My research explores the impact of Virtual Influencers (VIs) on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, focusing on how they commodify gender and race representations for profit. By examining VIs in comparison to real-life influencers, I aim to understand how their content influences audience perceptions of social movements like MeToo and Black Lives Matter. Using a qualitative methods approach, including digital ethnography, focus groups and critical discourse analysis, I investigate both the construction of VI identities and audience engagement. Ultimately, my goal is to provide guidelines for safeguarding diversity and inclusion in the emerging metaverse.