Florence Given

[korma]

I just wish Chidera would put her money where her mouth is and sue for intellectual property violation. Imagine the victory and how much it would mean to people. It's not like she doesn't have the means, as well.

But I have a feeling this will just remain internet drama. Mostly bc both of their books are carbon copies of the graphics and quotes that have floated round tumblr/ pinterest/ insta since before these kids had even sat their GCSEs lmao. Neither of them can claim to have done anything original so this entire thing is pointless.

There are so many better, more poignant examples of black women's work being appropriated by white people, and other instances of racial injustice/ microagressions, but the internet doesn't wanna hear about those bc ooh look, influencers are fighting!

 

[PineappleQueen19]

Her poor editor

 

[northernspaces]

I loved Florence and still like her message but after seeing those tweets...

Her book was good but she is not the best writer. The style was jumbled and confused, with little sources so it was like she was just spouting her opinions because she likes the sound of her own voice. The illustrations are really cool though and I think it is a good book for younger teenage girls or people not versed in feminist theory as a beginner thing. Kind of disappointing for a follower like me though, because I thought she was a really informed activist but her opinions are all kind of basic and not researched? Like she has just formed most of them herself without reading the canon. She definitely does good work concerning BIPOC though.

 

[HinchythetwattyGrinchy]

I’m not quite sure how I feel about what she said last night. To me, it felt it was lacking real apology and more or less, shifting the blame to Chidera... not to mention Floss’ most used word.. ACCOUNTABILITY What also bugs me, is that she tried saying she never started any kind of movement but every thing she seemed to post before Chidera spoke up was THE FLOSS EFFECT? Hun, women have been leaving their partners due to realising their sexuality for YEARS, please crawl out of your arsehole for a second. It’ll be interesting to see when she shows her face on stories again, whether she’s throwing shit shapes thinking she looks like a majestic icon with shit hair. I’ve really gone off her, especially since the pandemic started.

 

[GossipLady]

For the sake of accuracy, Chidera hasn't actually been "dropped" by her management. She dropped THEM back in October, giving them 3 months' notice to dissolve their contract with each other, as per its terms. After Chidera blasted Florence on her story the management company emailed her to ask whether she agrees to bringing the termination forward by one month (it was due to end in January). Unless she's told them she agrees then she's technically still represented by them - if they wanted to drop her any sooner they'd have to argue that she breached the contract and she could challenge that in court if she wanted to. I think the management's email to Chidera is understandable since she publicly dragged one of their top-selling authors on social media with no warning or attempt at resolving things behind the scenes.

Personally I think both books are dissimilar enough that Chidera doesn't have much of a foot to stand on - which is probably why she's taken this fight to the court of public opinion rather than, y'know, actual court - i.e. suing Florence over intellectual property.

I'm indifferent to both of the authors. They both regurgitate other people's ideas into insta-friendly, non-challenging, prepackaged feminism that basically tells young women things they've been longing to hear. I thought it was kinda widely accepted that they're both hacks having fairly harmless fun on the internet, but people are acting like they're both leading academics caught plagiarizing lmao.

Basically this whole drama is trite and pointless but that won't stop me grabbing my popcorn

I disagree. She ended the contract and has said there was a different reason for that which she hasn't yet shared. They didn't really give her a choice did they, from the email they put words in her mouth about leaving and purposefully made her feel very uncomfortable. They took no accountably and don't appear to have done anything to make sure Florence was held accountable, in fact seems like they've jumped on her bandwagon and helped her craft a *cough* well crafted but *cough* absolute bullsh*t PR statement to post on her Instagram.

Also anyone just so angry by the fact that everyone else under the agency has said nothing??? People like bodiposipanda, Gina Martin, Munroe Bergdorf... People I have looked up to a supported for YEARS. They have said nothing when they usually say so much about everything. Especially when they usually talk so much about race etc and this whole thing clearly has racist connotations.

I actually feel so hurt.

