cost of living crisis

A brief history of influencers being totally out-of-touch during the cost of living crisis

‘I’m the most productive person ever’


The cost of living crisis is no joke, with two-thirds of UK-based therapists saying it’s causing a major decline in mental health. Salaries aren’t rising to meet with inflation, people can’t afford to pay bills, rent prices are becoming *extortionate*, and we’re all living in cold, cold homes.

Luckily, TikTok and YouTube provides us with the precious escapism we sorely need. No-one wants to think about money at a time where no-one has any – we simply want to watch makeup tutorials, Get Ready With Me videos, and relax.

Except it’s inescapable. If an influencer making 100k a year isn’t lecturing us on how we need to use our time more wisely, a content creator is attempting to live on “£1 a day” like it’s a fun little challenge, not the grim reality of over 1 million adults in the UK today.

With this in mind, here are the influencers who’ve been called out this year for saying – and doing – incredibly out-of-touch things:

Molly-Mae says ‘we all have the same 24 hours in a day’

It seems like a long time ago now, but try to cast your mind all the way back to February. While the cost of living crisis didn’t technically have a name yet, the world was still very much feeling the impact of economic turmoil and unemployment caused by the pandemic. A pre-pregnancy Molly-Mae was asked (by the insufferable Steven Bartlett) to give an insight into how she became mega-rich. 

Instead of acknowledging her privileges – a fairly middle-class upbringing, literal pageant-level gorgeousness which enabled her to launch her status on Love Island – she basically tried to explain how she uses her “24 hours” more wisely than others

“I have been slammed a little bit in the past with people saying, you know, like it’s easy for you to say (we all have the same 24 hours in a day),” she explained on the Diary of a CEO podcast. “You’ve not grown up in poverty, you’ve not grown up with major money struggles. So for you to sit there and say that… it’s not correct. And I’m like, but technically what I’m saying is correct – we do.”

Anastasia Kingsnorth takes on ASDA Essentials ‘like a Bushtucker trial’

YouTuber Anastasia Kingsnorth has been doing supermarket hauls and challenges for as long as I can remember. Back when she lived with her mum, we all enjoyed watching her trying out the Tesco Finest range; looking to see whether she’d rank the luxury tomato soup over the standard one. 

But back in August, Anastasia – who now has her own boujie flat and admitted she’s “so lucky in my job… my career has taken off” – decided to bulk-buy and test the ASDA Just Essentials range. She spent £16.38 on a huge shopping list, and people criticised her for hauling a supermarket range that many are forced to rely on during the cost of living crisis. 

“This is people’s reality,” a viewer tweeted. “That’s highly insensitive content in this climate.”

Mikayla Nogueira moans about finishing work at 5:19PM

US influencer Mikayla Nogueira had her words taken out of context in September, when a soundbite of her saying: “I just finished working, it’s 5:19pm. Try being an influencer for the day. Try it,” blew up on TikTok.

She received a ton of backlash for being “out-of-touch,” with one person saying, “wait till she finds out that this is a standard working day for people with normal jobs.”

TikToker Mualesandro claimed the controversy was “a hate campaign on Mikayla,” commenting that a “two-minute search” found how out-of-context the audio clip was. “It missed out the part where she says she gets up at 6AM to start working – that’s nearly a 12 hour work day!” he said. 

Tara Lynn complains about ‘nobody wanting to work anymore’

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In the middle of a rant about BeReal, TikTok and OnlyFans star Tara Lynn said: “BeReal could go off at 11AM, 1PM, 3PM, doesn’t matter — everyone’s in bed. There is an alarming amount of people every time that BeReal goes off that are just in bed with the shades drawn.” 

Then, in the ultimate Kim Kardashian move, she claimed, “it seems like nobody wants to work! Get your fucking ass up and work!”

Other creators informed her that some people have chronic mental and physical illnesses which prevent them from getting out of bed – while others are simply tired from working manual labour jobs, and watching “all of these bills piling up.”

Lydia Millen checks into the Savoy for ‘hot water’ after her heater breaks

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Affluent TikToker Lydia Millen sent Twitter into an absolute meltdown yesterday, after posting about her trip to the Savoy in London for “hot water.” 

“The heating is currently broken in my house,” she explained. “So I’m checking into the Savoy, and I’m going to make full use of their wonderful hot water.”

Then, in an unhinged Get Ready With Me, she put on her “Louboutin boots,” her “Highgrove Bouquet” perfume from Penhaligon’s, and her “25 Birkin Madame Sellier” bag. 

Despite commenters pointing out that “I can’t even afford to put the heating on,” Lydia doubled down on her luxe lifestyle. “My heart breaks too… I just hope you know that other people’s realities can be different and that’s not wrong x,” she replied to one person. 

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Featured image via Lydia Elise Millen on YouTube, @mollymae on Instagram and @anastasiakingsnorth on Instagram before edits.