Guardian

Sydney Nicole Gifford has accused rival Alyssa Sheil of copying her bland style, in a $150,000 lawsuit over lost income and ‘mental anguish’. What’s behind this race to the bottom?

Sydney Nicole Gifford, a 24-year-old lifestyle influencer, was busy being her most authentic self when her carefully curated world suddenly shattered. One of her followers had contacted her with terrible news: someone had stolen her vibe.

What does this even mean? Well, that’s the question at play in what may be the saddest, beigest (and possibly most important) lawsuit in influencer history. Gifford, you see, is aggressively fond of neutrals. She likes wearing shades of white, black and cream, and lives in an incredibly organised house where her minimalist decor is also shades of white, black and cream. She reviews Amazon products that fit what is known as the “clean girl” aesthetic and, when her followers buy stuff from her affiliate links, she makes a commission from the sale.

The problem is, someone is said to have stepped on Gifford’s colourless turf. Gifford subsequently filed a lawsuit against the 21-year-old influencer Alyssa Sheil, a former acquaintance, alleging she “replicated the neutral, beige and cream aesthetic of [her] brand identity”. Gifford also accused Sheil of copying her style, as well as her photos and captions, and is now seeking up to $150,000 in damages for lost income and “mental anguish”. The bottom line? Gifford seems to want a court to decree that she is officially the most basic person on the internet.