Caraline Catlett was just trying to be nice. The TikTok creator, who has 193,000 followers, spotted an influencer she admired in San Diego, paid her a compliment, and asked for a photo together. The response she got: she could not post the picture without paying, because the influencer doesn’t let people“capitalize off my face.”According to Catlett, the woman also claimed people follow her because she’s attractive and said there’s“not enough room in this industry for everyone,”a comment Catlett took as a jab at her looks.
Catlett shared the encounter on TikTok, and the internet responded in force. The video racked up more than 3.5 million views, with commenters comparing her to Emma Watson and flooding her with support. Fellow creators like Haley Baylee offered collabs, singer Kaylee Rose weighed in, and Catlett’s takeaway was simple:“The entitlement from these influencers needs to be talked about.”
The kicker? Catlett refuses to name the influencer to protect her from online hate, and instead says she’s determined to surpass her follower count out of spite. It’s a rare case of a viral moment where the fan came out looking like the bigger star. So we have to ask: would you pay to post a photo with your favorite creator, or is that a hard no?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.