Comments made by Molly-Mae on a recent podcast have sparked outrage amongst some, accusing her of being insensitive of those living in poverty.

 

Molly-Mae appeared on Steven Bartlett’s podcast, Diary of the CEO to discuss her rise to fame. Molly-Mae rose to fame through the reality show, Love Island but now has a seven-figure salary from being Pretty Little Thing’s creative director.  The influencer found herself in hot water after making controversial comments when describing her journey to success.

She commented that we “all have the same 24 hours in a day”, and continued by saying that "It just depends to what lengths you wanna go to get to where you wanna be in the future, I'll go to any length.” This led to an uproar amongst her critics as they claimed that her comments were ignorant and that she did not take poverty into consideration. Critics suggest she overlooked the fact that 11.7 million people lived in relatively low income in 2021, according to the House of commons library.

She continued saying “You’re given one life and it’s down to you what you do with it. You can literally go in any direction.” Some users found her comments offensive as it seemed as though she was suggesting that those who are poor do not work hard enough. Some commenters thought that she did not recognize or acknowledge the privileges that she had in life.

She was ridiculed on social media as some users made memes of Molly-Mae likening her comments to phrases such as “if your homeless just buy a house” and “if you’re poor be poor”. Other people defended her suggesting that she was trying to inspire others based of her own experiences and that the statements were misconstrued.  Fans believe that she is a hard worker and that her privileges overpowered her words.

In response Molly-Mae’s team released a statement saying that she was discussing her own experience and that “Molly is not commenting on anyone else’s life or personal situation”.

My personal opinion to this situation is that she could have carefully considered her words before saying them, and although well intentioned, she could have been more appreciative of the different financial backgrounds that others may find themselves in.  Some believe her intention was to inspire others with her experience and she will continue to do so despite this situation.