Isabelle Hunter
Ah, a holiday. It’s what we all dream of in the current circumstances. Jetting off to somewhere hot, sipping a cocktail on the beach while gentle sounds of the sea come crashing in. However, this is the reality for some social media stars. But doesn’t it seem a little …insensitive?
The UK has now exceeded the death toll of 100,000 people. This has left over 100,000 families grieving up and down the country, losing a loved one who meant so much to the children and parents of the UK.
This figure certainly gave me a reality check, making sure to be extra careful when carrying out essential tasks, which I believe, is the most I can
do to be respectful to those who have lost someone to this pandemic.
The influencer describes her journey to Dubai as ‘essential’, which many believed mocked the work of those in the NHS
On the other hand, an interview surfaced depicting a young social media influencer, questioning why she has flown to Dubai during the national lockdown, despite these huge death figures and daily rising cases.
The influencer describes her journey to Dubai as ‘essential’, which many believed mocked the work of those in the NHS, and other key workers in the UK who are doing vital work on the frontline to combat the virus.
People have taken to social media to display their feelings of hurt regarding the girl comparing herself to a key worker, when the images behind her
depict riding camels, and relaxing by the poolside.
In March 2020, Joe Wicks rose to fame with his upbeat daily ‘P.E’ lessons, filmed entirely in his living room. The influencer is compared to Joe Wicks, thus asking the questions as to why her work couldn’t be carried out in a similar way, without travelling to Dubai.
She talks about her fitness business, in which videos are shown of her in a small room doing home workouts. This is quickly noticed as the room could be ‘anywhere’, so why was it essential to be in Dubai when most work was filmed with a plain background in an ordinary bedroom?
One comment which sent many into a frenzy was the response of the said influencer to online trolls, encouraging them to ‘be kind.’
The influencer describes her mental health due to the pandemic and states she ‘couldn’t be bothered’ to carry out her work in the UK, and so took the necessary precautions to travel elsewhere.
One comment which sent many into a frenzy was the response of the said influencer to online trolls, encouraging them to ‘be kind.’ This sparked controversy as the comment seems almost ironic simultaneously preaching to ‘be kind’ whilst disregarding the mass number of recent deaths and climbing case numbers due to travelling and ignoring restrictions.
The government have stated that ‘you must not leave your home unless you have a reasonable excuse’ on the government website, in which influencers alike have taken this to mean a trip abroad to ‘motivate and inspire people’ is equal to essential travel due to being work purposes.
However, comments have been flooding in saying this ‘work’ does not leave
people stuck at home ‘inspired’, but instead overwhelmed with jealousy.
This interview does not come as a one off, as many social media stars (and Love Island stars!) have been spotted jetting off the popular destination of Dubai, to post several brand deals.
So, is this somewhat ‘loop-hole’ for influencers to take a quick break from the pandemic in the sun allowed?
Some have come forward and apologised for their actions, stating the travel was ‘necessary’ for the brand deal, where others have come back claiming they had the same brand deal but were told it wasn’t necessary to travel to promote the product.
So, is this somewhat ‘loop-hole’ for influencers to take a quick break from the pandemic in the sun allowed? Should they be praised for taking their work to the sunny destinations, or is it simply disrespectful to those who have lost their closest family members. I’ll let you decide.
Isabelle Hunter
Featured image courtesy of Fredrik Ohlander on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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