Engage or Enrage: The Rage Bait Strategy Examined

Today’s topic is rage bait in social media! Join hosts Rachel Strella, Laney Goff, Ella Gunnell, Jess Boozel, and Anna Dobbert for a deep dive into the fine line between controversy for engagement and the potential risks of tarnishing a brand's image.

• Discussion Highlights:
  • Definition and Popularity: Explaining what rage bait is and why it's becoming more prevalent.
  • Examples of Rage Bait: Highlighting influencers like Matt and Abby, Christi Fritz, and Jelly Bean Sweets who use controversial content to drive engagement.
  • Successful Rage Bait: Kayla Malec's makeup saga and how it fits her chaotic brand, converting viewers into loyal followers.
  • Business Strategy: Advice for brands on leveraging controversy without crossing into damaging territory, emphasizing authenticity and brand alignment.

#RageBait #UntamedSocial #ragebait

Transcript

Rachel: Welcome to Untamed Social. I'm Rachel Strella, and I am the founder and CEO of Strella Social Media.

Laney: And I'm Laney Goff. I am the EVP and TikTok specialist.

Ella: I'm Ella Gunnell, and I am the creative manager and Instagram expert.

Jess: I’m Jess Boozel. I am the Gen Z girl of the team and I am the account manager.

Anna: And I'm Anna Dobbert, and I'm the graphic designer and video editor.

Rachel: Today's topic is rage bait. So let's talk about it, because some people have never even heard what that is.

Laney: Yeah, I feel like rage bait has really increased in popularity as far as getting more engagement. And we're seeing it more, but there's a lot of mistakes that people make with it. And they don't really utilize it as like a strategy for controversial opinions, but more of like, I'm just going to piss people off and get them in the comments.I think the biggest one right now is Matt and Abby. Am I wrong?

Jess: Yeah, I'm definitely the chronically online one. You don't even want to see my screen time. So for people not watching, rage bait is they don't care really what they're saying. They don't care the context. All they care is getting the views and getting people to comment whether that's bad or good. And rage bait is purposefully bad. Like she said, Matt and Abby, they are huge right now. Matt mostly gets the heat while people feel bad for Abby. They have a podcast together. They are married. I feel like they've been married since they've been dating since they were young, like 16 or something. And so now they're married. I think they've been married for 2 or 3 years. They have a podcast together where they just talk about their marriage. Basically use it for marriage counseling, and they take traditional roles in their marriage, which is fine. Do what you want in your marriage. But it definitely has come down to a point where they're sharing things, where it-- Matt is treating Abby very unfairly.

Laney: I have a quick question. When you say like marriage counseling, do you mean like they're trying to counsel other people or they're using it as like an outlet to talk about their marriage?

Jess: Definitely an outlet for them. 

Laney: Yeah.So okay, so like one example that I know that I saw was, Matt was talking about his birthday and Father's Day, y’all remember that? And he’s saying like that, he didn't like how close together they were. Or was it his kid's birthday? What was it? 

Jess: It was his birthday.

Laney: Okay. So like, he wanted to have his own separate for both, which is kind of feminine in my opinion.

Ella: Well, and he was mad at Abby for not like... Like not making each one special for him even though she had just had a baby. So, like, she has a fresh newborn and his birthday is the same day as Father's Day, and so he's kind of mad that they, like, got lumped into one. And so people are kind of like, you're being a little bit ridiculous, Matt, because your wife just had a baby, so you can't really expect that much of her. And it's not like she didn't do anything. I'm pretty sure she planned like a whole party for him. And he’s still complaining. 

Laney: It wasn't enough.

Ella: Nope.

Anna: So are we operating under the understanding that like they are doing this on purpose or do we think that he is just kind of... that kind of guy.

Ella: There's definitely speculation both ways. Like I have seen people be like, I think that they felt that their account was struggling and needed more views. And so they're purposely like cutting the controversial segments of their podcast and putting them online. But I again, like it could be-- like it could be genuinely how he feels. But the fact that they're like keeping that and like only cutting those clips and like putting those podcast clips online, I think they kind of know what they're doing.

Jess: Yeah, I absolutely think they know what they're doing.

Laney: But like is it working?

Jess: No. In my opinion, no, because it's ruining Matt’s reputation.

