Source: とある男が授業をしてみた, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Famous YouTuber Bilingirl Chika opens online salon after suffering serious cyberbullying

Last year, we talked about the serious online abuse and cyberbullying that YouTuber Bilingirl received during the early days of the pandemic. For those who missed the article, the YouTuber endured serious harassment after posting about her family's decision to return home to Japan from abroad as the coronavirus outbreak heated up. The bleary-eyed post received millions of views, tens of thousands of dislikes, and several thousand comments. Most were poignantly negative such as, "Because of these idiots, many people will die," "Please erase your channel. It's unwatchable," and so on. Naturally, the influencer felt so shocked at the time, and she decided to take an extended break.

She’s back!

However, in August 2020, she returned after a four-month hiatus.

In the video, Bilingirl Chika explained that she had been uploading to YouTube for almost nine years, and such an incident had never happened to her up until that point. Again, not only was she shocked but also she felt endangered after reading several aggressive comments such as “Be careful when you walk in the dark...” “I’ll kill you,” “Die.”

Chika continued explaining how painful and confusing the ordeal was. Yet, as she held a stiff upper lip in the face of the backlash, she was inspired by the saying, "Open-minded people don't care to be right. They care to understand. Everything is about understanding.” All in all, the experience forced her to realize that “I can’t make everyone happy, so what should I do?” In the end, she decided to trust herself and move forward little by little.

Followers react

After returning to YouTube, Chika has uploaded more than 40 videos that are much the same style as before. Naturally, her posts on Christmas, Valentine’s day, Japanese girl’s day, etc. have been particularly popular with viewers. As such, the influencer recently announced on Instagram that she would begin an online community called “C-Place” in April.

She noted that she needed 200 volunteers to test the platform before the official launch. Many fans applied:

  • “I applied for it. I hope I’m chosen. You challenge the status-quo, Chika. I love you!”
  • “During the pandemic, I can't talk much with my real friends, so I hope I can make new friends here. I'm looking forward to it!"
  • “I applied for it! I'm looking forward to April. I'm excited!”
  • "Of course I applied for it. I want to connect with Chika and other users."
  • “I applied for it. I have a daughter who is the same age as your daughter, so I always enjoy watching your videos with her.”
  • “I applied for it. I want to be a member of C-place. It’ll be the first online community for me.”
  • “I applied this morning. I want to experience it!”
  • “I also applied as soon as I could! I want to interact with Chika and people who share her interests! I hope I’m chosen.”

This reaction marks stands in stark contrast to her ordeal during the pandemic. Only a year ago, Chika was flooded with aggressive comments. These days, she receives many happy comments from her fans on Instagram and enjoys rich engagement from her community.

The influencer took the time to reply to the outflow of support:

"A few days ago, we closed our recruitment of C-place test users! Thank you for the many, many applications! I'm working hard every day for the official launch!"

She also noted how her daughter helped her recover during her break from YouTube. She posted a family video on Instagram:

Overall, Chika serves as a model of how to overcome difficult times. She has shown fans that you must believe in yourself and your family even if something bad happens. No one knows what is right and what is wrong. But if you believe in yourself, you can truly make something beautiful.

By - Luke Mahoney.

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