Brittany Bathgate

[meowmeowbeans]

I accidentally went to @sophia_roe on IG and was like, damn, this girl is so gorgeous and cool and.. a chef? Aw man, wrong person. Went to @sophiaroe and of course it was a thin white lady and boring black and white photos. Disappointingly, it made a lot more sense.

 

[Aminal]

I can’t believe I never saw this thread before! My bf is friends with Dean so I thought I would make an account just to clear it up and shed some light from what Info I have gathered.. She’s just renting it. But it came unfurnished and they waited till she had bought enough things to fill it before she moved Out/in. It’s mad she can furnish an entire flat that quickly, but I guess influencers get paid way more than I ever will. Dean is in the house because I think it’s in his name as when they bought it and renovated it BB was just working retail so probably didn’t earn much..

I’ve met her a few times and she always seemed nice but pretty quiet.. I’ve never hung out with her or anything. I do get the idea like many others she doesn’t have that many friends in norwich and most friends are other couples which is obviously a bit weird now they’re not together.

I’ve met Dean plenty of times and he is really nice and I’ve never heard anything bad about him so I’m sure he won’t struggle to move on once life goes back to normal..

That’s if they want to move on, it seems they still see each other a whole lot but maybe that’s just while they’re in lockdown?

 

[brerwhabbit]

I think she does have something special but it's being drowned out by her insecurity and greed unfortunately and this, like a snowball effect is making her life more and more empty and shallow. I speak from self recognition in the fashion industry and now social work. I worked in it for decades and even though I retained much of my identity I was perpetually unhappy with the pressure to keep up. I have friends who didn't feel the pressure so intensely, and I buried it a lot, but now that I'm out if it I see how ridiculous it all is and how entrenched you become in never feeling adequate or having just the right thing. And that industry promotes that feeling by design. It's how it survives. There's a big difference between art and design and Brittany, in my mind isn't an artist, a designer or much of a content creator (yet at least) except in the sense of being able to regurgitate what's given. Artists living around me in Brooklyn actually helped me see the frailty within design. Their personal sense of style was more consistent and original and less flitting from thing to thing. And all the fashion girls attending the shows were like dog's dinner gilded lillies in comparison. All their petals (including mine) could be blown off with a single sneeze. LOL. And the influencers are generally (and there are exceptions) the worst of the lot. In design, at least you've gone to school or taught yourself how to sew, the names/ composition of textiles and stitches and how to create a three dimensional object that has to move on a two dimensional piece of paper. People underestimate true fashion design. I know she went to school. I'm sure she does have some foundational knowledge but it rarely makes an appearance. Influencers (bloggers of the past) think that they are the same thing, actually better than designers, they get to tell design what's really up and yet they have little bedrock grounding. I'm tired, as a designer, of hearing many (not all!) of them say, I don't know the name for this, or this print (when it's knit or an ikat) or "I'm sure I'm saying this wrong". Look it up! Now we have the internet which you use and exploit. We have things that pronounce the words for you for heaven's sakes. Put some effort into making a connection with the things you wear and espouse as so important. You don't need to be an expert, but just try to relate to what you are saying a little more. That is sustainable, in the sense of providing meaning (not environmentally), and will achieve more depth. So, while I relate I don't think I look back on my past with as much distain as I reckon some of these vloggers may if they have any hint of self awareness. And believe me, I have plenty of regret for devoting so much of my life to the fashion industry. Not to fashion, I love fashion, but the industry is very different to the purity of making things that can represent identity to the world. That is beautiful. People confuse the two. It's strange to me to go to art installations and see the world around you and be able to film and curate it in an appealing way and yet be utterly clueless as to the shallow waters in which you are swimming. I feel though she is not oblivious to this subconsciously, it seeps around the edges and is the root cause of much anxiety but at present she pushes it away by expending energy on the accumulation of more as distraction. It's a common predicament, she's not alone. And Dean is a part of the matched set. He seems slightly less consumed but vicariously enjoys some sort of prestige she brings him perhaps? He likely feels a little adrift. His artwork is slightly stagnant and has reached a plateau and building probably not what he imagined for his life in school. If he is able to fully remove himself of BB, for a while, and develop more separately I really think the two of them could make headway to becoming more themselves but that will require a strength that is not easy to face, especially now in this screwy time so I do empathize a little despite their youth and, yes, undeniable (and largely unacknowledged by them) privilege. There I go with my armchair analysis. I enjoy contemplating it I suppose. It helps me make sense of how everything comes together and where we are headed - not all of it bad. Sorry for the length. I'm old school and can't soundbite myself. LOL. I'm the slumber party kid that won't shut up. Everyone has their head under the covers sleeping and then, up pops me to start talking again....! Hahahahaha! Pipe down and go to bed will ya!

