Madeleine Olivia

[bookish]

Ok, so I just watched her house tour and, I'm shocked to say, I don't like her house! I feel so much better XD

I'm a practical person, and I was shocked at how little storage space there is - very small bedrooms with barely any additional room for a closet (if they had guests, their guests would have to live out of their suitcases), and there aren't even drawers or plugs for guests to use.

The house is just a guest house. There's no personality that makes it a home - I struggle to see how they'd make this into a family home with kids and toys because there's no room in those bedrooms for any storage!

I'm glad I didn't waste my money on that home haha. The Garden and kitchen are gorgeous - everything else is a major let down.

 

[Harpyharpyunder]

I'm am so conflicted on her latest post sharing that she's found the move hard because of lockdown. On one hand, we all have our own relative struggles, and I also agree that instagram shouldn't just be a highlight reel. I don't deny that she's found it hard, and I truly sympathise with her anxiety struggles.

On the other hand, I'm really not sure she has any right to publicly complain. Firstly, they moved because of the pandemic. They didn't have to pay stamp duty, which is a huge deal, and they were financially stable enough that they could take that incentive, and move during a pandemic while plenty of others would not have been able to because of job insecurity. In addition, they aren't medically vulnerable, so could afford to do the move during a lockdown ( as moving would likely increase exposure slightly, which again many people wouldn't have been able to do).

Add to that the fact that they live in the county with the lowest coronavirus rates in the whole country, but also has empty beauty spots in abundance to enjoy, as well as the fact that her whole family arn't even that far away - so it's possible she's still able to meet them for one on one walks (this is a complete assumption by the way) whereas many people have been in different areas to their family so can't meet them for outdoor walks and can only zoom.

She's complaining about not having family help to move (real first world problem), and not being able to celebrate the move with them. That is 100% something you can do once it's over! It's not a pre-booked wedding that has had to be postponed to great expense, or a milestone birthday that you've had to spend alone. You can have a housewarming party on June 21st and it's virtually the same!

I genuinely can't think of someone who's had it easier during this pandemic than someone in her circumstances, aside from someone who owned an antibacterial gel company.

I agree. It’s come across as completely gone deaf, especially how you’re correct that she admitted they’re only moving due to not having to pay stamp duty. People are literally dying, or loosing jobs, and yes everything is subjective to own experience and life and it did seem stressful, but buying a bigger house in the countryside is hardly worth all the public complaining she’s done. Does she have any friends? I feel like with influencers you can tell when they don’t have an offline support bubble to complain to instead

 

[Cosmo]

For some reason she got 886k views on the one titled "Georgian English Country House Tour" so I'd imagine that's why she's shoehorning every possible variant of that into every title..

I agree with the post above. You would think a renovation series with that title would be a more cohesive way of attracting views. There obviously is a market for it based on that one video.

But what would I know I'm just a troll

 

[Bgoo1]

37 minute video answering questions about the house she has already mentioned. Yawn. Any excuse for an ad.

Literally so boring. It just makes me rage that she's been bragging non-stop about her massive new house when we've been in a pandemic - people have lost their jobs, members of their families, nurses have been worked to the bone and put at risk every day they go to work and get paid fuck all, then there's asbolute narcissistics like Madeleine, who do barely anything and get paid lots.

 

[Harpyharpyunder]

See this is why I think she’s a sellout. One of her last videos featured a shopping trolly full to the brim of plastic because she’s now given up that crusade in favour of organic. But she’s just posted an ad on her insta all about plastic free July and lip balm tubes going to landfill. So which one is it, Maddie? Do you care about plastic waste or not? Or only when it’s lining your pockets to buy overpriced organic veg.

 

[bookish]

I also thought the title of the video was kind of gross. Humble bragging is the worst and like you said, no one cares as much as they do, why try to force it. I have zero interest in a video that is just a person showing off.

Could you imagine how much backlash bigger, richer (and worse) YouTubers like Jeffree star would get if they did multiple house tours showing off their wealth?

It's the same for you, Maddie dear. You're wealthier than the majority of your audience, and it's tasteless to keep showing it off, especially considering you clearly CAME INTO MONEY. It certainly didn't come from hard graft

 

[ChamomilePee]

Does anyone know why the books in the shelf in the lounge all have their spines to the wall? Is it so they fit into her dreary beige/grey 'natural' aesthetic? If that's the case it's incredibly lame and pretentious.

 

[NowIsGood]

I know this has already been touched on, but WHY would you install such deep, large cupboards by a main window?! They block out so much natural light! During the winter months that kitchen is going to be super dark to film videos!

Also funny in her previous video she says how great it is to 'do it yourself'. Then at the end of this video she's moaning that the painting is too much and she's getting a decorator in?!

Had to laugh at her story where she says she’s going to stop painting herself because she wouldn’t have it done by October and she’s found a decorator that has time in September. That’s not much different, she just has money to throw at the problem.

And unless she’s bought an eco one, which I highly doubt, she can literally get in the fucking bin claiming she lives a sustainable lifestyle while owning a hot tub.

It's literally eye watering how much money they are spending on tradesmen.
I don't know how it all works, but Is she really making that much money with 80k insta followers and 40k views per video?
Something tells me her/Alex's family have gifted them a lump sum, but I could be wrong.

