Imane “Pokimane” Anys recently admitted that she’s not comfortable doing IRL streams.
IRL (in real life) streams are when content creators live stream from different locations, showing their activities at a gym, store, beach, or any other public place. This has often led to a lot of drama, including Herschel “Dr Disrespect” Beahm being suspended from Twitch for streaming from a bathroom at E3, or streamer JoeyKaotyk facing racist comments while live streaming in downtown Los Angeles.
More recently, chess master and Twitch streamer Andrea Botez has faced a difficult situation while streaming at a restaurant, leaving Pokimane concerned for herself and other female streamers.
During a recent live stream, Botez was harassed by a man who just wouldn’t take no for an answer. The man kept asking Botez if he could sit with her at the restaurant, finally making a rude gesture when Botez finally got him to leave her alone.
Pokimane watched the clip with disgust, often making puking sounds and covering her face.
“This is why I’m scared of IRL streaming,” Pokimane said. “And I’ve already had bad, weird experiences. Ew.”
The streaming community at large was equally disturbed by the man’s behavior. But for many women, this is a common occurrence even if it isn’t always caught on camera and streamed online. Other female streamers have also had bad experiences while streaming IRL, including Jinny facing racist remarks in public and Amouranth being followed around a store while shopping. Given these and other examples, it’s hard to blame Pokimane for being afraid of doing IRL streams.
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