This post is not about fashion, but, I’m not one to stay silent. I want to be transparent, and honest, and decidedly not-silly (I know you’re probably not used to that) in regards to recent statements made by Substack and their decision to not deplatform or demonetize extremist right-wing content.
I started a Substack because the conversations I want to have about fashion are not very “friendly” for advertisers, nor are people on platforms like Twitter, where most of you found me, very friendly to Black women talking about fashion. I wanted to build a community where I didn’t have to advertise bullshit to make money, and where I could be the fullest form of myself without worrying about abuse, or harassment from random commenters who really, inexplicably love Shein.
Over the past two years, Substack has allowed me to have a voice in fashion that people listen to and respect. It’s provided me the opportunity to fully retire from sex work, and has exposed me to an audience of thousands, some of whom also seek services from me, all of which combines to bring me closer to escaping poverty than I’ve ever been.
This is not a sympathy plea, I just want you to understand where I’m coming from.
I recently attended a Substack event where the topic of extremist content came up. I also posed the question of how Substack intends to keep a hands-off approach to censorship when their payment processor bans sexual content. I wasn’t satisfied with the answer then, and I’m not satisfied with the answer, now.
Making a living on the internet without compromising your morals or integrity is fucking hard. I promote this newsletter the most on Elon Musk’s Twitter (the premier Nazi playground) and the election-meddling Meta-owned Threads. I consider making TikTok videos where I’ll be sandwiched in between ads for unethically made products that go directly against my ethos, or YouTube videos where I have no control over what ads they put on my content. As someone with very few real-world job prospects, it’s daunting, and it always seems like just a matter of time before the shoe drops and your entire livelihood is compromised. It’s easy to say “oh, just build your own thing,” but I have built my own thing. I’ve built a community, and an audience, and a body of work. Build a platform? That’s a whole other fucking thing.
I understand those that do not want their money to go to a company that platforms violent content. I wish I didn’t have to do business with unethical companies at all, and, as a consumer, I avoid it as much as possible. As a creator…it feels unavoidable.
I say all that to say I am in the process of moving my archive, but, as there is no simple way to just pull the plug, here, I anticipate that taking a few months. But, I’ll keep y’all posted along the way.
Thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in the new year.