Rachel: Maybe but like they have 5 million and some followers you know on TikTok like and it's not just their podcasts. They're getting all kinds of other clips. And I saw some yesterday where he had a scene of, like, her just having a complete meltdown when she was pregnant and she was upset as like, I'm just like, why is he filming that and putting that out there? So like they’re obviously doing it for the, the dramatic, you know, point of view. I do think it's working in that sense. Like it's getting them the views. Is it the kind of views you'd want to get? I don't know, but it's working in that sense.

Jess: Yeah. And another thing to note is Matt has his own TikTok that is separate than the Matt and Abby account. But Abby does not have her own TikTok that is separate.

Rachel: I did not know that!

Jess: And a lot of people take that as weird.

Anna: Yeah. That's sketchy.

Anna: Yeah.

Jess: And in one of Matt's latest videos, he does like basically a come with me video to record or practice a new song, something like that. And a lot of people caught on to the fact that he was going to an apartment that is separate from his house, and it is completely empty. So it seems as though he has a completely separate apartment as well. On top of everything that's been going on.

Laney and Rachel: The plot thickens!

Laney: It's juicy.Oh my goodness.Well, that's I mean, like that's definitely a really high level rage bait because they're standing their ground with it. And in fact, I feel like you have like 1 of 2 people who are rage baiters who it's a serious thing like Matt and Abby or even more serious, like Lilly Gaddis, for example. She is really known for being like that traditional. And she said the N-word on TikTok, and she stood her ground and was not willing to back down. And it's like, I don't think that these people who take that tactic understand that it would be great for a minute. And yeah, you're going to get a lot of eyes on you, but then that's going to die down and then you're going to have nobody.

Rachel: Right.

Jess: Yeah.

Ella: Especially long term if you're wanting a career as an influencer or a TikToker, like long term you're going to want to keep your reputation sparkly so that brands and people want to work with you and no one's going to want to touch you if you're doing stuff like that online. So short term, the views are going to spike. But I yeah, I think that's not great.

Laney: Yeah.

Anna: I feel like the whole empire building that the Kardashians did after their like we wouldn't call it rage bait when it happened because that term was around. But like now we kind of would and I think people have in their heads that they can do something similar and be like get me my 15 minutes. If it pisses a bunch of people off, it pisses a bunch of people off. But I can-- look what empire I can turn it into. And I don't think people understand that. Like, that's a skill like, that didn't happen to the Kardashians overnight. Like that was thought out and meticulously planned. It had all this backing and it's not-- lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place. Like it's not going to happen like that again.

Laney: Yeah if you're not a Kardashian. But what I really love, I think the most is like, those videos are really engaging. Yeah, sure. Like, you want to know the tea, you want the gossip. But I also really love, like, the spin on it. Of rage bait for the people who just out of pocket like, not that they're it's like super controversial and the lifestyle choices I mean yeah, I'm kind of there is like Christi Fritz, for example. Jess, I know you know more about her can you kind of explain, like, who Kristy Fritz is and what type of rage bait she pushes out.

Jess: So I don't know Christi, other than this one time that she tried to convince TikTok that she and her husband were deciding to go barefoot for the rest of their lives. Like, instead-- Yeah, instead of wearing shoes out in public, they decided they were going to go barefoot. They went so far as they were told in stores, they can't. They have to wear shoes. So they got these like silicone feet, things that basically come over your toes. They melt, not melted, but they like are compressed to your toes so they feel like you're barefoot. But it's technically a shoe. So they were still allowed to go into stores. And she did a few videos on this. So I don't know if that brought a lot of people to her channel, and that's why she did it. But I have looked at her content recently and it's been normal. They had been wearing shoes, but I don't think they ever came out with the statement saying that it was a joke.

Laney: So they're just like letting it fly.

Jess: Yeah.

Anna: It’s up for interpretation. 

Jess: No one in the comments had commented like you're wearing shoes or anything questioning it. So it's like they got the followers because of the rage bait that they did, and then they just kind of didn't talk about it again. And it worked for them.

Rachel: That's so bizarre! 

Anna: If I was her just put like filter out the shoes from your comments forevermore and just run with it. 

Laney: Smart strategy.

Rachel: Like like by the way, she's in Ohio. So it's freezing out and they're walking around like barefoot. And she opens the door with her foot to go into the mall.

Jess: Yeah.

Laney: Oh my gosh so reading the comments on those videos is enough entertainment to keep me coming back for more. I will say that, that was strategy because, one person was like, I get like cool, you don’t want to wear shoes, but to put your dirty foot on the door handle and open it is wild.

