A woman thought she was paying an influencer a compliment when she approached her in California. But the encounter took an unexpected turn when she later asked for a photo and was apparently told she would have to pay to post it online. Caraline Catlett (@caralinecatlett) shared the story on TikTok, where her video has drawn three million views.
In the clip, she described approaching the woman while out in California and telling her she was “the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Catlett explained that she had just moved to the state and knew many influencers lived in areas like San Diego and Los Angeles. She stated that she had never seen one “out in the wild” until that night. According to her account, the influencer responded with “thanks” in a way that felt “kind of standoffish.”
Catlett recounted the full exchange and her response in the viral video
She then asked whether the influencer had any advice on growing an account. Catlett said the woman replied that people follow her “because I’m attractive.” After the conversation ended, Catlett asked if she could take a picture with her. She claimed the influencer said that if a photo was taken, it could not be posted without payment because she does not let people “capitalize off my face or grow off my face.”
In the video, which carried the caption “Like ok,” Catlett said the influencer added that “there’s not enough room in this industry for everyone.” She also claimed the woman told her, “You have a couple hundred thousand followers on TikTok. You are not a celebrity.” Catlett stated that the interaction left her thinking about the situation the next day.
She described becoming “hyperfixated on growing my account past hers just out of spite.” Catlett said the comments “kind of felt like she was saying that I am not attractive enough to have a TikTok following.” She ended the video by stating, “The entitlement from these influencers needs to be talked about,” before saying “Sorry, sorry” and stopping the recording.
The video showed Catlett sitting on a couch in a room with framed photos on the wall. On-screen text at the start read, “Influencers thinking they are above everyone else??” She later left a comment on the post explaining why she would not name the other person. Run-ins with influencers don’t always go smoothly for fans, as seen when one girl paid $400 for an influencer deal.
In that comment, Catlett wrote that she knows it is frustrating she will not share the identity. She added, “I will never send people to hate on someone on the internet. No matter how bad our interaction was, no one deserves that.” Other people have also had uncomfortable experiences around influencers, like the California woman who fled an influencer beach event.
Viewers responded with a range of reactions under the video. One commenter wrote, “she’s 100% jealous of you.” Another suggested the influencer might have seen Catlett as competition, writing, “Think it’s possible she sees you as competition? Maybe subconsciously she thinks are you prettier than her but she can’t let you think that so she plays this role that she’s actually better than you? Just a thought.”
A third commenter said, “Ugh hate that that was your experience with someone you looked up to too.” Another noted that similar stories have appeared before, writing, “I’m not accusing you at all, but this is the 8th time I’ve heard this story and then the next week their following is at like 200k. I think this is the new way to gain a following somewhat organically.”
Published: Nov 2, 2026 12:15 pm