Beauty Influencer Avonna Sunshine Sheds Light On Black TikTok Creators Not Getting Paid For Their Work
Beauty influencer Avonna Sunshine went viral, this weekend after she posted a video breaking Patrick Ta Beauty products and accusing the brand of non-payment. Her story was relatable to many content creators and freelancers who took to TikTok to defend the digital creator. The video has amassed 8 million views.
According to Avonna Sunshine, she originally tried to handle the business matter discreetly. “I went the nice way. I wasn’t the mad Black woman when I emailed, or when I DM’d you, so what do you suppose I do?” she said addressing her 418K followers. She went on to ponder how a company would feel if they were not compensated for their goods or services. “I have a question for brands. How would you feel if someone stole from you? If someone took your hard-earned time and blood, sweat, and tears and they stole from you,” she added.
Avonna Sunshine Speak Up For Black Content Creators
@avonnasunshine Any guesses on who it might be?
Her comments reflected an environment where creators are discouraged from revealing the dark side of net-30 and net-60 payment arrangements that become net-120 and net-180 without notice for fear of alienating potential partners. Freelancing is tough. Being invoice-rich and IRL broke resonates with me. I’m grateful someone had the guts to bring this issue to the forefront.
Avonna Sunshine told PEOPLE, and that the conversation was bigger than the subject of her video. “While the situation with Patrick Ta Beauty has drawn an overwhelming amount of attention, I believe it’s important that we focus on the larger issue, the systemic undervaluing of creators, especially Black creators. My hope is that this situation highlights how creators of color are often overlooked, underpaid, and dismissed despite the value and impact we bring to the table,” she said.
She expressed a desire for the controversy to promote conversations about the need for equity in creative spaces. “This isn’t just about one brand, it’s about the need for fairness, accountability, and equity across the industry. I hope this conversation encourages more brands to reflect on their practices and commit to valuing all creators equally,” she added.
Patrick Ta Apologizes
Source: Gregg DeGuire / Getty
To his credit, Patrick Ta responded with sympathy and respect to the video Avonna Sunshine. He said he did not know, but acknowledged that did not matter. “If I had known this, I would’ve never let this happen,” said Ta. “This will never happen again. I want you guys to know that I value the creativity and the voices of Black content creators.”
I believe that he did not know because I know the systems are designed for him not to know. When you grow a business it gets run by systems that decenter the human experience. It is normal for someone who has their name on a product to not be entrenched in its financial life.
@patrickta this is not a situation I took lightly. I recorded many rounds of this response and wanted to share what felt most authentic to me This was my original take. More importantly, this is about righting my wrong
There is a “financial team,” as Ta referred to, that is in charge. Sometimes the person who hires a freelancer, in any industry, has no involvement in their payment. This can negatively affect their reputation even when it is not their fault.
Sometimes the financial team ignores them and they are left on read while looking bad.
But a lack of intentionality leads to a lack of equity. It is important that these systems be redesigned to ensure that they are not exploitative and disrespectful to creators, especially Black creators who are systemically paid less and are therefore more financially vulnerable to longer remittance wait times. The racial wealth gap intensifies the impact of this.
That gap needs to be closed. These are business transactions not favors. People should not be penalized for expecting payment that was offered and agreed upon.
No matter what your job is when you work you should get paid – on time. I hope people like Avonna Sunshine continue to shine a light on this.
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