Blythe’s comment sections are tame by comparison — though he does get some seriously horny private messages. “I get really weird emails where it’s like, ‘Could you massage the bottom of my sock?’ or something like that,” Blythe recounted. “I don’t know if they thought the sock part made the outrageous request normal, but something about it makes me laugh.”
However, since 60% of Blythe’s viewers are women, he feels he has it easier than most of his female peers. “I think if you’re a woman on an app doing ceramics, you could probably get a lot of creepy messages,” he said. Monaco — who gets comments like “ Nobody looks at ceramics ” and “ We all know why we’re looking ” — said she doesn’t think it’s too bad. “Most of them are pretty funny,” she added.
Unfazed said influencers may not want to admit they’re purposefully suppressing. “If you lean into it, there’s negative judgment that comes with it,” she said. “There’s also a cringe factor to it: It’s cooler to pretend you’re aloof and pretend you’re above it than to admit you’re doing it.”
Unconscious also told BuzzFeed News that while she could appreciate the sex appeal of the ceramic Tiktok, thirsty viewers should follow the influencers’ lead when it comes to the comments they make. “There’s a line. There are some people who are cool with [being sexualized] and there are others who are not,” she said. “Viewers need to take it seriously in terms of consent.”
For potters like Pottery Boy, the horny comments are a small price to pay for success. While he hasn’t admitted to intentionally silencing his followers, he does welcome the attention that comes from such viewers. After all, they helped him sell all of his $53 mugs in 40 seconds last year on Local. His IRL business is also thriving: He runs three pottery studios that draw 350 students a week and plans to open two more this year. “Business is going really, really well,” Pottery Boy said. “But I don’t think my TikTok can take full credit for that.”
“Honestly, I’m not too particular about how I’m perceived,” Potterboy said. “I want to create content that people enjoy watching and that brings more people to the sport of pottery. I think my videos do that, and that’s the most important thing. If you’re coming to pottery or if you’re coming to sex appeal, I welcome everyone.”
