Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys has spoken out on how female streamers censor themselves from speaking their honest opinions on Twitch because of how she’s been treated when she has chosen to do so.
In a livestream from June 27, she answered a viewer who said she needed more women supporting her stance on rival streaming platform Kick: “You know what the sad truth is? The way that people treat me deters any other woman in the space from genuinely talking about their honest opinions or behaving how they really want to,” she answered. “Because they recognize the treatment they can expect.”
The former OfflineTV member has been under fire for the stance she’s taken against emerging rival streaming platform Kick, criticizing its ties to gambling platform Stake. “I would rather make zero dollars and keep my dignity,” she said when asked if she would join the platform for a hefty sum of money during her June 21 livestream.
She also mentioned an event where a female streamer said she wouldn’t ever dare go live without makeup after she saw the harassment Pokimane went through for that same reason back in 2018.
“She was like: ‘I’m way too scared to stream without makeup because I saw what people did to you’,” the content creator explained. “That’s so f*cking sad. The whole reason I stream the ‘Get ready with me’ is to show people it’s normal.”
Related: Dr Disrespect slaps mega price tag on him moving to Kick—and Kick is listening
The live reaction of Pokimane to xQc’s massive deal with Kick stirred strong reactions from other content creators on June 21. She argued with xQc in a group call on a livestream later the same day, while other personalities like newly-signed Kick streamer Amouranth accused her of ‘farming clout’.
Still, more streamers are flocking to Kick as it signs big exclusivity deals with content creators, earns more audience, and offers advantageous revenue share for streamers. We wouldn’t expect to see Poki go live on Kick any time soon though.