P.S. if you want a giggle look up this older video she did for Barbour. I'm very sure this must be a big embarrassment for her and yet, it's something she cannot take down or edit! The sweatshirt is so naff and their script cringeworthy.



Sadly, the Barbour video is probably one of the most honest things she's done though. Okay, I'm really going to shut it now I promise.

 

[snarkvark]

hahah true, it seems like especially Anna tries (and regularly fails) to copy her style. I just find her so effortless, she doesn't have to try hard to be cool or only displays her (kind of) minimalist style when it suits her (again, other than Anna who keeps harping on about minimalism but just loves materialistic shite too much).
(promise I'm not BB undercover, I just find she sticks out from the crowd of influencers who are all the same lol)

Once you've been following BB a while you realise nothing she does is "effortless." Everything is carefully curatedd to look ~perfect~ and it starts to become incredibly contrived and false.

 

[snarkvark]

the fact that BB agonizes over every little thing goes to show how truly staged her whole life and persona online is. anyone who is truly unique, original, and creative, doesn't fret over whether something they do fits in with their ~aesthetic~ they just do it because it's part of who they are.

BB making such a song and dance about wearing a red jumper highlights how she's always thinking about how best to present herself, and whether something she says or does fits in with this curated lifestyle she portrays online.

it's so fucking fake and boring.

 

[snarkvark]

BB absolutely cannot accept criticism in any form, she's so tightly wound!

 

[weepingfeet]

It's like how Estee Lalonde started calling herself a creative director. Insulting to those with actual creative jobs.

I've got a high school friend whose title on insta is graphic designer/illustrator, she literally traces over photos and gets paid. Meanwhile my pleb ass works in-house, at a massive company, gets pennies because I refuse to play the social media game. Been working in the field for nearly 10 years. I used to share art on deviantart 15+ years ago for my own enjoyment, pre social media. Can you tell I'm bitter? Haha.

 

[MomoomoM]

Reality bites. This is how much she spent on a Coffee Table. View attachment 636314

Which btw looks like a set piece from the Flintstones (she got it in black ofc)

 

[jjeett]

someone who knows her already said multiple times that she’s renting it. I live in the states and it’s not that out of the question to paint a place you’re renting. Among all the upgrades you can do, painting is not really that much of an investment, especially since she’s getting the paint for free. She’s not knocking down walls or redoing the flooring. It’s just paint. She’s renting. We don’t need to keep debating it every week.

I live in the UK and it's incredibly rare for landlords to be ok with stuff like this so you could forgive anyone for questioning it. The UK does not have the same rental culture the US and Europe do. I don't think anyone outside of the UK quite grasps that fact.

 

[brerwhabbit]

Her unawareness of her privilege is what bothers me. The way she handled her depop sale for charity was awful box ticking exercise. She kept saying she was selling items way below their average second hand price just so she can give to charity, but it didn’t occur to her it would be useful to collect as much money as possible for those charities. The “it’s all anyway going for charity” almost sounded like she thinks charity money is just spare change and cannot imagine being truly generous. Would she have considered increasing the price if it was going to her own pocket?

Oh for sure Readinginks it bothers me too. Although I think that's part of privilege - the unawareness. I just have to grit my teeth. I find I'm gritting my teeth more with her at the moment than not though and the balance is tipping. She's kind of an asshole when she talks about giving to charity. How about you buy one less coat and give 1000 pounds to charity too. It's absurd that she even mentions it. Her spending is completely antithetical to any sort of philanthropic endeavor. That said, I feel like we could go down the rabbit hole on this for days. You've said it well, she's privileged, doesn't realize it (as many privileged people) and fakes understanding of what it means to be without which is the ultimate insult and makes it far worse.

This is what bothers me a lot about "influencers" in general - because most of them have zero foundational knowledge except what works on them, it is, consequently, all about them. They cannot be bothered or seem unable to apply to others who are different from them. So if you're 5 foot 2 or 3 and blond and have similar skin color and build and aesthetic then what's she is saying is can be helpful IF you like that aesthetic and want to copy exactly. Same with makeup gurus- a lot, not all of the time, it's about, my eyes turn down so I do this, I have impossibly high cheekbones so I do this etc. So if you don't have exactly the same facial structure it's not helpful. Unlike a real make up artist like the late Kevin Aucoin (I'm showing my era again LOL) who truly studied facial aesthetics and learned to deal with different face types and bring out the unique beauty in every woman. This takes depth and expansive thinking.

