Florence Given

[974923829]

Something don’t sit right with me about white people paying black people for nothing other than feeling guilty

 

[champagnemami99]

Chidera is really comparing Florence to a rapist. I’m still trying to get my head around the whole thing. For me, there is no strong evidence that Florence copied Chidera, I think her language is a step too far.

will she be taking legal action or is she going to just stay on the land of Instagram?

 

[blmrqslm]

Her new book cover looks so... predictable? Boring?

 

[lushstudent]

Okay I do enjoy Florence's content and I think she can be great, but I'm really not enjoying the holier than thou vibe shes started giving off. I don't know how to explain it properly but all these stories of her dancing and when she does her like "empowering" IGTVs or whatever, it just feels so fake like it's just her brand. I feel like al influencers get like this at some point where they just stop being authentic and it's so annoying

 

[HinchythetwattyGrinchy]

I used to like Florence but the other day on her stories one of her followers asked her something like "how come you're so self confident at such a young age?" and her answer was just "because of trauma" which I just think is such an empty and ridiculous thing to say when she seems to have a hell of a lot of young followers who hang on her every word. Surely there must be positive reasons that she could have mentioned as why she is self confident?!

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.

 

[stopthescams]

I can't believe she copyrighted a font. Has anyone pointed out that her entire aestheic looks like an Austin Powers film?

The vibe I’ve always got from her is it’s almost as if she thinks dressing like she’s from the 70s and listening to Fleetwood Mac makes her ~quirky~ and super cool

Do you hun, but her entire vibe is pretentious

 

[Jlurking]

I've just seen Chidera's newest insta stories of her texts with Florence and yikes. Also, I'm so surprised that she didn't even design her own book. She really is just an influencer with a book deal.

 

[mozzarellagirl]

About the accent - when you move, over time your accent can change naturally. I was 30 when I moved (only an hour South) and now people in my home town think I am trying to be posh. I am most definitely not.

I like her enthusiasm and lack of shit giving. I am the complete opposite to her (people pleasing dickhead) and probably older than her Mum but I admire what she has achieved at such a young age. I like her style and her music and her whole aesthetic. I am way out of her target demographic so not sure how appreciated my gushing would be.

Remember she’s achieved what she has largely bc of her background - if not purely because of it. She’s not a good illustrator or a writer so?…
It’s easy to achieve a lot when you’re born into such privilege.

Btw I loved her a lot when she first started out, and there’s many things I like about her but not so much anymore. Shes pretentious and thinks she’s better than everyone else and is also tone deaf about a lot of important and big things (that relate to women).

 

[lemonpeach]

Chidera is really comparing Florence to a rapist. I’m still trying to get my head around the whole thing. For me, there is no strong evidence that Florence copied Chidera, I think her language is a step too far.

will she be taking legal action or is she going to just stay on the land of Instagram?

Yeah the comparison to being a rapist does not sit right at all and is a completely false equivalence, even if she had copied her

 

[urghmummybloggers]

Insufferable - no I don’t have all morning dancing around in a highly curated way because I have a job and shit to do, it really makes me dislike her

 

[stopthescams]

I honestly think all parties involved arent the greatest. There’s not one person I particularly feel sorry for. I can see people’s views from all perspectives tbh and all of it is valid for the most part I think

I think loudbossygross has annoyed me the most, riding on the coattails of Chidera, posting people’s DMs and taking people’s money for it

She went quiet, must’ve been told off, then popped back up when Chidera came back on stories.

 

[Lulapop]

I have just found this thread and I am so happy about it! I used to follow Florence and I really liked her and her art, but slowly slowly I started to see things I didn't like, I started finding her extremely patronising, I felt like she was kind of dictating how I should feel and tbh I had the feeling like her experiences were the only valid ones? After the whole thing with the Slumflower I just decided to stop following her as I lost all interest.

 

[GossipLady]

I quite liked the book but when I found out she was 21 I was a bit like ooooh because Not much life experience? Just my personal opinion. One thing I think though is all the people she constantly reposts of them saying the same things seems quite cult like?

Also thought this when I found out she was only 21. I'm 24 and I've matured so much already into my twenties, but I'm well aware I'm not mature enough to be preaching at everyone.

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.

I do see this point but I also think she has spent a lot of her insta-fame tearing others down. Ive seen her actively involved in pushing people off of insta because they did one thing wrong. This is quite a big thing to get wrong. Also the whole her being a bully at school makes it difficult for me to feel sorry for her...

