If you ever doubted the power of social media, look no further than TikTok megastar Charli D’Amelio.
The now 18-year-old American is regarded as the platform’s biggest star thanks to her dance videos aimed primarily at teens that’s seen her amass a staggering 143 million followers and charge $US100,000 ($A160,000) for a single post.
According to Guinness Book World Records, she became the first person to reach 100 million followers on TikTok on November 22, 2020.
Such is her fame and cachet, Italian luxury brand Prada has appointed D’Amelio as the new face of its latest ‘Linea Rossa’ sportswear range.
Prada just released stills from the range to its Instagram account and it appears to have infuriated both Prada fans and D’Amelio fans equally.
Motion, transformation, perpetual change – forever shifting, along a line drawn between two points. Discover the new #PradaLineaRossa Fall/Winter 2022 campaign at https://t.co/tapiZfn34N.
Photographer: Norbert Schoerner
Talent: Charli D’Amelio#Prada pic.twitter.com/l59U3o2SlF— PRADA (@Prada) October 4, 2022
In one image, D’Amelio is standing in front of a background squeezed between a building and a snow-capped mountain. “It looks like a bad photoshop,” raged one non-fan. While another said: “Where’s her neck?”
Others questioned why Prada would hitch their brand to a TikTok celebrity whose fan base – primarily teenage girls – would never wear the brand in the first place.
“Prada, this is just embarrassing,” raged one.
Another added: “I can’t even call Prada high fashion anymore with this endorsement. Sad to see these brands becoming more like Insta fashion brands with all the TikTok users they are using. So sad.”
“It’s not the fact that they used an influencer, it’s the fact they tried to make her fit their look/brand when they should’ve adjusted to fit her look,” penned another.
“A child on a green screen? You must have enough money to do better than this. Are you trying to break into fast fashion?” asked another.
“OMG! This is a terrible picture she’s such a pretty girl how do u capture her in gremlin phase,” tweeted one person.
While another chimed in with: “Why does she look like the Hunchback of Norte Dame?”
“Ridiculous. Not sure who you are marketing this to. I’m sure not buying,” penned another lost customer.
