Apparently how loaded or not she is and where it came from. Like we do a few times a year at least. "rich af" will never be a satisfying enough answer.If she’s not pregnant... what on earth will we talk about?
Apparently how loaded or not she is and where it came from. Like we do a few times a year at least. "rich af" will never be a satisfying enough answer.If she’s not pregnant... what on earth will we talk about?
my opinion is that she’s depressed and has nothing to do with her time. It very easy to fall down a black hole when there are no goals or things to work toward, plus the situation with her mom I’m sure is making it much much harder. I’m not defending her, but I think Jess circa 2016 (when she was in uni) was a more accurate representation of the person she wants to and likes to be. I think after she finished school, she became really aimless. The only thing she has to think about right now is the house reno, but nothing beyond that. She thrives when she has a busy social /academic life (all seen around 2016-2017), and she looks so happy during those days, and very fulfilled. Hopefully after COVID and all, she’ll try to get her stuff together. A social career or a brick-and-mortar PhD would do her a load of good, IMHO.Don't get me wrong, I used to love Jess' content. However, I feel like over the past few years I've gradually been falling out of love with influencer content in general.
(Some background on myself to make this make sense) so being a post grad in London, struggling to find that inital grad job and working in a restaurant in the interim while struggling to pay extortionate London rent prices - it does gall seeing someone you follow receive numerous designer items for free and go on many expensive holidays etc.
Obviously this is incredibly whiny and self pitying, everyone has their own struggles and there are obviously people out there who have much worse struggles to contend with. And obviously, none of this is directly Jess' or any other influencers 'fault.' They get free stuff as PR.
I use influencer content as a kind of escape and a way to wind down after my day. I've been watching influencers since I was a teenager, before the term 'Influencer' was even a thing. Watching vloggers used to feel warm and familiar, these were people like me, who I could relate to. However my feeling towards influencer content has been changing recently as I've realised that it's become increasingly more sinister over the years. There seems to be such a disparity of wealth between myself and the people I used to be able to relate to and it's chilling to realise that what I used to see as some lighthearted entertainment has become more about trying to sell me a lifestyle which seems so unattainable instead.
Again, I understand this is an incredibly cynical viewpoint to take. Influencer marketing exists for a reason and understandably its up to us to self regulate if we're uncomfortable with the content we're consuming.
However. The thing that got to me the most about Jess' videos recently (and the reason I'm even on here in the first place) is one of her recent Vlogtober videos (from Oct 21st). It begins with her having a 'planning day' which she stops at quarter past 4 to read a book. She mentions going out to take a picture, but then puts it off because she's 'not feeling inspired.' The next day she starts off by saying 'nothing urgent needs to happen' so she spent the morning finishing her book. She then goes out to buy an expensive table. The next day she's out at Kew gardens. The next day is Thursday and she's in bed talking about how she wants to do a botany course?? Then the next day arrives. It's Friday - she's done NO work???? All week. Initially I had to turn the video off at this point it enraged me so much.
I don't usually feel so strongly about stuff like this but boy this video REALLY got to me. This girl OWNS a house in London. She bought a HOUSE. Surely to earn that kind of money to be able to do that you'd need to work pretty hard right??? Apparently not.
I understand her work might have seen a bit of a lapse recently due to Covid but still. Again, I understand she's going through personal family struggles as well for which I completely sympathise. But there hasn't been a single ounce of work completed so far from what I can see.
It's so frustrating for those watching, doing their 9-5 who would LOVE for the chance to go out to Kew gardens in the middle of the day, or have a nap, or read a book whenever they feel like it. But oh yeah. That's not how having a job works is it.
Back to the video, so it's Friday and Jess happily announces 'yesterday I spent most of the day reading' she at least has the self awareness to do a guilty chuckle at the end of the sentence. So what's she up to today I hear you ask? 'Zak and I are going to head into John Lewis.' Right. She then comes home to complain about how John Lewis was 'very uninspiring' ffs.
She then goes off on a tangent about how lazy and unproductive her week has been. 'I feel like there's so much I could have got done which I didn't do. But it's Friday, so I'm not going to start doing anything now.' Fantastic. Not sure my boss would buy it if I tried to tell her that to be honest.
She then goes on to talk about how these weeks happen and she's trying to be gentle and easy on herself. And I get that. I really do. But it just doesn't seem like she's attempted to do anything whatsoever. How can you literally not work for a whole week??
She then goes on to say that she's going to try and give herself a kick up the ass next week and to 'foster some inspiration.' Which sounds like a good idea.
I hate how bitter this is coming across but it's just so difficult. I would LOVE to have the job she has. It's just so insulting to see someone in her incredibly privileged position who does not seem to acknowledge it in the slightest.
Idk, this has been a long rant. Let me know your thoughts pls.
