Pokimane opened up about the “sad truth” female streamers face when speaking their minds or giving their “honest opinions” amid ongoing backlash for criticizing Kick.
Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys is Twitch’s most-followed female broadcaster. Although she’s endured her fair share of backlash in the past — whether it be for going without makeup on a stream or creating her own VTuber avatar — the latest outrage against her is sparking a massive debate online.
Most recently, Pokimane levied harsh criticisms toward Kick, taking issue with the site being funded by Stake, a gambling platform.
Poki has been staunchly outspoken against the promotion of gambling on streaming sites in the past, being one of the major streamers who protested its presence on Twitch during the site’s gambling ‘dramageddon’ in 2022.
Pokimane opens up on “sad truth” female streamers face for speaking their mind amid backlash over Kick opinion
However, the streamer feels she’s been attacked unfairly as a result of her opinion, with many users across social media — and even fellow streamers — taking issue with her stance in a way that has been labeled sexist and misogynistic by her supporters.
Pokimane seemingly addressed the backlash in a June 26 broadcast, where she opened up about the “sad truth” of being a female streamer.
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“You know what the sad truth is?” she began. “The way that people treat me deters any other woman in the space from genuinely talking about their honest opinions or behaving how they probably really want to, because they recognize the treatment that they can expect.”
“I will never forget one time, I had a girl come up to me, and she was like, ‘Oh, I stream sometimes.’ She basically said, ‘I’m way too scared to stream without makeup, because I saw what people did to you.’ I was like, that’s so f*cking sad.”
Pokimane says that the way she is treated deters other female streamers from speaking honestly pic.twitter.com/YeGhqHiRim
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) June 27, 2023
Pokimane has come under fire from viewers and other creators alike during this time, with OnlyFans star and streamer Corinna Kopf calling her “self-righteous” due to her statement about not “compromising her morals and ethics” in regards to possibly joining Kick.
Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that Pokimane’s opinion on the matter has stirred up quite the debate as the platform eyes more and more top creators to compete with Twitch — even vying for a possible deal with Poki, herself.