Imane 'Pokimane' Anys recently announced that she will be taking a month off from social media. Her announcement comes in the wake of rising dissent from the online community as well as criticism at the hands of fellow streamers, which have been brewing for quite some time.
The world's most popular female streamer has not had a memorable year as the odds have been stacked against her for a while. A recent mutiny amongst her army of fans proved to be the last straw as the combined effect of it all seems to have taken a toll upon her. She finally decided to take time off social media and made her announcement online on August 6.
The criticism Pokimane has received, in many ways, stemmed from her own personality, hypocritical views, undue censorship and inability to take any kind of criticism. She even ironically has the word 'criticism' banned from her discord servers.
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A recent tweet by fellow streamer Keemstar revealed the banned list of words from Pokimane discord servers:
All the factors mentioned above are believed to be the main reasons behind Pokimane's recent announcement.
Also Read: Pokimane is taking a break from streaming and social media
Pokimane and feuds
From using inappropriate language on stream to being averse to constructive criticism, Pokimane's actions have come back to haunt her this year.
Pokimane has recently been feuding with Keemstar and YouTuber LeafyIsHere simultaneously. While the former has been criticising her tier 3 subscribers, the latter went to the extent of waging 'war' on Pokimane through a series of videos on YouTube titled- Content Nuke, Content Fallout and Content Nuclear Winter.
Keemstar had earlier called out Pokimane for lying about her boyfriend:
He then took it to a whole new level when he rated her a 2 out of 10:
This invited a wide range of responses from the online community, especially her fans who rushed to their "queen's" support as the situation blew out of proportion. From being criticised for her lack of wholesome content to her overall personality, she seems to have invoked the ire of a section of the online community.
Moreover, the excessive submissiveness of her fans has led many to label them as simps, which has been a major source of criticism against Pokimane.
While the feud with Keemstar continued, YouTuber LeafyIsHere openly criticised Pokimane and her tier 3 subs in a series of videos. From criticising her personality to her attacking ItsAGundam's sponsors, Leafy's attack served as a no-holds-barred outburst.
In his latest 'Content Nuclear Winter' video, he addresses the fact that Pokimane discord servers have banned the mention of his name - 'Leafy', in addition to several other words ranging from 'It'sAGundam' to 'Keemstar' to 'criticism' itself.
This highlights the fact that streamers like Keemstar and Leafy have been trying to prove that she just cannot take any kind of criticism which comes her way. Moreover, her announcement to take a break is being viewed as a means of escape from all the criticism coming her way:
Pokimane and Simps: The Boyfriend Drama
Recently, in Leafy's 'Content Nuke' on Pokimane, he revealed that Pokimane has a boyfriend. This led to mass outrage from her simp army of fans, who began to withdraw support for her, all on the basis of this claim.
Also Read: As 'Pokimane Boyfriend' rumour trends, her subscription witnesses a steep drop
The whimsical nature of her 'loyal' fans was laid bare as they felt betrayed and let down by the mere fact that Pokimane apparently has a boyfriend. Her daily averages witnessed a substantial decline on Twitch in the aftermath of this revelation, and it is likely the factor that led to her sabbatical from social media.
As the world awaits the return of Pokimane, one can't help but deduce that her decision to take a break has been an overdue culmination of the persistent, ongoing drama that has engulfed her this year.
Also Read: Pokimane could be the next streamer to fall victim to 'Cancel Culture'
You can watch the videos below, which address Pokimane's recent announcement and the drama that preceded it
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