Rachel: Yeah, that was nasty.

Jess: Yeah. And she said she did it to connect with nature. And everyone was like, the cement is not nature...

Ella: The mall floor is not nature.

Laney: Oh my gosh, I might just, like, buy all of us a pair of those. Footies...No? Anna’s not into it.

Anna: No need, we're good.

Jess: I don't know what to call them, but they like they show your toes. But it's still technically a shoe because it’s covering your toes.

Rachel: Yeah. It's weird. 

Anna: So interesting.

Laney: That's really funny. Yeah. So, see, like, rage bait like that I could get down with. I'm cool with that. Where like the Jelly Bean Sweets girl. Who just like eats food, I don’t-- where you come up with this stuff. I don't understand like, Jelly Bean Sweets. Who is she, Jess? Give us more.

Jess: She is huge right now. She does mukbangs. And just a lot of people are intrigued by her. Because no one really knows if she's doing it for rage bait or if she actually just like, enjoys eating a crap ton, which do what you wish. That's okay if you do, but a lot of people have been noticing weight gain from, I think, at least a year or two years from her content videos, she has gradually gained weight, obviously from what she's doing, so people aren't really sure if it's a bit or not. But, she's known for getting Raising Cane's, like really big cups of their Raising Cane's sauce and then drinking it. She's known for just drinking the sauce.

Laney: Ew.

Rachel: I did not see that oh!

Jess: yeah.

Ella: That to me, is like, there's probably no way she actually does that. It probably just makes for, like, a good thumbnail. And so people want to keep watching what she's doing because mukbangs are not a new thing. They've been around for forever. And they garner a lot of attention online like already. So then to just add in like a bizarre element like that is something that will just like give it that little extra boost and get people talking.

Anna: Yeah.

Jess: Yeah, absolutely. I just couldn’t imagine. Someone had noticed that she does clip her videos like or jump cut after a few bites she'll take a like 3 really big, really big bites, kind of without swallowing. And then you'll see her chewing three big bites and then it cuts. I will say we have seen her drink the cup, though not the entire cup, but we've seen her drink out of the cup.

Laney: But is it worth it? I just feel like it's not worth it. Like not even the foot thing. Neither of those would be worth it to me. You can't pay me enough to walk around without shoes or to drink an entire sauce of Raising Cane’s like that's not going to happen. 

Rachel: What is the appeal? I just don't get it. Like what? Why do people watch that?

Laney: It feels desperate.

Jess: Yeah, I just think it's like it's in a way unique so that's what gets people's attention. Like, I've never heard of anyone drinking a cup of Raising Cane's sauce. I never heard of somebody using their feet to touch the traffic stopper or...

Laney: Stop! Did they do that?

Jess: They did in a video, she put her foot up to what is that called? The button that you touch?

Anna: The crosswalk button.Yeah. The crosswalk flasher.

Jess: Yeah. She like, stuck her foot up. Like you could have used your hand at that point.

Anna: I mean like, I've done that with my foot, that had a shoe on it.

Laney: Oh okay!

Anna: But like never the bare toes.

Laney: I was like wait...

Anna: What if I just confessed right now like guys, it was me. 

Ella: I've done that.

Anna: Oh, God. Well, also, the internet is just like an... a voyeuristic place in general. Like you could just do the weirdest thing you think of. And even if, like to the majority of people, it isn't appealing just due to that sort of voyeuristic nature of specifically TikTok, because I feel like there's less restrictions. Sometimes... that like Instagram Reels, you post something a little weird on Instagram Reels, they take down a whole page, like, whereas TikTok, I feel like there's a little bit more leniency.

Ella: The other thing too, is that when people the other thing too, is that when people post that kind of content, I, I'm not saying that like I would recommend this strategy because I don't know, it's just bizarre, but it does make you go to their page to like, be like, are these people serious? Like, is this something that they're doing over and over again? Like the feet, girl you're like, is this something that she actually does? So you go to her page and watch more of her videos to try to figure out, like if this is something that she actually does or if it's just this one video, or maybe it's just like a weird series that she's doing. It sounds like she doesn't really do it anymore, but we all went to her page and checked her out to see if she was still doing it, which anything that can get people to your page and bingeing your content. I mean, that's going to do a lot for your for your social media.

Rachel: Right.

