Valkyrae Explains Why She Took 100 Thieves Out Of Her Twitter Bio
Rachel "Valkyrae" Hofstetter has recently been under heavy criticism that's slowly casting a grey cloud over all of the hard work she's done to pioneer an open and diverse community.
As one of the most influential content creators on the planet, especially after being named 2020 Streamer of the Year, Valkyrae often uses her platform to encourage inclusivity. However, her latest venture has been overshadowed by a lack of transparency after being labelled as a "scam".
Having co-founded a brand-new company "RFLCT" - a skincare enterprise that features products to protect the skin from "blue light pollution" - Valkyrae has been widely criticised, resulting in her taking a hiatus from streaming and social media, barring one update to fans and removing 100 Thieves and RFLCT from her bio.
Now, Valkyrae has taken to Twitch to air some concerns about the company, and shed some light onto her current situation.
Valkyrae Opens Up About "Naive" Role In RFLCT
Breaking her silence about the matter, Valkyrae first discussed how she was approached by RFLCT and saw the research begin to lead to final products.
"They ran tests for six months with chemists in labs," she began. "I saw the research with my own eyeballs, I was really excited because I thought it was ground-breaking research. I was excited, I thought it was going to help people.
"I tested the smell, the formula, the colour of the packaging. For example, the lip balm, I asked for it to be unisex, that’s why it’s matte. I am not a chemist, I’ve never been to the lab in person, I’ve just seen the research."
However, she quickly turned sceptical about the campaign when she found out that their research couldn't be published, due to fears of other companies emulating the product. "I was confused, I learned their studies can’t be publicised. That was the part I was very naive about, I didn’t know that", she said.
"I am the face for it, so I am the one who gets all of it. Isn’t that crazy? I feel like if I could go back, I would have been more aware of what was going to be shown."
Valkyrae Remains 100 Thieves Co-Owner, Claims She's Distancing Them From RFLCT Drama
Following the backlash, rumours began to surface surrounding her position at 100 Thieves, as Valkyrae opted to remove her affiliation with the organisation from her social media bio, alongside RFLCT.
The 100 Thieves co-owner has also admitted that her role has been unaffected in the esports organisation, but she simply wanted to distance them from the drama.
Talking on stream, she said: "I took out 100 Thieves from my bio because they have nothing to do with it. I don’t want them to get dragged into it, they’re not involved at all."
As for RFLCT, Valkyrae confessed she wants to ditch her Co-Founder status, and possibly end her collaboration with the skincare regime. "I am in a bound contract," she started. "I do believe in the product, but I do also wish to not be involved because the research can’t be public. That’s the hard part. And that’s the honest truth… I don’t know if I really want to continue. But I don’t know if I really have a choice."
It's yet to be known whether Valkyrae will continue being the face of RFLCT, whose products are now live.
