Madeleine Olivia

[bookish]

Hey all,

So, what do people think of Madeleine's latest news?

After a year of renovating their Cornish Cottage (side note: renovation is an EXTREMELY unsustainable process, so it's ironic she (a sustainability blogger) would do something SO incredibly wasteful.

What's more, to add to the wastefulness of it all, one of their main decisions for leaving their cottage was because they couldn't renovate the kitchen during COVID and that her family moved a little further away.

THEN, to add to the privilege of it all, she discusses how she overlooked the house they're moving into because it only had ONE living room rather than the two she wanted.

Thoughts?

 

[Firesign79]

I knew someone would make a thread for Maddie as soon as she posted that video! I personally have no qualms with her selling her house - I think it’s less wasteful than renovating the kitchen, for owners in 5 years time to move in and rip it out.

That being said, I think that the whole ‘two living rooms’ thing is a little unnecessary, and perhaps didn’t need to be shared with her audience who probably don’t have the privilege of being able to make that choice!

Intrigued as to how other people perceive this.

 

[andreaoid]

I knew she was moving for months because of her constant hinting towards 'other reasons' not to renovate their kitchen. Also knowing her parents recently moved from their massive house/farm (4418 sq ft for £750k), it didn't come to me as a surprise she wanted to move to something bigger. Their cottage was cute but really small for a youtuber who makes thousands of pounds every month. And don't forget it is now in fashion for youtubers to move to a 'character property' with many fireplaces, sash windows and other victorian features.

 

[Geranium]

I thought it was interesting to see that in the comments lots of people were saying that they were pleased for her but couldn’t relate to her and Alex buying and then presumably renovating their second home when so many young couples are struggling to get on the housing ladder.

 

[bookish]

Yeah, I just think a lot of the factors she discussed seemed tasteless, especially considering all of this "drama" that happened during a pandemic where people were stressing out about much more serious things in life than getting a home with two living rooms. She should have edited some of her tasteless thoughts out.

I found it strange that so many people were commenting about Alex being out of it - I think that's just who he is! He didn't seem any less lively than he usually is - probably more tired than usual, but no more disinterested in being on camera than usual XD

 

[Geranium]

I might be wrong but early on she said something about people wanting to know what was happening and he said “it’s none of their business” which I thought was a bit ungracious because sharing their lives with viewers is paying for this next house. But I kind of like Alex.
I love Maddie - she has changed so much though. I couldn’t believe my eyes when she did an ad for the bloody Function of Beauty shampoo and conditioner. She used to make her own shampoo but I guess that doesn’t pay the mortgage.

 

[independentjetpack]

A few comments questioned whether she was pregnant too, but I don't agree. Especially since she got quite upset about people assuming her weight gain was a baby bump.

 

[doddie.windler]

I found the “it’s none of their business” from Alex quite funny and also true. Even though influencers earn money through sharing their life, I 100% believe they don't owe anyone anything. If they want to stop posting their lives, then their bank balance will eventually suffer, but they certainly have every right to share whatever they want in my opinion. I believe what you do choose to share, promote and sell is the most important thing and people deserve to be critiqued on it (on here or in the video comments).

Re the two living rooms. She's allowed to want it, she can afford it, and heck, Zalfie probably have 10 living rooms. I don't think she's a bad person for sharing that desire/detail, but I do think it was foolish. It really alienated me to hear her say she discounted a whole house because it didn't have two living rooms. Especially when a key message on her channel's is minimalism. And yes, I know minimalism can be more about things and not space, but still, having double the space means double the furniture, double the heating etc. which doesn't seem to be sustainable. I would love to know the data (their new carbon footprint), as roughly speaking, some people can afford bigger than others and can then be as sustainable as possible within them, but if you are still over what the average household carbon footprint target should be because of your house size, that's not good enough. It means you think others should make up the difference in their smaller houses just because you can afford bigger. It's a complicated topic lol, and obviously I know nothing about this new house other than it's likely much larger than the uk average. I'm no saint....it's just, that's what her whole channel is about.

Also a lot of minimalists DO apply their reasoning to space too. The tiny house movement particularly, but also those who use a less is more approach to everything- as they believe money should be spent on more experience/memory type things than physical luxuries. Anyway, want to reiterate I don't think this makes her a bad person at all, it just seemed like a bit of a tone deaf detail to leave in (considering the virus) and also contradictory to her values, so I'll be interested with where she goes from here.