 

[snarkvark]

I really don’t understand why she’s making so much money off of reposting messages. See I get paying black women for their Labour, but this situation has nothing to do with her on surface level and it’s starting to look like a quick way to make herself money? It’s a bit strange. Especially changing the link to PayPal. Just seeing how easy it is to get money from white people with good intentions I guess

I see a lot of this shit online. Demands for people to "pay for labour" that people have voluntarily done. No one asked her to screengrab and share those slides, especialyl when she had no part in the ~drama~ it comes across as exploitative. This whole situation is a mess and I'm not picking sides, I think everoyne's as bad as each other. But it is highlighting how, just because you're a marginalised Black woman doesn't mean you're always right or never exploit other people!

 

[Musings30]

I came here after listening (kind of) to FG's Happy Place episode. It was so awful that I had to switch it off after a reluctant ten minutes. She's so hyper and LOUD, it's really off-putting. What's with the naff pink hair (is that a wig?) as well?

I used to really like Florence but went right off her after seeing that tweet a few years ago about her being a bully at school. I was curious to hear what she had to say on the pod, but it was a load of predictable, clichéd dross. To her credit though, she says she has changed her anti-male stance and realised how toxic it is to be angry at men all the time. I mean, that's the most kudos I'll give her lol.

I used to really like Fearne Cotton too, but, like Florence, the whole concept of a middle-class, financially-comfortable, pretty blonde preaching about self worth and shoving two fingers up at societal norms and going your own way, is somewhat farcical. The pair of them have made a career from navel-gazing and endlessly talking about themselves and their "boundaries". Fearne in particular talks a lot about carving your own path and doing what you love for a living, which feels extremely tone deaf. That's all good and well, but how many "real" people can really resonate with that? As others have said on here, the pair of them preach from the comfort of their expensive London homes while many of us are just working to pay the rent and stuck in crappy jobs we can't escape because of the dire economy.

I'd love to see Florence do some proper outreach work and volunteer at a homeless shelter during her trip to LA...Seeing as shes all about championing and advocating for the marginalised...But somehow I don't see that happeningSimilarly, Fearne is about to rake in God knows how many tens of thousands of pounds doing her cringe Happy Place festival in Gunnersbury this summer. The tickets are a modest £47 each, if anyone is interested

 

[Theplantmum]

I have replied to a few of her questions recently (the ones on stories that can then been shared on her stories) and she NEVER shares them. I know that that sounds petty but I have a feeling that my opinion/POV isn't something she wants to share; as a straight, married mum in her 30s. I just don't find her inclusive.

 

[bunnyblue]

LBG said their aim was to have a discussion, but really the majority of DM's being shared are just repeating the same thing over and over in phases (Florence is overrated, Florence used to be a bully, the algorithim is to blame, people are responsible for their own algorithm, LBG isn't a bully, LBG is doing lots of emotional labour, people can't find Chidera's 2 year old book in shops in the same quantities as a recently released bestseller, etc etc).
Stephanie reposted one of Aja Barber's stories which were definitely aimed at the mess of LBG and Chidera putting pressure on Munroe to make a statement.
What started as something with valid points (irrelevant what the "whole truth" is, and that both books are mediocre) has turned into a total mess.

 

[Lulapop]

I used to adore Florence but maaaaan… the twerking and male hate is so intense. The whole “I wear X to repel men” etc. Flo not every bloke is a walking sleazeball. You say you’re all for equality, yet you do everything you can to degrade 1/2 the population constantly.

Am all for living your best life and dancing around the house, but it shouldn’t cost 38£ to slap as much on a tee shirt. The fashion gif is also super out of touch - calling a 35£ top an “insanely low price” and showcasing constant new vintage clothes while followers are budgeting to make rent just highlights privilege. Not saying she hasn’t worked for it, but at the same time, she’s also been lucky to have found a career in a lucrative space.

Her followers just echo “omg vibes” and “ENERGY!!” And consider themselves quirky for talking about masturbation and wearing clothes that aren’t from Marks and Spencers.

so weird

You know what’s worded that I bet you she’ll eventually get a boyfriend and will change her whole personality for him.

 

[Smithsmile]

Black minds matter, who Florence has referenced in her PR response, have come out with a statement supporting Chidera and also said that they cannot sincerely accept the donation Florence references in her statement

 

[HinchythetwattyGrinchy]

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

Exactly! Don’t get me wrong, I used to LOVE Florence. I even read her book when it came out and finished it soooo quickly but after that, her Instagram began to annoy me. The fact she fucked off on holiday during a pandemic?! Me and my partner cancelled our holiday with our one year old as we just couldn’t risk it - but yet she fucked off whilst knowing not many people can afford that due to job losses etc?! Soooo inconsiderate.

I think this pandemic has / will open a lot of people’s eyes to these influencers flaunting their wealth / success whilst being absolutely fucking oblivious to their followers who see that shit who have to use food banks to feed themselves / families.