 

[oczymlody]

Finally read a sample of her book and was interested in buying but decided to listen to her on a few podcasts first. Does anyone else think she sounds exactly like gracefit? Not just the actual voice but the way she talks and the words she uses. Tbh even a lot of the sentences as a whole. Sounded exactly like grace giving an interview about her career. Where everything is already rehearsed in her head (cos she’s done so many interviews) and constantly interrupts/nods in agreement. Sounds bad but it’s put me off a bit. Assumed she was posh and privileged but now I just think of grace.
It was the lalalaletmeexplain podcast btw. Never listened to Layla before so I dunno her either but was more interested in hearing what she had to say. Felt a bit weird with 21 yo Florence butting in all the time with her experience. Seemed kind of full of herself and like she knows everything.
Would anyone say it’s still worth the read? Or got any better recommendations.

Sorry not being ageist, but you simply DO NOT have the life of experience at 21 for all this. Is she even 21?? My issue has always been that she acts so self assured and doesn’t even really know herself, and all the ‘get rid of your fella’ just because she doesn’t want that? It all screams of immaturity.

 

[stopthescams]

I’m a bit concerned all this public piling on could result in something terrible it wouldn’t shock me. You can call out peoples toxic behaviour without having your fans pile on someone for days until it potentially becomes too overwhelming. It’s becoming clear that this is something that should have been handled offline. Now that’s not to defend florence and im not her fan at all but I just think piling on people publicly has no effect. Chidera,at the same time, has every right to speak her truth and I don’t want to stop her from that. Conflicting thoughts.

 

[Jlurking]

Ngl to only see Chidera's comments as 'you copied me' rather than 'white influencers, including Florence Given, profit off of the work of black women because of people's inherent racism' is intentionally ignorant imo.

I wouldn't call myself a fan of Chidera, but I think she's got some good points. And if Floss's money was where her mouth was, she'd drop diving bell for the horrendous way that they handled this. But I don't see that happening.

 

[stopthescams]

Honestly where did this woman come from? She’s soooo young and became Instagram famous and got a cult following, I don’t know how? Does she have industry connections or rich parents. Either way, she’s always seemed very disingenuous, the same as her mate Slumflower. I’m not the biggest fan of men in the world but the both of them spout some terrible advice sometimes. I’m not gonna be schooled on men by a woman in her early 20s who turned out to be a bully in school

 

[Hollyjenkins1234]

Her response is definitely orchestrated by many many people and scrutinised with a fine tooth comb.

Personally at the moment I am unsure how to feel about this all. Should women be tearing other women down. Chideda has a lot of valid points as does Florence. There is very few original feminist ideas it seems, every new idea is an adaptation of the last. There is definitely room for all ideas but I can see where both of them are coming from.

totally agree with this - my issue with her statement is how can you go from posting shit like THE FLOSS EFFECT to saying “I’ve never claimed to be the first person to talk about these topics”. It just doesn’t sit right with me.

I think there’s probably a lot going on behind the scenes, unfortunately as Chidera appears to have been dropped by their management she will come out worse from the situation while this will all blow over for Florence and she’ll carry on as before.

It just makes me sad - “dump him” feminism is so dated and completely ignores the fact that probably a large percentage of men in floss’ age range were raised by feminists, it’s so reductive to just be like “men are trash” no people can all be trash it’s not a gender specific trait lol

 

[Sunflower91]

Love her too! When I came across her “stop raising him he’s not your son” skit it hit me in the feels! I wasted so much time with men that wanted me to be their mother.

 

[moosesauna]

I'm so glad she has a thread! The first time I saw her book I was convinced that it was the same old white feminist stuff I saw on Tumblr years ago (y'know, the stuff that often ignores female poverty, racism, class issues and reduces female empowerment to simply deciding who to have sex with etc etc), and interviews gave me the impression that its author is completely lost in her own ego.
Even small quotes give me narcissistic vibes. This idea that it's her who's helping all these people, having 'divine' energy, dumping her boyfriend because she didn't want him to be 'jealous of her success' - this isn't someone who genuinely cares about helping other women live their best lives. Selling corny shirts for £60, parading her wealth online and putting her (somewhat helpful) book behind a paywall, thus making her advice near inaccessible for less privileged doesn't help my opinion of her. Shocked that she's making so much money from views that are shared by far more worthy, less wealthy women.

