, the content creator, who has more than 200,000 followers on the app, asks questions like “Do you want this product before I sell it to you?” and reminds her of it. The weekly and monthly clothing “snaps” of fans are not normal. “Drag” culture is a special type of social media content that originated on YouTube, in which creators showcase bulk purchases of merchandise (usually clothing) to fans.

Wiebe is part of a growing movement that rejects traditional influencer culture since 2023, which exploded on TikTok with the #deinfluencing hashtag viewed more than 1 billion times.

In addition to tags such as “Underconsumption Core” and “Conscious Consumer,” they also share key messages such as “Fast fashion doesn't make you fashionable” and “Underconsumption is normal consumption.” As we head into 2025, Wiebe believes the cultural tide is shifting and we’ve reached “peak influence.”

“Some content from influencers is just anger bait,” she said, referring to the Internet tactic of posting content to stoke outrage and generate views. “People will do ridiculous things with their water bottles, they'll add a snack tray in there and then they'll fill it with water . Taco Bell and stuff like that,” she explained, describing a video of the creator showing off a Stanley Cup filled with unnecessary accessories.

TikTok has become the default home for influencers, but the app faces America's future uncertainWiebe believes this is a time of change. “I don't know the future of TikTok, but the kind of reach we see on TikTok won't happen on other apps,” she said. She mentioned that compared to other platforms such as Instagram, the content on TikTok has already become so rich.

Wiebe believes this shift stems from increased awareness of what influencers actually do (in the UK There are laws to solve this problem). “When I started seeing more ads on my TikTok timeline, I thought about how many ads I’d purchased over the past few years because of influencer comments,” she said. “It dawned on me that everything from paid promotional content to creators sharing their work is advertising. It’s not like watching TV where you can identify ads. Influencers love hearing from friends or family because We pretty much see our favorite TikTok users we know.”

Most of Wiebe's online interactions have been positive, with comments like “I needed to hear this advice today.” Others, however, questioned why she felt the need to interfere with other people's shopping habits. Wiebe is keen to stress that she is not advocating a “no buy” lifestyle. Instead, she describes herself as a fan of “slowing down and seriously considering a purchase before rushing.” Her advice goes against the familiar influencer slogan that encourages viewers to “run, don't walk” before purchasing the latest products.

It is this same mentality that leads to Christina McChaskey Take a more cautious approach to spending. Through her posts on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, her goal is to help others “not go broke” and live a fulfilling life.

Michaski said she knows firsthand how powerful influencers can be. “Back in 2019, I was $120,000 in debt from student loans and I was still buying stuff week after week. I fell into the trap when I bought a pair of boots that cost more than my rent Rock bottom, even though I knew I couldn’t afford it.”

The Toronto-based content creator told the BBC she felt trapped in a cycle of “Instagram and reality.” “I had this idea about my life based on my career and what my peers were doing.”

This is a topic Mychaskiw often discusses on her podcast, where she hears listeners struggle with constant pressure to buy and disappointment when a product fails to live up to expectations. “People no longer see value in what they buy. The promises of these items are not living up to expectations. It feels like everything is getting more expensive, but the quality is getting lower and the satisfaction is getting lower.”

Michaski doesn't want people to make the same mistake she made, quitting spending entirely and living a minimalist life in the first place — which, she says, made her miserable. Since then, she's been in a halfway house—treating herself every now and then, but reminding herself to “shop her wardrobe” before heading to the store.

The content creator has now written off her student debt. Her advice to others? “Put down your phone. Scrolling and constantly consuming content makes you more likely to succumb to subliminal messages,” she said. “Put down your phone, touch the grass, play around with your wardrobe, and create interesting looks with things you already have. Maybe you'll realize that what you have is good enough.”

According to the stylist Lucinda Graham, Constant consumption of fast fashion is not only bad for your finances and the environment, but it’s also bad for your personal style. “Think of it like cooking,” she told the BBC. “If you cook it quickly, that's fine, but it doesn't compare to a dish that's been carefully cooked for over 48 hours. It's like fast fashion versus a carefully curated wardrobe.”

Graham advises anyone finding their own style to be patient. “Personal style takes time to develop and try out the same pieces. Most importantly, buy things you love rather than things that are trend-driven,” she says. “With influencers convincing us to buy clothes, we are buying items that represent someone else’s lifestyle and trying to emulate their life, but that doesn’t lead to a functional wardrobe”.

Graham's approach means she's thoughtful when buying new clothes and makes a point of letting her clothes “age” over time. “I have a jacket that I've had for six years and I love designing it,” she explains. “It’s wonderful to watch clothes change. Second-hand carpenter jackets and distressed Carhartt trousers are in style right now, but instead of buying them from a vintage store, why not buy a pair and let them age over time.”

She said the same is true for trends. “Fast fashion is never authentic. If we look at independent dirty fashion, for example, those classic looks come from people who actually live that lifestyle, not because they bought ripped jeans online.”

“The key to breaking this cycle and finding out what you like is to make more purposeful purchases by eliminating the small, impulse purchases.”

It’s hard to say yet whether the de-influencer movement is affecting brands. We know online giants like Athos, boohooand pretty little thing In recent years, the company has struggled with declining demand and changing consumer habits. However, let’s not forget that many timelines are still filled with influencers. The estimated value of the global influencer marketing industry in 2023 $21.1 billion This year’s scale has more than doubled compared to 2019.

exist Aja BarberIn his view, we have not yet reached “peak influence” as content creation is still seen as an aspirational career. Barber is the author of Consumption: On Colonialism, Climate Change, Consumerism, and the Need for Collective Change; She thinks the de-influence movement is helpful, but she thinks the conversation needs to happen offline to change people's spending.

The author, who is also a contributing editor at Elle, says each of us has a role to play. “From billionaire company owners to influencers to us as consumers,” she told the BBC. “I was contacted on social media by a postal worker who said they had delivered Shein packages to one home 17 times in one month.”

Nearly a century has passed since the 1930s, when women Owns about 60 pieces of clothingand buy five new items every year. Reflecting on how things have changed, Barber said: “The goal is to sell as much product as possible. We need to recognize the damage that everyday people are doing through the idea that we can constantly consume and it doesn't Negative impact. “That's not true. ”