Laney: But like, are they following? That's the thing. Like that-- No judgment. If anybody has done that. But like I'm not going to be like I would love to see this on my FYP everyday.

Anna: Yeah, more of that.

Rachel: I do not follow any of those people. None of them.

Jess: I think using the feet tactic is good for some people. 

Laney: Depending on where you wanna go!

Ella: Yeah.She might not be getting the followers she wants.

Anna: But the followers she has. 

Ella: They just want more feet.

Laney: Yeah straight to Feet Finder.

Jess: For free?

Laney: There’s a lot of money to be made there. You know, it could be strategic.

Jess: Someone that I think used it so well and was successful with rage bait was Kayla Malec. I don't know if you guys have heard of her, but she kind of got famous for like doing videos about her dad yelling at her and stuff. And then through TikTok, she’d become more famous, got more money, finally moved out of her dad's house, and then it kind of moved on to she's not very good at makeup. To me what was weird is she used to be good at makeup and then it kind of tumbled to when she moved out. She was no longer good at makeup, and she was known for like doing streaks of brown for contour on her face, doing really bad freckles, and specifically like silver in her... What do you call those? Inner corners. Like really bright silver highlight. So a lot of influencers like James Charles and I can't remember who else helped her out and was doing her makeup for her. It turned into a complete series and that got her a lot of followers. Everyone loved to see the different makeup styles people did on her, and I think she did that successfully.

Laney: Yeah,and she still does like the freckles and stuff, right?

Jess: Unfortunately, she does.That's a weird thing that a lot of people notice is that all these influencers have come to help her out. And to this day, her videos and her makeup still sort of looks the same. So I think that it's just continuing it. But she did have that run of, like, having multiple really high-end influencers, makeup artists help her. And it was just really cool to watch.

Ella: The thing that I think makes it successful for her is because it kind of like fits her brand. Like if you watch any of her videos, she's kind of just like chaotic and like all over the place. And so because, like, the makeup kind of fits into that, I feel like the followers that it's converting are followers that are going to stick around because that's just like kind of part of who she is, and that's part of her brand versus someone like the barefoot lady, where it just seemed kind of out of left field and it doesn't really seem like her, so it's not going to maybe convert in the same way. But I feel like this is very on-brand for her. And so the people that are seeing it are like they are going to resonate with the rest of her content and not just these chaotic makeup videos.

Rachel: Totally, good point. I personally thought she just seemed very angry. It was really hard to watch the video that I did. So I was like, I can't even watch the rest of this. That might be other people's brands. But like, it wasn't for me. It wasn't my flavor.

Jess: Yeah, she's very chaotic. And a lot of her videos are like, get ready with me while I talk about this. And like usually her stories are very chaotic, but it's like the makeup that brings you to it, because you'll see in all the comments like Kayla the eyebrows, Kayla the lashes. Like they're always talking about her makeup in the comments.but she's getting the views. She's getting the followers. So I think it's working.

Anna: It's also a recognizability thing. Like I remember seeing the James Charles video and getting to the end and like kind of not even recognizing her. And if that face came on my for you page, I’d be like random person, whereas like if I saw the freckles, I'd be like, I and also like her name. Like when you just said her name right now, I did not know who to bring to mind until you mentioned the freckles. And I was like, I know exactly who you're talking about.

Jess: Yeah, I feel like a lot of people don't know her name.

Laney: Yeah, that's really interesting too. And what's really crazy about rage bait is that I feel like being social media managers and, like, consulting with people on strategy. And maybe this is like a good question for Ella, but what do you feel like if a business or a brand comes to us and they're like, okay, we really want to like boost engagement, we know controversy is a way to do that. What do you feel like is the best advice to give a business or a brand to stay in that lane and to not crossover to rage bait?

Ella: Oh my gosh. Well, first and foremost, you don't want to tarnish your brand's reputation, right? So like definitely staying clear of some of the things that these influencers are doing. That one lady we talked about, I think Lilly, obviously staying away from stuff like that. And then I think the other thing is just making sure that it's true to your brand because you want the followers that you're getting to stay with you and stay with your content, and not just be getting them because of something controversial that you're talking about. And then they kind of fall off after you go back to like, your normal content and promoting your brand. So if you, I think if you can find a way to do that, that is true to your brand, like in tone and in line with your industry and something that, I think too, the key is not just having it be something that's negative, because people are all going to kind of rally against you and just not like you versus if you do something that's controversial, people are going to argue with each other in the comments. And so you want to strike that healthy balance of like, is this just negative? And everyone's going to have a bad reaction to it? Or do people have varying opinions on this? And they're going to duke it out in the comments, because that, I think is something that could be very beneficial and something that you could, I don't know what the word is. You can kind of encourage conversation and be part of the conversation with people in your comments.

