When did the word "influencer" become a catchall for "bad behavior"?

No Influencers. Some people thought it was funny. Others called it overdue. The internet did what it always does, everyone picked a side.

I’ve been thinking about it for a few days, and I don’t think this conversation is really about influencers. It’s about women.

I’ve spent years working in television, fashion, and now the creator economy. I’ve watched this industry grow from something people rolled their eyes at to one that drives billions in sales and gives thousands of women the opportunity to build businesses on their own terms. To create commerce around the interests, hobbies and passions we love.

That’s what makes this reaction so interesting.

Most of the criticism isn’t coming from men. It’s coming from women.

That should make all of us pause.

Yes, there are creators who take things too far. Nobody wants someone blocking a sidewalk for twenty minutes or treating a small business like a private photo studio. Basic courtesy shouldn’t disappear the second a camera comes out. But that’s a behavior problem, not an influencer problem.

And if you’ve ever spent time in any touristy destination in the last 10 years, it happens all the time. There’s even a word for it: ego-tourism. Simply put, this is the practice of traveling so you cangain social media validation through photographs (selfies!) and posts.

But right now, the anger around Nantucket feels much bigger than people feeling inconvenienced by having to wait an extra minute to walk into a store. Or being unwantedly in the background of someone’s video.

So let’s get to the real issues.

If overcrowding in Nantucket is really the problem, where are the signs aimed at the massive groups of Chads spending the afternoon bar hopping or filling up the marina? What about their “decorum”?

Whether you like it or not, every beautiful destination has crowds. Nothing is a secret anymore because of social media. You might desire to keep your village or beach town private, but unless you can afford to buy the entire thing, you’re out of luck.

Which means that every vacation town has to deal with visitors who can be inconsiderate. Yet this frustration in Nantucket seems to have found one very specific target.

Women. With cameras.

Women creating content.

That’s hard to ignore.

The creator economy is one of the few industries where women aren’t just participating, they’re leading. Women have built audiences, negotiated partnerships, launched companies, hired employees, and created financial independence without waiting for someone else to give them permission.

For decades, we’ve encouraged women to build careers, start businesses, and earn their own money. Now that many are doing exactly that, some of the loudest criticism is coming from other women about how they’re doing that.

I find that incredibly disappointing.

People love to joke that influencers just take cute pics, but those pictures are attached to businesses. Behind every post is strategy, creativity, planning, negotiations, editing, contracts, deadlines, analytics, and often an entire team.

It’s marketing. It’s media. It’s entrepreneurship.

You don’t have to like every creator to recognize that. But you do have to recognize it.

What bothered me most about this week’s discourse wasn’t the sign itself. It was how quickly people were willing to dismiss an entire profession because they don’t understand it or because they don’t see it as valid work. Or my favorite line that being an “influencer” isn’t a real job.

And here’s what I have to say to that: It may not be a job that you can do Karen, but with an industry valued at $500 Billion by 2027, the economics say something else

.This story is as old as time. Whenever women build something outside the traditional rules, it gets questioned before it gets respected. That’s been true in fashion. It’s been true in media. And it’s certainly currently true for creators.

Should we hold people accountable when they’re disrespectful? Absolutely. Should you expect visitors in your town to support local businesses without inconveniencing everyone else? 100%. Those are all reasonable expectations.

But if we’re going to have an honest conversation, let’s make sure we’re talking about behavior, not using a few bad examples to discredit an industry that has created extraordinary opportunities for women.

Personally, I’d rather spend my energy celebrating women who have figured out how to build careers doing something they love than finding new ways to tear them down.

We have enough people doing that already.