 

[bookish]

I found the “it’s none of their business” from Alex quite funny and also true. Even though influencers earn money through sharing their life, I 100% believe they don't owe anyone anything. If they want to stop posting their lives, then their bank balance will eventually suffer, but they certainly have every right to share whatever they want in my opinion. I believe what you do choose to share, promote and sell is the most important thing and people deserve to be critiqued on it (on here or in the video comments).

Re the two living rooms. She's allowed to want it, she can afford it, and heck, Zalfie probably have 10 living rooms. I don't think she's a bad person for sharing that desire/detail, but I do think it was foolish. It really alienated me to hear her say she discounted a whole house because it didn't have two living rooms. Especially when a key message on her channel's is minimalism. And yes, I know minimalism can be more about things and not space, but still, having double the space means double the furniture, double the heating etc. which doesn't seem to be sustainable. I would love to know the data (their new carbon footprint), as roughly speaking, some people can afford bigger than others and can then be as sustainable as possible within them, but if you are still over what the average household carbon footprint target should be because of your house size, that's not good enough. It means you think others should make up the difference in their smaller houses just because you can afford bigger. It's a complicated topic lol, and obviously I know nothing about this new house other than it's likely much larger than the uk average. I'm no saint....it's just, that's what her whole channel is about.

Also a lot of minimalists DO apply their reasoning to space too. The tiny house movement particularly, but also those who use a less is more approach to everything- as they believe money should be spent on more experience/memory type things than physical luxuries. Anyway, want to reiterate I don't think this makes her a bad person at all, it just seemed like a bit of a tone deaf detail to leave in (considering the virus) and also contradictory to her values, so I'll be interested with where she goes from here.

I 1000% agree. They are NOT bad people in the slightest - it was just tone-deaf and hypocritical. Like, I know people who had to move house during COVID (were evicted) and I know several people who were pregnant through COVID and I find it SO funny how much influencers seem to complain about these things, but none of my friends or relatives complained once about much worse circumstances during COVID.

I understand that moving house is stressful, but saying THAT was such a major stressor of last year for them just showed how lucky they were last year. I saw deaths and family evictions. I wish that had been my 2020 stress. I think she should have just kept all that complaining offline and then do a structured tips video for "buying and selling a house in the UK" - an informative video that detailed the downfalls and pitfalls - it would have been just as valuable and informative but would have kept the privilege twinge away from people during a sensitive period.

I might be wrong but early on she said something about people wanting to know what was happening and he said “it’s none of their business” which I thought was a bit ungracious because sharing their lives with viewers is paying for this next house. But I kind of like Alex.
I love Maddie - she has changed so much though. I couldn’t believe my eyes when she did an ad for the bloody Function of Beauty shampoo and conditioner. She used to make her own shampoo but I guess that doesn’t pay the mortgage.

I got Alex's point of view, to be honest, but I get his humour - I have a similar sense of it. He seemed a bit more down than usual, but that's probably understandable.

I didn't know about her Function of Beauty shampoo ad though. That's weird.

 

[gcpz]

Honestly screw her. I followed her for years and really enjoyed her content and her message, but it looks like all her minimalism and sustainability content was performance activism now. As soon as she saw the money rolling in, she gave up her morals for the excessive lifestyle she spent years slating

 

[andreaoid]

Everytime I watch her videos, my boyfriend comments on Madeleine's privilege and how it is oozing out of her. I couldn't believe it until I found out her family background. And yes, she's always been privileged.

 

[LeBubbled]

I'm usually a lurker but I'm glad someone started a thread on her. Obviously she's allowed to move house and can understand needing somewhere bigger if they are both at home and can afford it but I did find the video came across quite tone deaf stressing about a privileged move during a pandemic.

I've been getting fed up with her for a while now. Its felt like the sustainability angle she pushes for is quite disingenuous with all the brand deals and beauty products, which might be vegan but are usually in plastic and don't really have any other eco credentials. It all feels very shallow.

Will be interesting to see how the renovation goes on the new house. Construction and building works are a minefield for unethical and unsustainable options. (discovered recently that a lot of patio stones can involve child labour if you don't pick fair-trade ones!). Beyond getting a few things second hand and vegan I don't think they've really talked about renovating to reduce heat loss or switching from a gas boiler etc. So again it feels pretty shallow and disingenuous to me.