Your feelings are 100% valid and you don't need to apologize or justify yourself for them. I think what you touched on is the reason many of us are even on these forums tbh. When you said: "There seems to be such a disparity of wealth between myself and the people I used to be able to relate to and it's chilling to realise that what I used to see as some lighthearted entertainment has become more about trying to sell me a lifestyle which seems so unattainable instead." -- this statement deadass sums it all up. I know how you feel. I started watching these Youtubers back when I was a teenager living at home with my parents -- I was seeking company and at the time it was just them talking to a webcam in their bedroom. They were relatable. Just girls around my age talking about things I could easily connect with. Now 10 years later, I'm an adult living in a foreign country paying for my own rent, bills, and a mountain of student debt, and it seems like they couldn't even begin to grasp any of the challenges I have to face on a daily basis. They no longer talk about or show anything I could possibly identify with. Our lives, struggles, and concerns could not be any more opposite. In a way, they're the embodiment of social injustice. They are working the least, yet earning the most. Getting maximum profits (insanely high paychecks, plus a neverending flow of gifts, plus all the time in the world) while the rest of us get nothing at all (low wages, zero freebies, 45+ hour weeks and no free time). How could they possibly be enjoyable to watch for people like us? Especially when the gap didn't seem as huge back when we started watching them--we literally watched as the gap between us and them grew bigger and bigger over the years. Why would I enjoy watching a girl whose parents are multi-millionaires as she sits in her West London house not doing any work for weeks in a row, when I come back to my tiny flat exhausted after a 10 hour work day and haven't taken a day off in months? Naturally it won't make me feel good. I don't think you're being bitter at all. I think people like Jess are just unconsciously highlighting how unfair this society is. Back in the day there were no PR gifts, no PR trips, no sponsored instagram posts, and most of them were posting videos alongside their day-to-day job or activities (such as uni). The dynamic is, unfortunately, completely different now. It's sickening really--there shouldn't be such insane disparities between people's wealth levels/lifestyles. You mentioned "Self-regulating" and it's also not as easy as it sounds right (it's the old influencer disclaimer: "if you dislike me or my content you can just click off!") ...we GREW UP watching these people and clearly our feelings were MUCH different at the beginning than they are now. When you have followed someone for years, feel like you've grown to know them pretty closely, have kind of developed a habit of watching them...it's not that easy to just click off and ignore what's happening right before your eyes. The familiarity is there. It's all the more sickening when you start realizing what this has turned into and the effect that it's now having on you. Unlike celebrities (whom people follow for escapism), influencers are people that were initially sold to us as "people just like us." They were sold to us as "relatable." It's not so easy to turn a blind eye now that they have become just like celebrities.Don't get me wrong, I used to love Jess' content. However, I feel like over the past few years I've gradually been falling out of love with influencer content in general.
(Some background on myself to make this make sense) so being a post grad in London, struggling to find that inital grad job and working in a restaurant in the interim while struggling to pay extortionate London rent prices - it does gall seeing someone you follow receive numerous designer items for free and go on many expensive holidays etc.
Obviously this is incredibly whiny and self pitying, everyone has their own struggles and there are obviously people out there who have much worse struggles to contend with. And obviously, none of this is directly Jess' or any other influencers 'fault.' They get free stuff as PR.
I use influencer content as a kind of escape and a way to wind down after my day. I've been watching influencers since I was a teenager, before the term 'Influencer' was even a thing. Watching vloggers used to feel warm and familiar, these were people like me, who I could relate to. However my feeling towards influencer content has been changing recently as I've realised that it's become increasingly more sinister over the years. There seems to be such a disparity of wealth between myself and the people I used to be able to relate to and it's chilling to realise that what I used to see as some lighthearted entertainment has become more about trying to sell me a lifestyle which seems so unattainable instead.
Again, I understand this is an incredibly cynical viewpoint to take. Influencer marketing exists for a reason and understandably its up to us to self regulate if we're uncomfortable with the content we're consuming.
However. The thing that got to me the most about Jess' videos recently (and the reason I'm even on here in the first place) is one of her recent Vlogtober videos (from Oct 21st). It begins with her having a 'planning day' which she stops at quarter past 4 to read a book. She mentions going out to take a picture, but then puts it off because she's 'not feeling inspired.' The next day she starts off by saying 'nothing urgent needs to happen' so she spent the morning finishing her book. She then goes out to buy an expensive table. The next day she's out at Kew gardens. The next day is Thursday and she's in bed talking about how she wants to do a botany course?? Then the next day arrives. It's Friday - she's done NO work???? All week. Initially I had to turn the video off at this point it enraged me so much.
I don't usually feel so strongly about stuff like this but boy this video REALLY got to me. This girl OWNS a house in London. She bought a HOUSE. Surely to earn that kind of money to be able to do that you'd need to work pretty hard right??? Apparently not.
