Hailey Bieber, Woman in STEM 👩‍🔬

There’s drama afoot on Nantucket, and it’s something not even Elin Hilderbrand could make up. The culprit? That viral shop sign. For those not following influencers — cue transatlantic accent — “summering” on Nantucket, a quick recap: Earlier in the season, John Sylvia, owner of an artisan craft and antique store, hung a “no influencers” sign after he said people had grown “tired of feeling like extras in someone else’s video.” When the store posted the sign on social media, the internet had…thoughts. Some seconded Sylvia, who, for the record, swore he meant it in a “tongue-in-cheek” way (sure). Others used it as meme fodder (we’d hand over our hard-earned cash for this). And just about every woman with a few thousand followers and (presumably) a $400 Ralph Lauren American flag sweater shot back in the comments. That includes influencer Paige Paul (née Lorenze), whose newly opened Nantucket store has been drawing ridiculously long lines (respectfully, no). In the IG equivalent of War and Peace, Paul implied it was anti-feminist, arguing it dismissed the overwhelmingly female influencer industry. Not to mention, she hung up her own cheeky sign. 

Of course, this isn’t the first time the ring-light-wielding battalion has faced backlash for being, well, kind of annoying. Just ask fitness guru Tracy Anderson, whose recently implemented phone-filming ban sparked its own debate — in part because it only applies to people who aren’t blowing their entire grocery budget on a membership. Or, ask the neighborhood of Notting Hill, where some residents have painted their colorful townhomes black to deter all the photo shoots (no one tell Anna Scott). In fact, this isn’t even the first time an influencers v. locals showdown has taken place on Nantucket: This spring, a “bluff docent” was proposed in response to the coastal chaos at Sconset Bluff Walk, a popular photo spot. And there was the Oklahoma native who launched a $3,800 “Camp Nantucket” for her followers, fueling plenty of — to put it politely — gossip. As for which side we’re taking? We’re Team Whoever Wants to Invite Us to a Lobster Bake.