- A British TikTok influencer made a video to celebrate her first home purchase, at the age of 21.
- Some commenters suggested her post was insensitive to those struggling to make ends meet.
- The influencer apologized for causing offense, but said she was proud of herself and her work.
The 21-year-old influencer has defended herself after facing backlash when she announced she had bought her first home, with viewers suggesting she didn’t deserve it due to the nature of her work.
On April 8, Katelli Bailey, a British TikTok influencer with 2.8 million followers who usually posts motivational content about self love And lifestyle content about spending time with him Ha Grandma and Grandpa And friendspublished a video Where she can be seen popping a confetti cannon in the shape of a champagne bottle, as stated in the post’s onscreen caption, “Mortgage and homeowner at 21 kids!!!”
Bailey’s video has 3.8 million views, which is relatively fast going viral compared to her other posts that usually receive hundreds of thousands of views. While many commenters expressed support for the influencer, noting that it was quite an accomplishment to own a home at her age, others criticized her, suggesting that her involvement was out of touch and insensitive to other people struggling to afford rent and housing.
“So sad for the people who work the least they get this, and the people who put their lives on the line can barely afford heating,” one person wrote.
“Meanwhile, everyone else has real jobs and is struggling to make ends meet,” another commenter wrote.
Several commenters have spoken of their inability to buy a home without a mortgage with a salary from their current industries, which they said include the care sector and engineering, implying that influencers make income disproportionate to the amount of work they believe they are. They do. As one person said: “Maximum of everything with minimum effort.”
As Insider previously reported, UK residents are increasingly taking to TikTok to share money-saving tips for dealing with the cost-of-living crisis in the country, as is the state. Saw the rise in food and energy prices over the past year. According to the UK-based non-profit Housing and Homelessness Shelter, This has had a particularly devastating effect on low-income tenants – its latest data suggests that nearly 2.5m UK residents are either late or constantly struggle to pay rent.
On April 10, Bailey posted a follow-up videoresponding to the online backlash with an apology to her viewers.
“I’m sorry to anyone who feels like I’m showing off the house order. Yeah, the system is totally out of order. I’ll never think about the fact that I was so lucky,” she said.
The influencer added that she “didn’t grow up with money” and remains proud of herself for being able to afford a home because of her job, which she said required hard work on her part.
“I actually work out, and let me tell you something, social media is very mentally draining,” she said.
The post received 3.7 million views, and commenters were overwhelmingly supportive of the response to the influencer’s statement, saying they didn’t think she should feel obligated to apologize for the negative remarks.
“Wow don’t sit there apologizing for something you achieved on your own, you should be proud and so should everyone,” one wrote.
In the past, influencers who shared videos about large or complex purchases have come under fire with accusations that their posts were out of touch for most people.
In October, Insider reported that lifestyle influencer Quinlin Blackwell faced backlash after telling her TikTok followers that she “accidentally” bought a sofa for $100,000, before revealing that the whole thing was a joke. The following month, influencer and OnlyFans creator Tara Lynn came under fire for saying on TikTok that she spent $10,000 on Harry Styles tickets so she could be close to the stage.
Bailey’s reps did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from the Insider’s Digital Culture team here.
