Influencer and tutor Brooke Lim opens up about her struggles and the backlash following plagiarism allegations.
Brooke Lim, a 19-year-old tutor and influencer, has recently found herself in the eye of a social media storm, following allegations of plagiarism in a personal essay about her battle with an eating disorder. The accusations came after the TikTok burner account @sugaresqueessay pointed out that many of the metaphors and sentence structures in Brooke’s essay were strikingly similar to those of other authors who had written about their own struggles with eating disorders.
In the wake of the scandal, Brooke, who is also the founder of Classicle Club, a popular tuition agency, has faced intense criticism, with death threats and a flood of online messages. As she tries to navigate the fallout, her usual upbeat demeanor has been replaced with exhaustion, her responses shorter and more reflective.
“I get a lot of flak, rumours, and allegations online,” Brooke said, her voice shaky. “What I’ve been forced to do is to figure out which ones to care about and which ones to ignore. Personally, I’m going through a difficult time in my life, so when I saw the account the next morning, I was shocked and confused. But there’s no excuse for what I did.”
Brooke expressed deep regret for the mistake, taking full responsibility for her actions. “I’m really sorry to everyone who was affected by them. Moving forward, I’ll ensure that I properly credit any sources that inspire me,” she added.
The scandal has not only affected her reputation but also the reputation of her tuition agency. Despite the backlash, Brooke has received support from her students and their families. “Parents and students alike have been extremely supportive. We’ve made it very clear that if any student wishes to quit the centre, we’ll process the request and send them the full refund within a week, no questions asked. No student has left the centre.”
As she works through the emotional and professional consequences of her actions, Brooke has also taken steps to ensure the accuracy of the materials produced by her agency. “Every minute that I’m not teaching, my team and I have been thoroughly checking every single piece of material we’ve published,” she said.
Brooke, who has faced criticism for her perceived insincerity in her apology, is focused on making amends. “I want to be a better person and grow from this.”