 

[Super_Berry]

I really like Maddie but I have wondered about some brand deals too, even things like The Body Shop make items in plastic and stuff and it just seems so far removed from what she used to do.

I don't mind her moving house it just feels a bit insensitive given everyone in the UK is still in a full lockdown. I assume moving is still allowed but even so it just not the time to be bragging about moving to an even bigger house when we're all still stuck at home.

I feel like over the years she's moved more to a vegan blogger than a sustainable one anyway. I love her food videos but I don't view her as that sustainable anymore.

 

[MarthaFarkus]

Arghhh I really like Madeleine and Alex and I'm really pleased they are moving house, that kitchen was far too pokey and small for her line of work. As for the privilege, are any influencers relatable anymore? Most start off relatable but I guess it's difficult to keep to that. As a PP said, she does seem to focus more on the vegan side of things than the sustainable which is ok I guess. I don't feel like she's super wasteful though and she still does buy from charity shops etc. I do really like Alex and his sense of humour and I can see why people might think he's being mean if it's not your kind of humour. I love their dynamic too. I watch a handful of You Tubers and Madeleine is definitely my favourite and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do to the new place and to be fair to them I think they renovated their previous place as sustainably as possible so I'm sure they'll do the same here.

 

[dxo]

I like her too. I can see why people might think she's branched away from where she started or that perhaps the move is out of touch etc, but it's their life and we don't really know the ins and outs of their decisions - just what they've chosen to share. I can't wait to see their next renovations. I love that they like period/character properties.

 

[Gigi3006]

I used to watch her videos 3-4 years ago. Something about her just started to become really irritating for me, she constantly sounds like she’s about to cry. I actually lived fairly close to where she’s from and had a few mutual acquaintances, by no means close friends, and no one had much to say about her other than she’s rather dramatic and has a big victim mentality. Still a really nice girl and wouldn’t want to upset anyone, but best in small doses otherwise it can be rather dull and miserable

 

[bookish]

I think she is a super nice person. but I can definitely see the "woe is me" come out a lot which is grinding, particularly considering how privileged she is.

What's her family background? Is she from a reasonably middle-class family?

 

[Limey]

I'm usually a lurker but I'm glad someone started a thread on her. Obviously she's allowed to move house and can understand needing somewhere bigger if they are both at home and can afford it but I did find the video came across quite tone deaf stressing about a privileged move during a pandemic.

I've been getting fed up with her for a while now. Its felt like the sustainability angle she pushes for is quite disingenuous with all the brand deals and beauty products, which might be vegan but are usually in plastic and don't really have any other eco credentials. It all feels very shallow.

Will be interesting to see how the renovation goes on the new house. Construction and building works are a minefield for unethical and unsustainable options. (discovered recently that a lot of patio stones can involve child labour if you don't pick fair-trade ones!). Beyond getting a few things second hand and vegan I don't think they've really talked about renovating to reduce heat loss or switching from a gas boiler etc. So again it feels pretty shallow and disingenuous to me.

I remember her doing an e-book of vegan stuff which was in conjunction with some fairly iffy contributors e.g. US anti vaxxers. When called out on it, she barely acknowledged it in a video whilst still shilling the book. She's just a greenwasher, tbh.

I also find Alex's persona grating, and you could tell how pissed off he was in this video. If you don't want to be on YouTube, just say no. Although, he is part of her 'brand' now.

 

[Gigi3006]

I think she is a super nice person. but I can definitely see the "woe is me" come out a lot which is grinding, particularly considering how privileged she is.

What's her family background? Is she from a reasonably middle-class family?

Exactly. They’re middle class, although definitely not ‘rich’, I’m not quite sure why she makes an effort to speak so posh as she never used to.
Limey - I also find alex completely insufferable. Get the idea he constant makes jokes that no one else finds funny, neither of them strike me as particularly fun or enjoyable company, though they seem happy together which is the main thing.

 

[Limey]

Exactly. They’re middle class, although definitely not ‘rich’, I’m not quite sure why she makes an effort to speak so posh as she never used to.
Limey - I also find alex completely insufferable. Get the idea he constant makes jokes that no one else finds funny, neither of them strike me as particularly fun or enjoyable company, though they seem happy together which is the main thing.

Well, it saves spoiling two houses.