Carlin and Evan: But Mostly Carlin!

[GeeGolly]

A while back I read an article about a person traveling with his influencer friend. He said after about a decade of doing it she wants to quit because its non-stop and no longer fun. He said she feels trapped because the money and grifts are so good. She started in her early 20s and and has no other skills, so quitting would be a drastic change in lifestyle.

It reminds me of many clients we would get, who were former drug dealers. When forced to quit (due to legal troubles) they crashed and burned. One client said, its hard to go from carrying wads of cash to carrying a SNAP card.

The problem is, both influencers and drug dealers can budget and save money like the rest of us, so when quitting time rolls around they're all set. But they don't - they (and their egos) like the 'high life' and are stupid about it.

[Jeanne222]

On 12/26/2024 at 2:20 PM, BitterApple said:

Erin and Carlin in the same room? Oof, that's going to be interesting...

They don't get along?  I thought they started the boutique.

[BitterApple]

3 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

They don't get along?  I thought they started the boutique.

They did, but there was some sort of falling out around the time Erin had covid and her reproductive issues. She hadn't posted about BSB or been featured in their photo shoots for months. Fans were asking about it on Erin's, Whit's and Carlin's social medias and not getting an answer. Finally, Erin addressed the elephant in the room with her usual Jesus-speak and said after prayer and consideration, she chose to step back. 

Since then, Erin has had nothing to do with Carlin. No pictures together, no comments on posts and not attending get-togethers or birthdays at each other's homes. Also notable is when this was going on, Katie deleted all pictures of her and Erin together from her Instagram. It was a huge about-face from Erin and Carlin being really close and together all the time. Even now in the footage from Gil's birthday, they were filmed on opposite sides of the room. Carlin posted pictures of her with all her sisters, minus Erin. Whatever went down cut really deep. 

Edited December 31, 2024 by BitterApple

[Jeanne222]

3 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

They did, but there was some sort of falling out around the time Erin had covid and her reproductive issues. She hadn't posted about BSB or been featured in their photo shoots for months. Fans were asking about it on Erin's, Whit's and Carlin's social medias and not getting an answer. Finally, Erin addressed the elephant in the room with her usual Jesus-speak and said after prayer and consideration, she chose to step back. 

Since then, Erin has had nothing to do with Carlin. No pictures together, no comments on posts and not attending get-togethers or birthdays at each other's homes. Also notable is when this was going on, Katie deleted all pictures of her and Erin together from her Instagram. It was a huge about-face from Erin and Carlin being really close and together all the time. Even now in the footage from Gil's birthday, they were filmed on opposite sides of the room. Carlin posted pictures of her with all her sisters, minus Erin. Whatever went down cut really deep. 

Thank you.  That's a shame for both of them. I'm sure it hurts the whole family as it does in other families when disagreements can't be amended.

[SabineElisabeth]

On 12/23/2024 at 8:28 AM, floridamom said:

Biltmore Hotel tour, Dollywood....just after coming back from a first class trip to Dubai? These two are living like they are millionaires IMO.

The Dubai trip was definitely comped.  (On a side note, I would love to know if the Dubai Tourism Board feels like they got their money's worth out of Carlin and Evan, as their Dubai content sucked, IMHO).  As to Biltmore and Dollywood, those don't necessarily have to break the bank.  Growing up (in Knoxville), we'd take a day trip to Biltmore once every couple of years, and we'd get season passes to Dollywood every year.  (I'd guess their Biltmore tickets ran about $500, and that they paid $800-1000 for seasons passes to Dollywood).  For us, Biltmore was pretty expensive for a one day thing, but we'd go to Dollywood almost every Saturday during the summer, a few times around Christmas, and other random times during the year - so I would say Dollywood was a pretty good value for us.  However, unlike Evan and Carlin, we would only eat inside the park or buy crap from the varoius shops as a special treat.  Normally, we would pack a big cooler with lunch, hike back to the car (parked in the cheapest, and therefore furthest away, parking available), and eat sitting in the car in the parking lot.  No way we could have afforded to go that often otherwise, as the food, etc, inside the park is outrageously priced

On 12/22/2024 at 9:50 AM, BitterApple said:

He's good at child exploitation!

