Controversy Over Squeezie‘s Video: Puffing Up a Storm!
Well, well, well! In the world of YouTube, where pranks, challenges, and one-upmanship reign supreme, it seems we’ve stumbled into a fine kerfuffle. This time, it’s not about a questionable slime recipe or a dubious cooking challenge. No, it’s Alain Chabat and Adèle Exarchopoulos blowing clouds of vapor in “Who is the impostor?”, a Squeezie classic. And oh, how the Internet has reacted!
When Puff Meets Fame
In a video lasting nearly an hour, our beloved duo decided to indulge in some electronic smoke breaks. I mean, why not? Nothing says “celebrity” like pulling out a puff in front of 19.1 million viewers, right? But alas, where there’s puffing, there’s a storm brewing. Viewers were not so pleased with this seemingly harmless behavior. After all, we wouldn’t want young, impressionable kids thinking that puffing away is as cool as a cucumber, would we? Not when those puffs can pack quite the nicotine punch!
“The fact that Adèle spends the entire Squeezie video smoking her puff is really unbearable,” tweeted one outraged internet user, who clearly missed the memo on proportional outrage.
A Role Model? Or a Puffing Problem?
Now, let’s take a step back and look at the implications here. Squeezie is a titan in the YouTube universe—his audience largely consists of, you guessed it, the young and impressionable. Those are the kids we want to protect from believing that smoking something that looks like a glorified USB stick is the epitome of coolness. But as several users on X (formerly known as Twitter) pointed out, the real question is: why did Squeezie let this slip through the editing room door? Shouldn’t our beloved YouTuber bear some responsibility? Or should we just chalk it up to ‘creative expression’?”
Is It All Just Smoke and Mirrors?
Here’s where it gets juicy. YouTube’s official stance? No harm, no foul! According to their guidelines, adults puffing away in moderation is perfectly acceptable. A bit of drinking here, a bit of smoking there—nothing that will trigger any alarms at HQ. After all, isn’t it just a bit of adult fun? And let’s face it, what’s a video without a little drama to spice things up. It’s practically the equivalent of a soap opera now, isn’t it?
“It’s crazy disrespectful, the image it conveys,” said yet another internet user, shaking their head as if they were at a family reunion and Uncle Bob just revealed he’s been smoking puffs behind their backs.
The View Count Tells the Tale
As of now, the video sits pretty with over 5 million views and counting. And while Squeezie has chosen not to address the elephant in the room—or should we say, the puff in the room—his loyal fans seem to be feeding off the drama. Isn’t it delicious? The sheer ridiculousness of it all is captivating! I mean, you simply can’t make this stuff up!
In Conclusion: A Puff of Controversy
So, what do we take away from this little escapade? That with great fame comes great responsibility? Or are we simply too sensitive? The debate rages on, but one thing’s for sure: the next time you think about making a YouTube video, consider how many parents might be huddled around their screens, worrying about what their kids will think is ‘cool’. If we’re not careful, we might just end up with a generation of puffing pros, thinking they’re the next big thing in hipster culture. And who knows, maybe one day we’ll see Adèle Exarchopoulos lighting up next to a cloud of glitter in a music video!
But until then, let’s keep the conversation going. Is puffing a crime on YouTube? Or just a bit of harmless fun? You be the judge!
Some Internet users criticize Alain Chabat and Adèle Exarchopoulos for smoking a puff, an electronic cigarette, in the Squeezie video “Who is the impostor?”
As usual, the YouTuber Squeezie shared, this Sunday, October 20, a new video taken from his successful format Who is the impostor? In this concept, the content creator with 19.1 million subscribers, accompanied by two celebrities, receives three people claiming to have a job in common. Squeezie and his friends then try to unmask which person is a liar, and the accomplice of one of them.
This time, the YouTuber received Alain Chabat and Adèle Exarchopoulos, both of whom came to promote the film phew love. But this time, it was not the jokes or the detective skills of the players that made Internet users react. But the use of an electronic cigarette by the two actors.
A very young audience
Indeed, during the nearly hour-long video, Alain Chabat and Adèle Exarchopoulos several times take out their puffs, a brand of disposable electronic cigarette popular with young people, which could soon be banned in France.
The problem is that these puffs can contain up to 2% nicotine and a single “maxi puff” is equivalent to 18 cigarettes. Some Internet users believe that the presence of these products in a video by Squeezie, a videographer widely followed by the new generation, could encourage young adolescents to obtain the object.
On X, formerly Twitter, Internet users did not hesitate to share their dissatisfaction. “The fact that Adèle spends the entire Squeezie video smoking her puff is really unbearable,” wrote a user in a message liked more than 20,000 times. “Think for 2 seconds how many kids will watch the video and think it’s ‘cool’.”
“We’re already trying to prevent teenagers from ‘having fun’ with it, it would be good to avoid releasing it on video”, castigates another. His post, which has since been deleted, has 27,000 likes. “It’s crazy disrespectful, the image it conveys,” adds another.
A video authorized by Youtube
Others emphasize the role of Squeeziewho did not choose to cut the scenes where the two actors use a puff. “I find it unfortunate that a YouTuber with such a large audience (and especially many young people) accepts this and broadcasts it,” says a user.
Despite the opinions of Internet users, the video should not be sanctioned by YouTube. Contacted by Tech&Co, the platform refers to its general conditions of use. As the help page reminds us, theuse by a minor of an electronic cigarette is prohibited by the platform.
On the other hand, “momentary and moderate consumption of alcohol or tobacco by adults (…) are acceptable”. She doesn’t does not require restricting accessibility of video to an informed audience, Youtube also estimates.
Squeezie’s video therefore seems to correspond to this definition in the eyes of Youtube. The two actors, both adults, use their puff less than ten times over more than 50 minutes of content. A use that the American giant considers “moderate”.
For its part, Arcom, the audiovisual policeman also responsible for monitoring digital platforms, estimates on his site that “case law considers that the mere fact of broadcasting images of people smoking in front of cameras does not constitute acts of advertising or propaganda prohibited by the texts”.
For his part, Squeezie did not react to the various comments. The video, which has more than 5 million views since it was posted, has not been modified.