 

[bookish]

Don't tell her or she'll have to sell it and buy a new house

Yeah Georgian houses usually have a living room AND a drawing-room.
When she realises that she's got a knock-off imitation Georgian house with cubbie hole for a living room she'll lose her shit.

 

[bookish]

What's sadder is that Maddie always seemed to promote the idea that minimalism and sustainability don't have to be a middle-class affair - anyone can do these things. But the more and more it unfolded, the more elitist sustainability and minimalism have become, yet again, as exemplified by her.

I'm wondering if the house purchase is a tax write-off. Especially if she makes her income based on home renovations now.

 

[mindlessness]

What bothers me about Madeleine is she sets herself up in a preachy model sustaintable vegan role but then falls short all of the time. If she wasn't so preachy and smug about it I probably would roll my eyes less at her when she does un-sustainable things.

Of course, I think it's normal to make mistakes, and I think its hard to live a perfectly virtuous sustainable life (I certainly don't!)
But Madeleine's whole brand is about that. So her unsustainable choices and weak justifications for them are annoying.

 

[kalechips]

“what I eat in my new house”

This made me LOL so hard, what does her new house have to do with what she eats? Any excuse for Maddie to humblebrag

 

[Seven of Nine]

This wedding is going to be fascinating. I predict some key performative displays of sustainability eg a rented or second hand dress. These decisions will be heavily mentioned as a distraction from all the other excessive & unnecessary elements.

And then also some things that appear carefree and casual, like wildflower crowns for hair, paper lanterns… all giving a relaxed surface level appearance when in reality it’s the most uptight stressful event of all time because the anxious bridezilla is on the verge of having a breakdown because the rented chairs are the wrong shade of putty and there is one cousin who will not adhere to the unofficial dress code and she’s wrecking all the photos.

I don’t even think she’ll go vintage or second hand for her dress she’ll go new and go on about how the company is sustainable or they pay their workers a good wage, made in the uk, local boutique and obviously a #gifted #ad

 

[astridivy]

I watched the Q+A at 1.5 speed, it’s the only way to get through. I persevered thinking she might share something new or interesting but it was dull and repetitive from precious vlogs. Oh your house is Georgian? Your favourite room is the kitchen? Brand new information!

 

[dxo]

Alex doesn’t have many endearing qualities of late. He’s just coming across as a bit weird...

 

[NowIsGood]

I’ve completely had enough of her. I’ve gone from being a big fan to being sick to the back teeth of her in a few short months. She’s massively entitled and completely unrelatable now. Sad.

Same. It's not even because they're earning lots of money, it's more that the trust is gone. Did the minimalist, simple living moral person ever even exist? Or was it all an act to cover her true greed and 'mean girl' self?

Last year when she did a 30min video on £30 gift sets from the body shop was when I felt uneasy about her ethics. (Promoting things no one needs from a company that exploits women through MLM).
Since then she's really lost what made her 'likable'.
I think professionally (her morals Vs money) and personally (her weight gain) she is having a huge identity crisis. (not hating on the weight, she just seems uncomfortable living in those awful linen dresses, when she used to dress in a more casual way).

I dunno, I'm still watching, but I certainly don't respect her anymore.

 

[Geranium]

She surely can’t claim to be a minimalist, sustainable, environmentally active person now, she is a saleswoman who also happens to be a good vegan cook.

 

[Seven of Nine]

I’m fully prepared for people to argue and disagree, after all if everyone was the same and thought the same the world would be crap. But as a vegan I also wear second hand wool and leather, not a lot and a lot of it is items I bought before I went vegan, would never buy new but vegan alternatives are just plastic, they don’t last and good quality ones are well out of my price range and until a viable and sustainable option has been found I will probably continue.

but I do feel the need to quickly make a point again this is but one opinion and I don’t this forcing someone to try and see the same way will ever work. But one of my mums oldest friends has a farm, it’s a small farm family owned for generations, and I also worked for a time in a small town in Wales for the local council, and lived next to a sanctuary that rescued farm animals from slaughter - it was a dream especially when there were baby animals running around and I was able to help them rehab these animals. And I learnt a few things about what the human race has done to animals in the name of farming. And while leather I don’t agree with at all as there is no way to create leather without an animal dying, unless you’re solely using animals that have died naturally but not sure that’s viable. Anyway long story short, part of the breeding of sheep for more meat and more wool means most sheep breeds cannot survive on their own, and especially without being sheered regularly. They produce too much wool and it’s been engineered not to fall out and shed how it should. And when they aren’t sheered - google escaped sheep that have been found after years, they have so much wool, the weight can kill them, you cannot just sheer them either as the lifting of such weight too quickly can kill them as well. My point is, although I personally don’t buy new wool. There may need to be a mid point for things like wool as we’ve as a race fucked up so many animals alot now cannot survive without us and without care such as sheering.

 

[ChamomilePee]

I think her food is basic but probably quite useful for people moving to a more plant-based diet who just want simple vegan food using supermarket ingredients. I just can't handle the fake minimalism message she gives off and her constant whining and "woe is me" narrative against such a blanket of privilege.

 

[Geranium]

I don't mind when for example beauty bloggers get sent say a bunch of skin care for a new launch to test and promote, that's their "job" after all but when the products are then packed into for example a gorgeous leather and wicker picnic basket complete with china, glasses, cutlery, wine, treats and flowers it just makes me seethe. And actual paying customers are at most "given" some crappy mass-produced make up bag as a "gift with purchase" when spending their own money....!