'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Beauty influencer James Charles just can't seem to shake off the perpetual trail of controversy that follows him everywhere. Not even two months after his highly public internet cancelation on account of his grooming scandal, the 23-year-old has landed himself in hot water again. His most recent mishap has led to him losing over 100k followers on Instagram in the span of just two days, courtesy of a certain cursed photo.
The incident was brought on by an Instagram reel that the YouTuber posted on Wednesday, May 25, of himself enjoying the summer by the poolside and twerking with abandon.
James Charles loses over 140k followers after posting 'tucking' picture
In the twerking video, James Charles was wearing a yellow and orange ombré, cut-out one-piece swimsuit that drew attention to his physique. Netizens particularly took notice of his derriere, which looked much fuller than before, and his surprisingly non-existent crotch bulge. The video once again fanned the flames of rumors that the YouTuber had allegedly got the popular Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL).
The majority of the comment section was baffled by the jarring absence of any crotch bulge, even going as far as to speculate whether Charles had gotten his p*nis removed. One of the top comments pointed out, "Ur missing something bro," while another chimed in, "Where his pp at?," in reference to his genitalia.
In response to these speculations, the beauty-guru posted snaps of himself 'tucking' to his Instagram story. The graphic image, which showed Charles bending forward with his hand down the front of his crotch, was posted with the caption:
"When people ask me if I 'cut it off' here's ur answer hahahaha."
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, tucking is a technique commonly used by drag queens, non-binary people, and trans women. It involves pulling the male genitalia backwards and securing it with tape to flatten any crotch bulge and mimic the appearance of female genitalia.
The influencer's followers were not amused by the stunt, understandably finding the image unpleasant. James Charles took to his Instagram stories once again to reveal that his tucking story had caused him to lose 80,000 followers, writing:
"I lost 80,000 followers today for posting that tucking story. I'm so sorry that y'all are boring, u will not be missed lol."
Despite his non-chalant attitude towards the backlash, the unfollowing spree continued the next day. Social Blade reported the loss of another 57,800 followers as of Friday, May 27, bringing up the grand total to 140,213. The disbelief over James Charles' unwarranted oversharing wasn't restricted to Instagram, spreading to Twitter as well.
Meanwhile, a few comments under the original reel called the influencer out on posting it just one day after the devastating Uvalde school shooting that killed 19 students and 2 teachers. One follower reminded him to "be more sensitive to the situation" as a top social influencer, while another demanded more accountability from him to use his platform to "bring awareness to gun violence."