Laney: Yeah, yeah. Well, and I think like I agree with it being like maybe not so much of a negative thing, but also just like swaying people's opinions because you're educating them is really huge. So like I always think of like a hairstylist, if I were to come across an Instagram reel or a TikTok video, or short of a hairstylist who's like a bob isn’t for everyone. And this is why. And, you know, like bobs are really in right now. And so if it like highlights for me features that I have like if she says, if you have an oval face that Bob's not going to be for you, you don't have enough strong, strong enough jawline. She's gonna sway my opinion completely. And that's controversial because everybody's like, I want a bob for summer, you know? So I feel like that's like the healthy side of it. 

Ella: mmm hmm, versus her just being like cutting a really bad bob or totally knocking a certain style.

Laney: Yeah, like literally her just chopping somebody.

Ella: Right. Because I have seen that before.

Rachel: Oh, I'm sure.

Ella: Those videos where they kind of like start off really bad and you're like what is going to happen? And then by the end they like fix it. But they totally start off and you're like, oh no, this is going to be really bad.

Anna: Yeah. Well, it definitely puts the bait in rage bait versus like have you guys heard the term of like rage farming? I feel like the distinction between the two is pretty like important. Like we could maybe argue that Matt and Abby are doing something more like rage farming, where it's like the rest of their content may not have a lot of value. They're literally just pulling at what's gonna make people angry. Whereas like, maybe Nara Smith, I don't even know if you would call that rage bait but it's putting the bait in it, she says something kind of outlandish and confusing, but her content has so much other value that you like stick around and you stay with it and you engage it. And every time she's going to get comments that are like, you did not make this for breakfast. This took you eight hours. But that's fine because it's not tarnishing your image like we were talking about. It's not putting any kind of spin on her or her beliefs. She's not even really sharing what she's thinking. She's just kind of adding this edge to it that hooks you in to be like, what are you talking about? And then she has value elsewhere.

Ella: Yeah, it's the hook, right? Like one piece of content you can put out and it would do bad. But if you put out that same piece of content and have it have that really great hook that kind of like reels people in and maybe like sparks that controversy a little bit, that content is going to perform a lot better, even though it's the same content and both can be on brand and true to you if you just add in that little like that little twist that's going to do a lot more for you.

Anna: Right.

Laney: Yeah, definitely. I always think about too like people who have more of like a comedic side of things. Like for my own personal TikTok, I always try to like everything is a joke, but if somebody comes across one of my videos and they've never seen any of my content and I'm talking about my kid's teacher, or I'm talking about not liking watching my daughter do gymnastics because she's terrible at it. Like, I'm not saying that to be a crappy human or a crappy mom. I'm trying to be funny and say something relatable because every mom's actually thinking it. And yeah. That leads to hate. Straight, immediate it is--People think that I'm rage baiting them, but I'm not. I'm just trying to be funny. I don't mean it, it's not like I'm being serious. So there's like a fine line on that side of things too.

Rachel: That relatability is so important. I know Laney, you'd coach me a little bit. Even when I talked about plastic surgery that I had, you know, where I wasn't trying to be, like, rage bait-y but I was just being authentic about my experience, you know? And I think that people could sense that. Well, I do get some haters, of course. Like overall, just the authenticity is so important, you know, that just that human piece of it, it's real life. It's relatable.

Ella: Yeah, and really, like no matter what you post online, it's going to get hate. And that doesn't really mean that it's a rage bait. That's just kind of the name of the game, but yeah.

Laney: Yeah. It's tough out there. Okay. So let's play the game. Let's, let's play rate the bait where we rate the type of content on like one being that it's acceptable and ten being that it's completely unacceptable. We enjoy it. We don't enjoy it. Okay. So one not– One’s for acceptable, ten not acceptable. So let's start with Matt and Abby. Since that was like a big part of our discussion, what do we think?

Jess: I'm gonna give it a six for the fact of it's not that bad. Like really their opinions and what they're saying aren’t that harmful and it mostly just has to reflect on Matt not being a great person. But even then you get some people that agree with him and they're like, yeah, you shouldn't have had your birthday and Father's Day on the same day.

