Brittany Bathgate #2 Buying things to fill the gaping hole in her personality

[Soapy Dolphin]

Currently listening.
Arrrgh! No one is forcing her to do this. If it causes anxiety, paranoia and agoraphobia (whilst lying in bed) then just don't do it. What is so hard to comprehend? Why do we have to keep going through this?
Oh, never mind, you got over it in a day and now it's a really good week. Wish I found it that simple.
Existential angst, exhibitions, books, trouser tailoring, off to the "studio". Pretty standard I'd say.

 

[elaine_benes_my_goddess]

never knew "going to the tailor" was riveting content. have been going to the tailor for years for actual tailoring and not just alterations (which BB calls as "tailoring") -- most of my clothes are stitched by a local tailor, adjustments are made by myself, and cloth is procured locally. i go to the tailor weekly, my mum gets her blouses stitched by the tailor, our traditional clothes are hemmed by them... yet some of us seem to go about it without making a big deal out of it. didn't think i could make money out of this weekly tailor trip and "influence" people.

i'm no stranger to mental health troubles, but as @Soapy Dolphin says no one is forcing her to do this. there is nothing authentic about her content and it won't be unless she is true to herself. i guess life is different when one is thin, white, and privileged in ways one refuses to recognise

 

[Joannabloggs]

She has many options:
-stop reading tattle
-turn off the comments section on youtube
-stop making influencing her job
I would imagine many of us have quit jobs because it was no longer serving our mental health. Yes you may earn less, but nothing is worth sacrificing your health for. Unfortunately it seems she values brand event invites, freebies etc over what is better for her in the long term.

From the outside looking in, she could benefit from therapy (as could we all) rather than listening to a podcast to help her with her identity and other issues.

 

[Chinchilla]

Complete tangent- the black jumper she had on at the end. Turns out to be from the brand Row ——— costly amount of £1300 WTF!

they’re all becoming so inaccessible and making it the norm to spend that much on a piece of clothing.

her and Lizzy are so bad for it . Especially Lizzy!

 

[verykindlygifted]

If Brittany finds influencing vacuous, that’s because it is. I’d suggest she go and do something more intellectual like a course in art history or literature but it seems Miss Bathgate has grown accustomed to a standard of living most lecturers, artists, writers etc. could never dream of achieving on their salaries alone.

 

[uhhhhhhcanwejust]

Honestly, duck her. I had a really tough day of caregiving, a tough time with work, and... she is so excessively deluded and workshy, she doesn't deserve my follows or views. Over it once and for all.

 

[elaine_benes_my_goddess]

Complete tangent- the black jumper she had on at the end. Turns out to be from the brand Row ——— costly amount of £1300 WTF!

they’re all becoming so inaccessible and making it the norm to spend that much on a piece of clothing.

her and Lizzy are so bad for it . Especially Lizzy!

remember when she flaunted her augustinus bader face cream in our faces? some $265 for a cream which a regular $10 will do on the market. i felt physically sick that day and learned that such a brand even existed. my, how the other half live! it's one thing to spend the money you earned on things that will give you joy but spending close to $300 on a face cream but also being gifted thousands of pounds worth of clothes and shoes (and the Maison Margiela Xmas dinner set whatever) and then making a big noise about how the influencer model makes you feel "icky" while being fully complicit in it is... a FEAT. so is underestimating your followers thinking they don't know how to put two and two together, like maam i don't need a phd in mathematics from stanford.

anyway i unfollowed her. if she is indeed reading in here, there is a lot of good feedback that she can use. we're not gonna charge her for our time and creative processes

 

[salexse]

My views on influencers like Brittany are the same as the ones I have for politicians - happy to accept all the perks, freebies, money that comes with the job; reacts all hurt and injured when their own actions or words come round to bite them in the arse; and tries to deflect and blame their broken promises, half-arsed attempts and non-starters on someone or something else (us the viewer, their own mental health, no camera battery, external criticism etc). She should have stayed just a silent presence on Instagram. Everything started falling apart when she moved out, spent (or got discounted or free) about twenty grands worth of new furniture, books, shoes and clothes, and then exposed for copying other people's content and asthetic and passing it off as her own

 

[elcarrocarro]

