Yovana Mendoza

Yovana Mendoza built a following of millions as Rawvana, a raw vegan lifestyle influencer who credited her diet with transforming her health, energy, and appearance. She sold paid cleanse programs, posted daily content about the benefits of eating nothing but raw fruits and vegetables, and positioned herself as living proof that the lifestyle worked. Then a fellow vlogger's camera caught her eating fish, and the entire facade collapsed in a matter of hours.

The scandal, which the internet quickly labeled "Fishgate," was damaging not just because Mendoza had been dishonest, but because of what her subsequent admission revealed. She confessed that the raw vegan diet she had been selling to her followers had actually caused her serious health problems, including amenorrhea, anemia, and thyroid dysfunction. She had been secretly eating animal products to address these issues while continuing to produce content promoting the very diet that was making her sick. Her followers had been purchasing cleanse programs from someone who had privately abandoned the program herself.

After the disclosure, Mendoza stated that she had been afraid to tell her audience about her health problems because she feared losing her platform and income. She apologized to her followers and described her experience as a cautionary tale about the pressures of identity-based branding in influencer culture. Critics argued that her cleanse programs should not have been marketed while she was personally experiencing health problems from the diet. Nutrition and medical professionals used the incident as a case study in the risks of extreme dietary restriction and of lifestyle content that equates a creator's personal experience with general health advice.

Mendoza subsequently rebranded and continued producing content, shifting away from strict raw veganism. She discussed her experience with health problems caused by the diet in subsequent interviews and content. Some former followers expressed understanding of the health difficulties she described; others maintained that the continued sale of cleanse programs during the period she was privately struggling represented a serious breach of the trust her audience had placed in her recommendations.