Laney: Yeah. I'm with you. I think I’d go six too. I think that like, is it the type of content that I want to see? No, but also, like, I'm not really interested in their content in general. So I feel like my opinion doesn’t matter. 

Jess: honestly, everything that I've learned has been against my will. I've never like, searched them. I've only ever like saw clips of their podcasts. Like I've never searched their name in TikTok and like looked for their videos.

Laney: Yeah.

Rachel: I'll go with a four because I actually, I mean, I think they know what they're doing and they're doing it together. but it's not as bad as other things I've seen. Like when I started thinking about rating and I'm looking at other people's, I actually changed some of my numbers, you know, after looking at because I realized, like, there are a lot worse people than them.

Jess: Yeah.

Ella: Yeah, I agree, I think I'm going to go five with them. Just because like what they're doing is not inherently like terrible. They're kind of just living their lives, it seems, and maybe saying stuff that's a little like edgy and people might not agree with. But overall, it's definitely not the worst. And like they have been all over the place recently, like Jess said, everything I know about them has been against my will. I don't follow either of them, but I know way too much about their lives, and I feel like you have to give them some credit for that at least.

Anna: Yeah, I feel pretty similar to Ella at a five because it's like it's not hurting anyone like themselves or others. It's not like objectively weird, like the feet. Like it's just sort of in between. It's like, I would never watch this. I would never take interest in this bait or not, I wouldn't take it. So down the line five.

Laney: Yeah. Okay. So we're pretty much all on the same page there. Okay. So let's switch gears and go to something different. Let's go to Jelly Bean Sweets. The girl who's chugging Raising--Raising Cane’s sauce.

Rachel: I wanna go with like a two? I don't see anything wrong there. And plus, she talked about cats. So I'm all about cat people.

Laney: We love it.

Jess: I'm going to go with a five, because I think that it kind of slowly is harming her by eating all of this junk food. And although it makes for good content, it is promoting like eat what you want, love yourself the way you are. I feel like down the line, if she continues with the mukbangs and if she does actually swallow every single thing she's intaking, that's going to be really bad for her health. So I'll give it a five for that. But I do think it's entertaining and I don't think it's harming anyone else.

Ella: I agree with you. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with it. There's been a lot of mukbangers, and unfortunately that's just kind of the name of the game where... That's definitely content that's going to garner a lot of views and get you a lot of followers. But as a social media manager, I'm a fan of sustainable strategies. And so it's not just a knock on her, every mukbanger. It just kind of feels like maybe what you're doing is not super sustainable. So for that, I'll give it a five.

Laney: Yeah, I'm with you. I'm going four I feel like the same thing. Like, how long can you go on with this? You know, and like also I don't really enjoy the idea of watching somebody chug Raising Cane’s sauce. That is no.

Anna: I was going to go maybe a little bit lower of, like, a six because, like, the things are what they are and we can debate their existence as well. But also I feel like at the end of the line, you can't really tell what that means for someone's health just by like seeing their TikToks. And so like, you can't really judge, like, oh, is this going to be sustainable? Is it not? Because we have no idea if she’s eating it or not. I would just put it lower because it's like, not necessarily garnering positive attention. Like no one's sitting there being like, that's so impressive that you can like take down that kind of food. Because like, that is genuinely an impressive feat to me. I think that's crazy. But like, that's not the attention it's getting. And so I don't necessarily see it bringing any kind of like viewers to your page that you really want around.

Jess: Girl, did you mean a six or a four because you kept saying, I went lower, but ten is the highest. And we were all saying five, so you went higher than us.

Anna: I thought ten was least acceptable and one was most acceptable.

Laney: Correct. One, most acceptable, ten--

Jess: I was doing it backwards.

Laney: You’ve been mid range the whole time though.

Jess: I like I thought, I thought Anna was doing it wrong. I was doing it wrong.

Rachel: Okay, so I think I'm doing it wrong too. So wait one being acceptable is what I have here, ten being unacceptable.

Laney: Yes so ten is extreme, ten being extreme. Like if you're looking at a scale.

Rachel: We can't -- we can’t do basic math all right.

Jess: Extremely unacceptable?

Laney: We are smart. Yeah. Like you’re thinking of a scale, and ten being like that's crazy, that's wild. I don't think they should be doing that. And one being like, okay, we're cool with it. It's fine.