You lot are on fire, so many great points made.
She’s clearly been coming on here and worked herself up to a point she can’t get out of bed or go to a social event and maybe just maybe this is because she feels like a fraud and too embarrassed to show her face just in case people out there think badly of her. And it is probably true people do but who’s gonna say anything straight to her face?
I think she is a fraud when it comes to her creativity, I know mh is different as you can’t compare struggles to others as we all have go through different journeys. I just hate this cry for attention and how we all have to feel sorry for poor bb, first she’s mumbling about how lucky she is to do a collaboration with margiela and then goes on to talk about how she struggles to get out of bed because she read something on line. Would you care to elaborate a bit more? She never shared what or where she read this because she knows deep down inside she is a fraud and full of tit. I bet she didn’t want to mention the internet platform that made her so upset is to avoid more of her followers going on here reading this stuff

 

[elaine_benes_my_goddess]

Currently listening.
Arrrgh! No one is forcing her to do this. If it causes anxiety, paranoia and agoraphobia (whilst lying in bed) then just don't do it. What is so hard to comprehend? Why do we have to keep going through this?
Oh, never mind, you got over it in a day and now it's a really good week. Wish I found it that simple.
Existential angst, exhibitions, books, trouser tailoring, off to the "studio". Pretty standard I'd say.

i had to watch this bit and im sorry if my post comes across as harsh but all i got from her day of "anxiety and paranoia" was how utterly privileged she is. it's like what you say @Soapy Dolphin -- wish i also had it that simple. to feel worthless, paranoid, and anxious until the walls cave in, and then having the opportunity to go to London and soak into a museum atmosphere. And much later have the complete privilege to be invited to lunch with a perfume company (is that right? Or is Loewe a clothing brand?) and then put on this fake humble persona of "oh hey guys you've invited the wrong person" and calling it imposter syndrome is just not done.

maybe my own jealous insecurities are showing (and i don't care if it is), but buying all the clever books in the world, trying to sound so "aware", but also acting like "*uwu* is this my life??????" is disgusting either you know your privilege or you don't. there is no in between. i cannot find myself sympathising with white women struggles, esp BB's when it's clearly fake. her MH struggles notwithstanding, if there is one person who can afford therapy, it's her. meanwhile i have to save up for a month's therapy and try to find a way to get a visa to the west for a better life, while being rejected for not having enough money in my account.

a person aware of their privilege who wants to do better will work on it without making a big scene of it. imagine having the chance to go to london to look at art whenever you want. imagine having that privilege. imagine having the privilege to just buy a bottle of susanne kauffman bath oil or whatever. imagine just dropping big bucks on household items with no care in the world about food. what really disgusts me is that BB is aware of her standing in the world, in her community and her industry yet all she cribs about is how influencing is icky. I have never been so triggered by anyone. Her girlboss gatekeep gaslight struggles are very obvious yet it's a shame that everything is masked under the guise of MH.

anyway, im sorry for the rant guys. i think i need a day off to go and weep in the corner.

 

[peppin]

Brittany acts like she's an actor/superstar suddenly realising she's no longer doing what she loves because she has become a rag doll in the hands of public... Which is funny, considering her cash flows from inserting herself into the hands of her followers.

I can understand some professionals' frustration with being subjected to long-ass interviews filled with the same nosy questions unrelated to their field of expertise which prevent them from working, but what is Brittany's forte apart from influencing, sorry, visual art? Ironing her yoggers?

 

[occides]

Has anyone here listened to the podcast she was talking about at the beginning? I don’t care enough to find it and listen to it, but I wonder if it would help explain some of her and Dean’s issues. Or if the “identity crisis” she is experiencing is just a reference to her imposter syndrome.

 

[Soapy Dolphin]

anyway, im sorry for the rant guys. i think i need a day off to go and weep in the corner.

I’ll join you.

I would never diminish anyone’s MH struggles (I suffer myself and this year has been a witch!). She does, however, need to have some awareness of what’s going on around her. Moaning and hand wringing about how hard it is to fulfil your self-confessed hobby will make you sound like an utter prick. She has a very nice life and just doesn’t realise it. If you suffer from imposter syndrome and feel the ick then do something about it (tbh that felt very faux humble). How you must suffer, accepting the freebies and appearing at the PR events whilst being oh so much better than that! Cue Brittany post about how I know I’m so lucky.