Brittany always talks like she is some horribly overlooked minority - "I buy Korean because I don't have to alter everything". She even has an account set up in Asia so they will forward her packages. Despite claiming to care about the environment. Airplanes (aeroplanes); the fuel consumed and exhaust emitted are top of the list of polluters - one of the biggest environmental problems today. She, and other influencers should really title their vlogs "Brittany Bathgate, height challenged person (well not really) with oodles of money, tons of entitlement, a zeal for being admired and little patience for alterations who only likes beige and other neutrals". And I'm not saying they have to always translate or provide cheaper options, that's a bit naff and there is no substitution for some of this stuff - it's just - you know, some other content would be nice. Like, here is my favorite pair of trousers - what is it specifically about them that I look for, that I like - she does do a bit of that, but she could learn more and expand on it. Here are people I admire, stylistically...Instead, it's all them all the time 24-7 and this ultimately leads to their demise b/c people can't relate anymore? When they first start, there is a vulnerability and they quickly lose it in the swamp of product and greed if they don't have the underlying substance/ self awareness. I guess this loops back to my original comment about her privilege/faux charity-ism - here we go again, I'm sorry, I guess we can't get away from it can we? It is integral I suppose.

I have a friend who is model beautiful and she's an amazing person but she told me once that she wasn't always, she was very shallow in college and she felt it was because she didn't have to try- people liked her no matter what. She got bored of that and committed herself to reading more and learning more about music and fashion and hanging out with more interesting people. I think it's a bit similar with privilege, because you don't have to try as hard for stuff or be creative b/c you have the money to just buy it, you are actually at a deficit. Very few people recognize this, but those that do, can recalibrate - but it is rare.

 

[uhhhhhhcanwejust]

There was absolutely no need for her to comment on that. If that criticism is unbearable just move on.

 

[uhhhhhhcanwejust]

Yeah like she went to art school, worked retail and worked odd jobs, then became an influencer. JUST OWN THAT.

 

[brerwhabbit]

Why does it matter again whether she bought it or rented it? I'm tempted to feel "so what?" about that particular nugget. You can be entitled and rent and entitled and buy. If she had some money and bought it well that's okay? I'm not sure she needs to disclose? Hmmm. Not that anything I say is important either, but I honestly don't care that much about that.

The painting gripes (by her) are annoying as is the constant, "don't have anything to say b/c we are on lockdown" comments. No one is forcing you to paint BB . If you accepted a job that needs the paint then suck it up. If you want to paint because you feel it looks better, suck it up (and so on). The apartment isn't going to disintegrate if you don't glue it together with a lick of paint. You aren't living in a hovel. And fyi: you don't have anything to say b/c all you are doing is buying stuff. You are not actually contributing to the look of anything except yourself and apartment? At least at the old place she was gardening, fixing up the house. People will be more interested when you are actually being interesting?

On another note. I'm finding it highly amusing to see the "minfluencers" all try to outdo each other with slightly different versions of the same look. They know they can't buy the same thing or not too much, so they go out of their way to buy another brand that looks pretty much identical but is ever so slightly different and one upping the others i.e. Lizzie with her expensive Scandinavian trench that is made to order. I wish one of them would just break out of it for good and see if the others all follow like rats off a ship.

Brittany just go buy a pink coat or something equally out of character (never going to happen, I know)...I want to see what occurs...just for giggles. Will the whole minfluence world implode? Go on...Lizzie's started wearing red...

 

[MaldonMalaise]

First time posting here. Hmm extremely interesting what I have read on this thread especially comments from people who have experienced her bullying and nasty nature (which I know to be true). Personally, i can guarantee she has an account here, obsesses over these comments and it wouldn’t surprise me if she wrote on here in reply to people throwing herself a bone but adding some “balance” to not make it so obvious. Even in her very early days of Instagram she was copying accounts and other people’s lead. Which in itself wasn’t anything that out of the ordinary we’re all inspired on some level. But BB would never credit or acknowledge those she was copying, she would follow them at a distance whilst trying to absorb as much of them as she could (every minute detail like following all their friends personal accounts etc. Kind of like snaking her way in to the nest). When she was called out on it a few times she was NASTY! And I mean like really nasty. I’d go as far as gaslighting the victim at the time. Making them out to be “delusional” when my friend blocked her and tried to maintain some distance, she made fake accounts and clutched at other methods of contact, she wrote horrible passive tweets, she wrote fake nasty comments and there’s evidence of this because someone I know actually traced the IP address which matched the IP address she was using for genuine commenting with her gmail email on blogger or whatever the platform add on was at the time.

