Brands stuck with the influencer after audience outrage at his wage insensitive comments during livestream. But the debacle threatens to turn consumers away as the Double 11 shopping fest nears.
What Happened: China’s top livestream anchor Li Jiaqi, also known as ‘Lipstick King’ and Austin Li, today apologized on Weibo for inappropriate remarks he made to a consumer during one of his broadcasts on Taobao Live, Alibaba’s livestreaming platform.
A viewer complained to Li during his September 10th livestreaming session that the cost of an eyebrow pencil from Chinese beauty brand Florasis, priced at $10.80 (79 RMB), had gone up.
The celebrity anchor was seemingly upset about the comment, saying that the price hadn’t increased for years.
“Is the product expensive? Sometimes, people need to find out why they haven’t received a pay rise after working so many years. Have they worked enough?” he replied. The answer enraged consumers who saw it as mocking low income people, triggering heated discussion online. The following night, Li apologized.
He responded: “I made inappropriate remarks. I’ve been reflecting on my conduct today … How disappointed I would be if I were the girl commenting. I was a makeup counter salesman, and I know everyone’s job is hard. I’m sorry that what I said didn’t meet your expectations.”
The hashtag ‘Li Jiaqi apologizes for his livestreaming session remarks’ has attracted over 1.03 billion views on Weibo thus far. Continue to read the full article here