 

[oczymlody]

I’ve been saying this stuff on here for a while now but feel that people often leap to her defence. It’s all quite cultish.
She is extremely performative and I find her lack of life experience is a huge issue when she’s telling people how to live their lives. As I’ve said here earlier, my relationship has gone through some major stuff and all this ‘dump him’ is a crock of shit. Life isn’t like that when you have actual real world problems, and your main things to do in a day aren’t to record ‘hilarious content’ for Instagram. I just cannot take to her, I think she’s immature, childish and narcissist... and damn insincere.

Come back when you have issues to navigate through and see if then your mantra is the main thing governing your life??? Like how do people find someone like that helpful??

 

[stopthescams]

Yeah this pissed me off too. Many people I know (myself included) have been through so much shit and we’re not self confident one bit. Maybe having rich parents helping her along the way in life, having a shit ton of money that she’s made through her followers who rely on her every word are what contributes to her having this confidence she oozes, whilst dancing around in her new place in her underwear in London during a fucking pandemic, a time where people have lost their jobs, homes and even family members. But whatever, it’s ok for her, as she continues to tame her shag haircut and prance around to music on Insta.

this is so spot on!! For someone who has the gall to tell people to check their white privilege etc, she doesn’t do it herself.

also it bewilders me when influencers like her who have obviously come from money talk about how living by themselves is so liberating but fail to realise that’s not achievable for most of her audience who live in London

 

[oczymlody]

Women don't owe you pretty, but here's multiple pictures of me looking perfectly groomed and conventionally attractive with my 'right/left tit' out.

Unfollowed her after 2 days - obviously as narcissist as all the other influencers she claims to be so radically different from. Sick of seeing this self obsessed crap wrapped in a 'feminism' bow.

Just have no words her her level of narcissism veiled in feminism. I feel like she’s very immature and young, and it shows.

 

[Hazygal]

Why do people suddenly think that other people want to watch them dance around their front room? This is bizarre. Maybe I’m old.

 

[Crumpet41]

I have not been on this thread in a long time . Florence has made her way to TikTok with GRWM videos. The shaking her arse about and hitching up the nightie and shaking her tits about is awful. I am cringing on her behalf.

 

[stopthescams]

Loudbossygross has said everything that needs to be said about Florence.

yes! Been following her too.

Chidera has been a very problematic person in herself the last couple of years especially when it comes to her views on black men in particular, I’d followed her on Twitter for a long time and she was very publicly saying she doesn’t care about male suicide meanwhile being paid to front campaigns to stop knife crime. Also, she’s copied her work from other black women and ignored them when called out on it. She has in the past twisted things to suit her own narrative, but in this case she has every right to speak up and call Florence out on her bullshit. The fact that Florence was warned months and months before about copying her and still carried on is shady as hell.

 

[atomic]

Needed to resurrect this thread because OH MY GOD. Her daily “get ready with me” videos are absolutely fucking insufferable. I’m all for self love but if she was chocolate she’d eat herself.

 

[Sunflower91]

I noticed in some of the message- to counteract the fact people are saying she is inexperienced and has gaps she will respond saying she has trauma but she doesn’t want to share publicly because she is still recovering. Which is fair enough- we don’t need to know her trauma. But... if you’re still recovering from trauma then you are still learning and most likely definitely not at a place where you should be advising others. And it really shows in the shorthand messaging- telling the masses to “dump him” is fun for a percentage of that group and resonates. It’s probably how she feels inside because she hasn’t processed everything she needs to. There is a percentage in that group, myself included, who find that quite distressing. Women who have been in coercive or abusive relationships most likely wish every day they’d just dumped him. But it takes years of therapy to realise that the person you were with tried their very hardest to remove that as a choice.