Jatee Kearsley, owner of Je T’aime Patisserie in Brooklyn, admitted to never wanting to go viral again, claiming it saved her business but at the expense of her mental health, Business Insider reports.
She reminisced about a time in April 2024 when she didn’t know how her bakery, offering a “Black girl twist” on French pastries in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood, was going to survive with only $2,000 left in her bank account. After making the admission to members of her bible study group, things changed shortly after. Her bakery went viral after being featured on a social media platform called Righteous Eats that celebrates New York City-based restaurants.
With over 600,000 views and likes, her bank account looked completely different afterwards. But Kearsley said she doesn’t want to experience that again. “Going viral was a blessing. I will never pretend it wasn’t. It changed the trajectory of my business. However, I don’t think people talk enough about what going viral does to your mental health,” the small business owner said.
Data from The DO, the effect of social media users hiding behind a screen in an effort to “troll” or harass others has been labeled as a new level of cyberbullying. The trend has led to significant implications for mental health, leading to depression, anxiety, and in some cases, suicide.
“For me, mentally, I don’t want to go viral again. That might sound ungrateful, but it’s honest.”
She touched on how going viral didn’t make the work any easier and instead brought higher expectations. Kearsley remembered her team of four would make an average of 200 croissants a week. After becoming a viral sensation, the demand increased to roughly 200 croissants every other day. Then, with the demand came overly demanding service and alleged judgmental tones.
One of the things that sets Je T’aime Patisserie apart from other bake
Recent Comments