Singaporean content creator Tina Amir, who goes by her handle Tinadestruit on TikTok, has sparked a heated conversation on race and casting in influencer marketing after revealing she was dropped from a paid campaign because of her race.
Amir, who has worked with brands such as Shein, Swisse, Tagespresso, Vitalsheild and Similac Total Comfort, said she was initially approached by a PR agency on behalf of a client that was a Korean skincare brand. After being selected for the paid campaign, she was later pulled back because her race didn't fit the target profile the brand was looking for. She refrained from naming the brand or the PR agency, but said the experience left her in a deeply uncomfortable position.
Amir further revealed that the PR agency then made a caveat, saying: "Oh, but we can fight for you because you're a fair [skinned] Malay" — a remark she found offensive and declined to respond to. The agency then reportedly came back the next day asking if she would still like to be part of the campaign for free. "So long story short, because I don't have a Chinese name, they wanted me to work for free," said Amir.
Her video prompted many netizens to urge her to go public with the name of the company, which she declined due to the "risk of being sued," while adding that the "company does have a bad rep." The conversation also drew popular content creator Preeti Nair, known as Preetipls, who shared her own experience of being dropped from cosmetics brands' PR lists, despite these brands being known for "inclusive marketing." According to Nair, it's "just a bad idea," especially when such cosmetic brands preach diversity in their product lines.
Race remains a sensitive topic in markets such as Singapore and Malaysia, whose populations are made up of a number of ethnicities. The episode has reignited debate about colourism and racial profiling in the influencer industry, where casting decisions are rarely transparent and creators from minority backgrounds say they are quietly filtered out of campaigns without explanation.
The controversy has also prompted discussion about the power imbalance between agencies and creators. Because briefs, casting criteria and rejection reasons are seldom disclosed, creators say they have little recourse when they suspect discrimination — and speaking out publicly carries the risk of being blacklisted or sued, as Amir herself noted. Industry observers say the incident may push brands and agencies toward more transparent casting processes, with some calling for written rationales when creators are dropped from campaigns.
The episode lands amid a broader wave of creator grievances in the region. This week alone, Malaysian creators accused Singapore-based influencer marketing platform Partipost of delaying payments dating back to 2024, while Singaporean influencer Chrysan Lee publicly called out an unnamed creator agency for failing to pay her and other creators for completed work. Together, the stories paint a picture of an influencer economy where talent has limited leverage against intermediaries — and where race, payment practices and accountability remain unresolved fault lines.