Rachel: Yeah, okay.

Laney: If that makes sense.

Jess: But then Anna’s is still higher.

Rachel: Then I'm still confused by Anna because you said six and the rest of us didn’t.

Anna: So like it's less acceptable.

Rachel: Okay.

Anna: Because it’s six. As opposed to five.

Rachel: I see what you were trying to say, like golf. Backwards. Okay, verbiage, Okay, okay.

Laney: We should have thought this out better.

Rachel: I'm gonna get better next time.

Laney: Now that we're really clear on the scale. Okay? Ten being extreme, we shouldn't be doing it, one cool. The feet girl I'm giving her a one, for the entertainment factor alone. I'm giving her a one. I love it. The comments are everything, and I could sit there and read those all day long. Not that she's entertaining, but the people talking about her are really entertaining.

Rachel: Yeah.

Anna: Yeah.

Ella: I'm in agreement with you there. I would just give her one point lower, a two, just because of that piece. Like, that's not really part of her brand. It seems like she just kind of did that and then stopped doing it. So I feel like she's gonna--Maybe she gained followers from that, but they're probably not going to stick around long term. So I'm fine with it. It's funny. It's cool. It got her the attention she wanted. But again, I'm all about the long-term strategy. And so I'm going to dock it a point for that.

Anna: I'm gonna go with 2 or 3 because like play ball, like do whatever you want with your feet. But she did have to subject other people to it. And for that you get a few points knocked down. It's the--Someone’s gonna have to touch that door handle after her. Someone had to do that. So you get docked a point in my book.

Laney: What if she stepped in a pile of dog poo? And then was like, yeah. Open the door. 

Anna: It's a public health concern.

Jess: I'm going to go for a two because I find it funny. But also, I don't truly believe that they didn't have shoes on. I believe that they definitely filmed with their shoes off like they filmed all of that, but there's probably shoes sitting right behind the camera person.

Laney: You're probably right. You're probably right for sure.

Rachel: I'm going to go with the four. It's definitely bizarre, and they got attention, like, trust me when I read those comments. I didn't even notice the door opening till I read the comments. Like I glossed right past that. So I’m going four.

Laney: I love it. So we apparently like Christi Fritz. 

Anna: It was funny.

Ella: Love me some feet content.

Laney: Ella’s on feet finder.

Ella: I’m on FeetTok

Anna: Strella stamp of approval on FootTok. That's horrible.

Laney: Ella’s the last one of us I would pick to be there. Okay. Last one. Kayla. Is it the Malec? Is that how you say her last name? 

Jess: I believe Malec.

Laney: Malik, okay, what are we giving her.

Jess: Like a duck. I give her a one because I think it worked out really well for her. I think she got to meet a lot of really cool makeup artists and influencers throughout the process. She got to go to a different place, a bunch of different places, because they would fly her places and hang out with her. She made a lot of different connections in her industry, and I just think she did it really well, and she's keeping the people there by continuing to do her bad makeup.

Ella: Yeah. I agree, one. Love that for her. No notes.

Laney: No notes. Yeah. A one. Keep up the freckles. The freckles did it for me. Honestly, when I saw those go on I was like, oh okay, we're going that approach. So I mean, do your thing girl.

Anna: I would go lower than a one again. Like, maybe it's just because I don't like vibe with her personality, but a lot of the ones that I see of her are like, I don't even know if you would call it rage bait, but of her being like, oh, being told I was ugly like this many times, and then like the comments flooding like, who would say that too? And I just like, don't know if the internet is a space that needs that anymore. And so I'm like, okay. Skip.

Rachel: I'm gonna go with a five because I don't know, she knows what she's doing to get attention. It's obviously working. She's continuing to do it, but it's like it's not my flavor. Like I'm not, she looked very angry and like, the whole thing was just like scary.

Laney: Rachel hates her.

Anna: It caught up on the anger, Rachel’s watching it like–

Rachel: I was scared. I was like, I don't want to ever see this woman. Like, in real life. She might hurt me.

Ella: It's literal rage bait.

Laney: Literal.

Anna: Well, that was fun.

Rachel: Well, this has been a really, really great topic, so I hope everybody's enjoying it. You know, thank you. You know, guys, for being here today. And, thanks, everybody for tuning into the Untamed Social podcast and expect a lot more from us. Peace out. 

Laney: Bye.