I often wonder if their kids are really filmed as much as it seems like they are.  I mean, by definition, 100% of what we see was filmed, so it makes sense we also perceive it as being pervasive, but I'm always curious if in context, their kids are really flimed that much or if it just seems that way.  I also definitely get the vibe that Carlin and Evan would be recording their lives whether they got paid for it or not, as I think they're addicted to the attention, for one, and I've never in my life seen people who love taking pictures of themselves as much as they do.  I also understand the argument, however, that it's not really the videos themselves that are the issue per se; it's the posting of those videos online for money/attention that is exploitive.  Obviously, not really sure on which side of that I come down, as I do watch at least some of their content - and I feel like it would be pretty crappy to keep watching the content and thereby contributing to its continuation if I were truly convinced it was doing harm to their kids.  Anyway, that's kind of a heavy topic for this early in the morning, so back to snarking.  : )

On 12/23/2024 at 11:35 AM, Jeanne222 said:

But its just freebee after freebee!  He has to know all the ropes in getting everything free!

They just don't bring in enough from that boutique to afford Dubai and other trips.  Hotel fees and dinners, Tesla cars, swimming pools, nail salons and unlimited Starbucks and door dash!

Carlin might dress some from the boutique but Evan and the kids wear high retail clothing.  The very best!

They most certainly do not "buy used and save the rest."  For example, they all wear brand name Uggs, and those stupid Lululemon jogger sets they wear - which they definitely did not buy at Goodwill - are several hundred dollars each.  (I personally have always thought of Lululemon as a brand for tween/teen girls, so it kind of cracks me up to see Evan in his jogging suit with "Lululemon" emblazoned in giant letters across the front).  

As to whatever clothes Carlin wears from the boutique, I'm not sure I would classify them as being "the very best."  I'm almost certain all the clothes carried by BSB are suuuuper cheap items bought from China.

On 12/23/2024 at 8:49 PM, Notabug said:

Influencers do have to pay taxes.  They are generally considered to be independent contractors and would get a 1099 form from every company that compensated them for their services if they reached a threshold amount of payment from that business.  It used to be, any business that paid a contractor $600 or more in a year had to report it to the IRS and issue a 1099.  The influencers would pay self employment taxes on top of their regular income tax to make up for the Social Security and income tax contributions that would be provided by a regular employer.

And, yes, anything of value they would receive from a client would have to be reported as income.  However, they could deduct business expenses too including stuff like laptops and Evan's fancy camera set up.  Travel, if not provided by the client, would also be tax deductible.  The thing is, that kind of stuff can be fairly easily hidden or undervalued for tax purposes and a lot of self-employed influencer types probably don't report a lot of the swag they receive.

If they're under-reporting income, they're just screwing themselves long term, as the amount of social security you can draw is directly based on how much income you report.  So, if they are under-reporting to try and save on taxes now, I hope they're taking those savings and investing them for retirement. I know, hahahaha, right? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

On 12/26/2024 at 7:46 PM, Meow Mix said:

When I accidentally stepped on my cat's tail, he sounded better than Lawson.

I'm still scratching my head at Carlin needing an IV to get over jetlag.  I had no idea that was a thing.  I just toughed it out when I had jetlag and made sure to stay hydrated.  Of course I had a job I had to get back to as well, so there's that.  Carlin's an idiot.  And she really needs to stop with the duck lips.

 

On 12/27/2024 at 9:01 AM, AgathaC said:

It really is a low bar…

The duck lips look idiotic.

Anyway, I, too, don’t get the IV thing. It just reeks of performative “specialness.” Earlier this year, I had an IV iron infusion for iron-deficiency anemia. Supplements weren’t working and I couldn’t go up the stairs without getting really winded. So, I genuinely needed it. But to deal with jet lag? Seriously? I guess she’s one of those people who uses medical issues to get attention (not surprising, given her background). I’ve known people like that and they’re exhausting and frustrating in the extreme.

 

On 12/27/2024 at 12:22 PM, Absolom said:

I don't believe that there is any solid proof the IVs commercially available actually help most people at all.  It's like vitamin water in the trendy vein.