i think someone else said it but for those that really don’t like her, don’t and avoid her entirely. I think she’s done incredibly well for herself and carved out a niche a lot of people associate the aesthetic with her whether or not it‘s genuinely hers or not. I think if you take a step back, regardless of your opinions of everyone it speaks for itself. Influencers in the industry they have friends and she just really doesn’t,she made desperate attempts to be in with Lizzie at one point but Lizzie and Lindsey are just more natural. I’m sure these girls get on at events but who’s actually showing up in her life she never speaks about anyone. Lilly and Anna, Ameliana and estee.But BB is an outlier to me. I don’t wish anyone unwell in their life. These comments about her furnishing her new place with £500 lamps and making herself feel better with £1000 shoes. It’s all well and good but unless you have soul and substance something that lights you up in life it’s all a bit empty and sad.
She to me is an extremely obsessive personality she takes someone and tries to compete with them by copying them but doing it better so to speak. And she chooses her targets well. Even the running thing which she goes on about so much now she only started that because of someone else and then used to deliberately try and out do them. the new video she has done is horrendous attempt at humour. Her self depreciation is awkward because she’s the personality that wouldnt put anything on the internet she hasn’t obsessed over every inch of for days, so she obviously did think that was a funny foray into interesting content. She’s not naturally funny or able to pull off that kind of satire on any level. It’s a huge rip off of Tamsin Amy on TikTok/insta trend who plays up to her middle class lifestyle with narrated videos talking obscenely about it.
It’s all really sad but if anyone threatens her reality/curated perfection she becomes very unhinged and defensive. I don’t think she’s truly comfortable with showing true emotion or the real BB and it just must be terribly exhausting keeping up appearances constantly. I think she needs to choose her camp if she wants to be a fashion influencer OR an “influencer” that shares their lifestyle and truly reflects that. Also don’t buy her anything she says about mental health etc. how she’s spoken to other people before and the psycho tendencies she will go to. The girl has some serious issues and I’m glad she’s addressing them with therapy.

yes, you know the Brittany I know then. The one where she would add an entire persons friends list, steal their MySpace profile layout, replicate their pictures...there is no original thought there. She is just very good at marketing herself.

 

[Chinchilla]

I can't quite believe that the pandemic has driven me to finally open a tattle account.

Hello Peeps.How the hell are you all?

I'm just jumping on in response to the last message. No no no to Anna smeddit! Please lets not give her anymore attention.I find her so dull and try hard. Her husband always seems like a background creep.

I have only ever managed to watched 2/3 of her YT vids. One because I was nosey about her house and the other because I was aghast that she has so many followers. I just had to check out the fuss. I basically had to fast forward most of it. by the end of it wanted to chuck my laptop out the window.
They both love themselves too much and there is no originality to them. I think we all tend to just keep watching out of boredom.
Like a milky tea ( no offence to people that love milky tea) You can totally tell she puts on this facade for her followers. Don't know why but I find her so fake just something fishy about them. Well done to them for making shit loads of money from influencing and to be able to buy a massive house. ugh!

In regards to Brittany Bathgate I find her YT vids are beautifully curated and elegant. Yeah she may drone on a bit here or there, but who doesn't. Her editing has come leaps and bounds since she first started. I actually look forward to them.

Her style might not appease everyone. Thats just physically impossible anyway but I think as a YT vlogger she is definitely at the top.
That house that her and Dean built, gutted that relationship came to the end. I wanted to move in myself. The house is stunning and I admire that they renovated it themselves - it was unique to their own style. Not like every other instagram renovation.

Apologies for sticking my oar in.
This might just be my new lockdown hobby

 

[Silentcritique]

She’s thirty and lives in a two bed terrace in a normal area which cost 150k which her tradesman partner did up himself? I don’t see what your point is...

She’s not got kids or a pet so of course she has some extra time and money on her hands.

She worked retail for a while before gaining more security to work freelance as a blogger. Not saying it’s hard work but it’s how the world works and she’s clearly a nice person so fair enough??

