There is something big going on right now in the United States, that could ultimately affect the rest of the world. In a nutshell, S.O.P.A. and P.I.P.A. are pieces of legislation that will be voted on January 24. They are both proposing to change the way we view and find information online by placing blockades and censors on the internet. Presently, big sites like Wikipedia and xsparkage are shutting down to raise awareness of this act.
As a beauty blogger, I am appalled that there are makeup companies that are supporting these acts. I got this information from Klaire of Klaire de Lys, one of the bloggers and youtubers I respect the most on the web. Some of the companies supporting these acts include:
1. Estee Lauder (and probably all the other companies EL owns including MAC, Clinique, etc.)
2. L'oreal
3. Revlon
4. Juicy Couture
5. Lacoste
Others you may be interested in: Lucky Brand Jeans, American Apparel, Oakley, Ralph Lauren, Reebok, Rite Aid, Sony, Disney, Tiffany & Co., Toshiba, Walmart, Zumba Fitness, and Adidas. View the complete list here.
Crazy, isn't it? As Klaire put it, these companies are essentially declaring war on bloggers, vloggers, and everyday consumers that purchase and help promote their products.
Here are some things you can do about it:
1. Unfollow these companies on Facebook and Twitter and tell them why you're doing so.
2. Write a blog post about this to help spread awareness.
3. Boycott these brands by not only not purchasing their products, but also not blogging about them (except to shame them).
4. Sign the petition to help stop these acts from going through.
It's going to hurt to not buy products from a lot of these companies, but it's for the sake of free speech!
Thanks for sharing this! I also feel very strongly against SOPA and PIPA. I have started boycotting the supporters. I will no longer be purchasing their products or writing about these brands until they withdraw their support of SOPA.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it's a shame that so many bloggers are currently being sponsored or sent gifts by these cosmetic companies. They're raving about them left and right without realizing that these companies are trying to RUIN bloggers for good. They suck up to us every now and then, but they are only using us like little pawns and will dispose of us once their done.
I think I will not be frequenting the blogs that write for SOPA supporters (even though I love some of them).
Our freedom is at hand and way more important than free lipsticks...
I know what you mean, Katherine. I actually emailed pursebuzz and temptalia asking them to do a post about beauty brands that are supporting SOPA, but I don't know how that is going to go because both parties receive many many press releases for review consideration. I mentally went through my beauty stash and the products I use daily and found that a lot of them are by the companies that support SOPA. I will have to find replacements for those, because I often do FOTD posts, and I don't want to feature those brands on my blog. I just hope many other beauty bloggers out there will feel the same way and realize that our freedom of speech really is more important than makeup.
DeleteYou're so on it! we feel the exact same way, and are kind of pissed off on this.
ReplyDeleteIs it because the big companies can't handle the criticism the bloggers deliver, and frankly I can't understand that since they get so much free PR from bloggers without even asking for it! man, now I got real upset! should calm down haha! Thanks for spreading this as well Sugah!//Azure
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS??? This is ridiculous. This will make people scared to put things on the internet! I sure hope they don't pass this.
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOD?? why would they support this!?! i had no idea! thanks for the post
ReplyDeleteOMG! That is such a shame!!!!!! All of these companies need blogger/vlogger exposure. UGH!
ReplyDelete