 

On 12/27/2024 at 6:49 PM, 65mickey said:

Carlin if you are reading here stop with the stupid pursed duck lips. You look absurd. It is not cute or clever. You just look like an idiot.  

Re: her duck lips poses, Carlin clearly really likes the way she looks and really enjoys looking at herself. 

And I agree, the IV vitamin fad is ridiculous.  Not only is there no evidence it's anymore helpful than taking a multivitamin and drinking a Gatorade, it's also not FDA regulated, which means there's no oversight as to the vitamin formulations or of the preparation of the IV bags themselves.  So yeah, I'll pass, thankyouverymuch.

Edited January 1 by SabineElisabeth

[BitterApple]

Funny but not-so-funny story about LuluLemon. A lady on my mother's tennis team went in there to shop. She was trying on a jacket and struggling to find the right fit and the sales girl told her "You know, this stuff is really meant for younger women." Oof. 

[satrunrose]

There are three things that trouble me about the way kids are exploited by their influencer parents.

1- When possible, kids (especially young kids) should not be breadwinners for their families. That's too much pressure for a little person and I think kids are fully capable of picking up on the pressure even if they don't understand the economics. (See the rictus grins of the Rodrigues kids and Layla's duck lips)

2- Kids don't reliably understand the difference between real and make believe until they're about 7. The problem is, Evan and Carlin's kids are living most of their lives in this weird in-between "reality".  I'm not sure that it's easy for kids to figure out the difference when they aren't seeing a model of real vs imaginary at home. (Or, I don't know, maybe it's easier if E and C are much less ditzy off camera). 

3- Being on public display. This is my biggest issue, actually. I remember when Jon and Kate + 8 was on, I heard some middle teens go on a long rant about how bratty one of the twin daughters was. I can't imagine having to grow up under the shadow of people you've never met, from another country, no less, having Strong Opinions! about your character. We later found out that between age and stage and the dynamics of the household, there were some very good reasons why the kid in question didn't keep sweet, but thanks to the exposure she is, and always will be 'the brat'. That's not fair. In this case, Layla has strangers on at least three sites commenting on her size, her toilet training and her eating habits. We've been pretty compassionate around here, but just the thought of the world commenting on my toilet habits as a small child gives me cold shivers. 

Edited January 1 by satrunrose

[AstridM]

15 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Funny but not-so-funny story about LuluLemon. A lady on my mother's tennis team went in there to shop. She was trying on a jacket and struggling to find the right fit and the sales girl told her "You know, this stuff is really meant for younger women." Oof. 

Yikes! I hope she reported that rude bitch.

[Absolom]

They do project a certain air.  I went in to buy something my daughter wanted and there was a completely obvious attitude shift when she asked if I wanted to try something on for size (what I was holding was not my size) and I said no my daughter wanted a different color from what she already had.  All of sudden huge smiles all around.  No one was rude, but they went from extremely business like to joyful. 

[andromeda331]

10 hours ago, AstridM said:

Yikes! I hope she reported that rude bitch.

So would I. She should be fired for that.

[Natalie68]

On 12/28/2024 at 11:05 AM, GeeGolly said:

A while back I read an article about a person traveling with his influencer friend. He said after about a decade of doing it she wants to quit because its non-stop and no longer fun. He said she feels trapped because the money and grifts are so good. She started in her early 20s and and has no other skills, so quitting would be a drastic change in lifestyle.

It reminds me of many clients we would get, who were former drug dealers. When forced to quit (due to legal troubles) they crashed and burned. One client said, its hard to go from carrying wads of cash to carrying a SNAP card.

The problem is, both influencers and drug dealers can budget and save money like the rest of us, so when quitting time rolls around they're all set. But they don't - they (and their egos) like the 'high life' and are stupid about it.

With under consumption becoming trendy for 2025 maybe influencing will die down.

[lookeyloo]

2 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

With under consumption becoming trendy for 2025 maybe influencing will die down.

The minimalists abound still 

[BitterApple]

2 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

With under consumption becoming trendy for 2025 maybe influencing will die down.

We can only hope.