It’s her relentless, self-indulgent moaning while never doing anything to change that made me pop up my head on here. Who on earth is going to pay for this nonsense?

 

[elaine_benes_my_goddess]

Has anyone here listened to the podcast she was talking about at the beginning? I don’t care enough to find it and listen to it, but I wonder if it would help explain some of her and Dean’s issues. Or if the “identity crisis” she is experiencing is just a reference to her imposter syndrome.

i thought the identity crisis she was referring to was about who she is - influencer, youtuber, visual artist, or self made humble fashion and lifestyle guru

 

[occides]

i thought the identity crisis she was referring to was about who she is - influencer, youtuber, visual artist, or self made humble fashion and lifestyle guru

shoot, I was hoping it was deeper than that.

 

[brerwhabbit]

I think one must be careful about mental health and making comparisons (me included - I forget this all the time). It's really hard to see BB as a person struggling b/c of all the privilege she enjoys but I do think she is struggling. Being British but having spent most of my life in America I had to unlearn several very British barriers to good mental health. I grew up with the "but there are so many others worse off so buck up and shut up" attitude but therapists here have made me realize that my depression wasn't something that *should* or *should not* be the case, it just was.

In the same sense, I think BB is constantly at conflict with herself - "I feel this, but I shouldn't because I have all this work and things" and it comes out in a stream of consciousness whine that others do not relate to or makes them feel uncomfortable. And this creates a bit of a spiral downfall b/c the more she reveals the more STFU people become. That's the hard part about depression and anxiety and part of the reason people keep it silent. Because really, depressed or anxious people are irritating. I have had major depression on and off since I was a teen so I'm saying this from that standpoint. The more you are depressed, the more you withdraw, the more of a downer you are, the more awkward you are, which does not help.

So, in that sense, I feel really badly for her.

The problem is (I think) that she is trying to dig herself out in the wrong direction - tunneling downwards. I had to laugh when I saw that book about climate change and over consumerist woes of the world. So buy a pricey book to learn about consumerism? She also has a tendency to avoid and blame others for her woes.

Have a rethink about this whole direction with the help of an objective party like a therapist, good friend etc - instead of fixating on all the mean people and criticism? Being a fashion and *lifestyle* influencer is going to be a mental health minefield, at least on occasion, to all but the most hardy of vacuous individuals. Everyone on YouTube (and Patreon!) is going to have to figure out how to side step the dog doo that comes with it.

P.S. When talking about alterations, turn the bloody camera to portrait so we can see your whole body! Streuth! How difficult is that? For a "visual artist" especially?

 

[uhhhhhhcanwejust]

I think the excessive laziness, lack of creativity and producing content she doesn't follow through with or is punctuated by moaning... it's sad. She seemed relatable and human at a point and now she's just a billboard caught up in herself.

 

[Soapy Dolphin]

I think one must be careful about mental health and making comparisons (me included - I forget this all the time). It's really hard to see BB as a person struggling b/c of all the privilege she enjoys but I do think she is struggling. Being British but having spent most of my life in America I had to unlearn several very British barriers to good mental health. I grew up with the "but there are so many others worse off so buck up and shut up" attitude but therapists here have made me realize that my depression wasn't something that *should* or *should not* be the case, it just was.

I guess that's targeted at me but I honestly wasn't trying to make comparisons, rather acknowledging that I understand the struggle. There's too many people who practise oneupmanship of woe and I refuse to engage with that.

My main problem is that she has now admitted that this is a hobby and she doesn't need to do it to earn a living. Why then do we have to go through the cycle of angst again? She doesn't have to do this to put a roof over her head and food on the table. A hobby is meant to be pleasurable or even a diversion. Moaning about voluntary activities in public and all the anguish they cause you just seems so performative to me. I truly believe she suffers and doubts herself but she does have ultimate control over this particular aspect of her life/leisure.

I don't envy the life of an "influencer" especially those who get involved at a young age and have no other experience or qualifications. Some personalities really seem to relish it and are enthusiatic and assiduous. I would absolutely hate it. It currently doesn't seem to suit Brittany that much (I don't know about the early years).