I think it began as a rave thread tbh

 

[ccocopops_16]

I often wonder how the aging process will affect her face, body and her style. Having great style can really help one to roll with it and not freak out and try to reverse it with tons of fillers, botox and surgery. But, you do have to adapt and have some self possession. It can be quite a process for many. I'm not sure she is up for being truly honest and relatable in this way. Will she still be wearing giant coats and ugly shoes? I always laugh when people profess they have found their true style as most of the time it's just a version of the current trends and in a few years it's quite different. Brittany does have pretty specific tastes but her confidence is a bit wobbly. It is rare that someone stays fairly consistent through their life. Those folks tend to be way more original and trailblazers more than influencers. I think of Vivienne Westwood, Zandra Rhodes, Iris Arpel, Helen Mirren, Carine Roitfeld ...All very different but comfortable in their own skin. I've noticed her being unprepared and apologizing more than normal. A lot of times the apologizing is her projecting her own annoyance. For example, we can't hear the neighbors washing machine or see the solicitor's office across the street, or hear a car alarm but it's clear that she is really bothered by it so this is her way of expressing that. I have noticed that this is happening more since she split with Dean. It's disingenuous and self conscious too. I prefer, for example, Lizzy saying something's really annoying her or saying "just go away or shut up". It seems like a little thing, but it's telling of her insecurities right now. I can't get my words out, sorry, thought I was seeing something in the mirror etc. She should really cut back on that and edit or just be honest about it instead of couching it in "I'm so sorry for you having to listen to it" say it's bloody f'ing annoying. That would be funny (in small doses). Also, if you don't know where you got something, what size it is, or if it's still available, go found out quickly and then film. It just adds to the mumble mumble blather. Not sure what size this is, where I got it, if it's available, how to pronounce, oh, sorry, I've got a bit of a phobia about... sleep anxiety etc. Oh sorry for being sorry. I know I do it. Oh I'm prattling on. Then try to stop doing it. For crying out loud. LOL. Plus, the power of you not being live is you can actually edit that out (or most of it). Occasionally it's totally fine and human, even endearing, but with her it's become a crutch and hyperbolic whinge. I didn't get much sleep last night with all that's going on becomes "I have sleep anxiety". Trust me, I'm anxious too. I don't mind revealing that but once a vlog is enough. If I'm doing a presentation to a bunch of people I try to suck it up and sound like I know what I'm talking about and not prattle on about how nervous I am (even though I may be). People aren't terribly interested in your neuroses beyond a point. Preparation helps. I found this latest video a bit phoning it in. Oh, I think I told you I was going to talk about outfits, so this is a sweater and some pants etc. Not very inspired or considered. The running thing might actually be interesting. Don't worry so much Brittany, you don't have to explain and if people find it boring f 'em. Having a little enthusiasm and less whining would be good. The books are always interesting, except she tries to pontificate when she is out of depth. I can't believe she didn't know that clip book lights didn't exist. What? But that does look like a nice one. Overall this latest vlog is way better than the beauty haul (isn't saying a lot). Ah well, upwards a little bit. Hope it continues...

Sorry, I don't mean to be patronising and insufferable but please could you break up your text into paragraphs next time?

my granny eyes would be very grateful

 

[Lastlizard]

Someone woke up in a bad mood...She herself acknowledged that we might wonder why she would be doing an ad for a car when she doesn't even know how to drive. Also the lack of self awareness,please, the only activity she shows is buying clothes and she has done plenty of branded content for fast fashion brands or brands that are not sustainable.

 

[jeijddn]

I think BB often regrets posting certain things online like her relationship status. Because it doesn't fit in with the way she wants her life to be portrayed. I imagine she has small breakdowns like the one she had over the chain happen quite regularly. BB overthinsk to an unhealthily obsessive level. to accuse her viewers of being nosey when she chose to put her relationship (and subsequent "split") online is ridiculous. Of course people are going to be interested! It's the only mildly interesting thing happening in BBs life.

This is the thing that annoys me the most with influencers, when they share their private lives only to complain that their audience is interested afterwards. Of course she needed to say something given that she moved out of her old house, but instead of just giving a quick heads up and saying something along the lines of "Dean and I have broken up, it's too soon to go into details, I'm not comfortable sharing more" she goes on to share said details, talks about "trialing a separation", finding herself, etc. Of course her audience will be curious and speculate since they are always together. A lot of influencers do it too - but if people didn't care about their lives, they wouldn't have followers/views/engagement. They can't have their cake and eat it too.

 

[coriander]

Does anyone else feel a bit tired after watching her vlogs? I get that she likes a certain aesthetic and does everything to ensure that every aspect of her life fits that particular aesthetic, but it's exhausting to watch. There's way too much thinking and planning involved, where is the fun? I feel like she's trying to fill a void. Maybe that's unfair for me to say, I do like her. A few years ago I was exactly the same and everything in my life was so curated, for example I couldn't just buy a normal pair of scissors, it had to be from Hay for the design. My life was bland af dressed up with material goods and so much time was spent deliberating over non important things. I wonder if she will get tired of this.