 

[elaine_benes_my_goddess]

i think one must also be careful about using the umbrella term of mental health to justify what is sometimes just a difficult choice under the garb of having the privilege to choose, but is instead paraded around as anxiety/depression. i'm not belittling anyone's MH struggles and i certainly don't know what it is to have "British barriers to good mental health". as a citizen of a former colony of the very Great Britain I can identify with it -- and i get it! my country is dogmatic too when it comes to seeking help or even talking about mental health issues given it's deeply conservative in its own way. and on a personal note, i grew up with (and still has) crippling anxiety and depression, so i do sympathise. what i don't sympathise is with white women struggles, which is what BB suffers from most of the time. admitting privilege doesn't make her any less of a person.

my point isn't that BB should shut up because i have it worse. it's her outlet she can do as she pleases and i can stop watching her, and perhaps i should. but that's my problem. my larger point is that there is no accountability on the part of BB who belongs to a power structure that is complicit in the system at large. her actions and words feed into the system and they help keep structures (that she is a part of) upright - like you say @brerwhabbit buying a book on climate change, consumerism and capitalism (a very important C) is not going to do much.

to me -- someone who is non-british, lesser privileged, person of colour -- her stream of consciousness whine is more of a blabber to maintain a false persona online, as someone who seems relatable but in reality isn't. sorry but running to the tailor to alter a pair of COS trousers that cost more than a round trip ticket to London isn't something i can identify with. if that's who she is then that's who she is! the problem arises when BB feels the need to make herself seem relatable, when all she comes across as girlboss-ish. i'm sure it's relatable to some average white woman in the west whose idea of sustainability is buying Arket trousers, but for some of us from countries who've had to practice sustainability from birth, it's extremely laughable. and sad.

I think one must be careful about mental health and making comparisons (me included - I forget this all the time). It's really hard to see BB as a person struggling b/c of all the privilege she enjoys but I do think she is struggling. Being British but having spent most of my life in America I had to unlearn several very British barriers to good mental health. I grew up with the "but there are so many others worse off so buck up and shut up" attitude but therapists here have made me realize that my depression wasn't something that *should* or *should not* be the case, it just was.

In the same sense, I think BB is constantly at conflict with herself - "I feel this, but I shouldn't because I have all this work and things" and it comes out in a stream of consciousness whine that others do not relate to or makes them feel uncomfortable. And this creates a bit of a spiral downfall b/c the more she reveals the more STFU people become. That's the hard part about depression and anxiety and part of the reason people keep it silent. Because really, depressed or anxious people are irritating. I have had major depression on and off since I was a teen so I'm saying this from that standpoint. The more you are depressed, the more you withdraw, the more of a downer you are, the more awkward you are, which does not help.

So, in that sense, I feel really badly for her.

The problem is (I think) that she is trying to dig herself out in the wrong direction - tunneling downwards. I had to laugh when I saw that book about climate change and over consumerist woes of the world. So buy a pricey book to learn about consumerism? She also has a tendency to avoid and blame others for her woes.

Have a rethink about this whole direction with the help of an objective party like a therapist, good friend etc - instead of fixating on all the mean people and criticism? Being a fashion and *lifestyle* influencer is going to be a mental health minefield, at least on occasion, to all but the most hardy of vacuous individuals. Everyone on YouTube (and Patreon!) is going to have to figure out how to side step the dog doo that comes with it.

P.S. When talking about alterations, turn the bloody camera to portrait so we can see your whole body! Streuth! How difficult is that? For a "visual artist" especially?

 

[Readinginks]

I find that my main problem with BB is that she really naively struggles with this inner conflict of what her career is. At her age and after so many years in the industry you’d think she’d have more self-awareness and ability to define her position within the field.

She wants to believe this is her hobby so that whatever content she shares is purely out of generosity towards heraudience, not obligation to deliver (hence her mentioning her YouTube channel is not monetised). Somehow she seems to have forgotten that she has been monetising it for ages (maybe not directly through YouTube ads but most certainly through luxury brand deals which are anyway far more lucrative).

Re MH struggles:
If this was her job in a more conventional work setting and she struggled with mental health problems, she’d be signed off work and upon return given performance reviews and feedback on how to return to work without her medical condition constantly interfering with her performance. BB has decided that talking about MH is important part of her content, and she wants to highlight it as a topic, however, it mostly translates as an excuse for not being committed to work.