I understand her work might have seen a bit of a lapse recently due to Covid but still. Again, I understand she's going through personal family struggles as well for which I completely sympathise. But there hasn't been a single ounce of work completed so far from what I can see.
It's so frustrating for those watching, doing their 9-5 who would LOVE for the chance to go out to Kew gardens in the middle of the day, or have a nap, or read a book whenever they feel like it. But oh yeah. That's not how having a job works is it.
Back to the video, so it's Friday and Jess happily announces 'yesterday I spent most of the day reading' she at least has the self awareness to do a guilty chuckle at the end of the sentence. So what's she up to today I hear you ask? 'Zak and I are going to head into John Lewis.' Right. She then comes home to complain about how John Lewis was 'very uninspiring' ffs.
She then goes off on a tangent about how lazy and unproductive her week has been. 'I feel like there's so much I could have got done which I didn't do. But it's Friday, so I'm not going to start doing anything now.' Fantastic. Not sure my boss would buy it if I tried to tell her that to be honest.
She then goes on to talk about how these weeks happen and she's trying to be gentle and easy on herself. And I get that. I really do. But it just doesn't seem like she's attempted to do anything whatsoever. How can you literally not work for a whole week??
She then goes on to say that she's going to try and give herself a kick up the ass next week and to 'foster some inspiration.' Which sounds like a good idea.
I hate how bitter this is coming across but it's just so difficult. I would LOVE to have the job she has. It's just so insulting to see someone in her incredibly privileged position who does not seem to acknowledge it in the slightest.
Idk, this has been a long rant. Let me know your thoughts pls.
I'm not sure what he studied but he didn't finish the course, he dropped out because he got a job, i think at ladbible in Manchester but not 100% sure. He then was training to be a chef but quit to work for Jess.Anyone else get the impression that Zak does absolutely everything for her?
I'm not mad at the 'househusband' dynamic if that's what works for them, but it's an interesting career trajectory. Do we know what he studied at uni?
Also, I know Jess and her family are less traditional than some of the other affluent YouTubers, but I wonder if a proposal is imminent...
Yes!! Non-HD video, non professional lighting, in their room - 'I got some bits from American Apparel so I thought I'd do a haul...let's get into it' I definitely was 'influenced' A LOT more back then, nowadays I can barely be arsed to watch the non declared ads.Slightly off topic but do you know what I miss about old school YouTube? Genuine collective hauls of girls who had gone shopping and just wanted to show what they got. (Jess had great hauls back in the day!) Now the only hauls are sponsored - or a huge load of clothing bought because it’s trendy and most of it will be returned as it was bought solely for content. (Like how everyone was doing Zara hauls recently)
I realize you didnt intend it poorly but that is some patronizing stuff, that is borderline spiritual bypassing, and neglects the reality of the world for many of us. Hard work doesn't ensure 'happiness' anymore than being born into wealth does. And it doesnt ensure financial security obviously. But being born into wealth does (generally) ensure financial security and financial insecurity is arguably the number one killer in the world. Its not just 'nice' not to have to worry about money, its almost everything. And if someone doesnt know that or believe that, its because theyve never really had to worry.I hope your careers will pick up like mine has and that you will be able to get your foot between the door (but who knows what the economy does?), and that you will get to a point where you realise that we are better off than them. It’s nice to not have to worry about money. But it’s also nice to have to earn your own money.
You took the words right out of my mouth. So well put.Really interesting discussion. The thing about Jess in particular though, is that her money, privilege, and endless days of doing nothing largely don't come from working as an influencer; it all comes from her family's wealth. She doesn't need PR freebies and hardly does any sponsorships these days. Being able to afford a house and to travel around the world (pre-Covid), etc., are all because of her family. She's not selling us an 'influencer's lifestyle' since she didn't attain her lifestyle through being an influencer, and it's impossible to 'sell' family wealth; either you have it or you don't. She's just showing us how the upper-middle/upper class lives. There's nothing that suggests she would be doing anything much differently with her life if she weren't on Youtube, which is why she's a bit separate from many other influencers. It's also what drew me into her uni vlogs, because her Youtube was only a part of her student life that she would be living regardless of documenting it or not.
I certainly didn’t mean that money is just a nice to have. I was merely trying to say that I am happy I get to earn my money instead of just having it with nothing that drives me. I’m only talking about family money vs money through work here because we are talking about Jess.I realize you didnt intend it poorly but that is some patronizing stuff, that is borderline spiritual bypassing, and neglects the reality of the world for many of us. Hard work doesn't ensure 'happiness' anymore than being born into wealth does. And it doesnt ensure financial security obviously. But being born into wealth does (generally) ensure financial security and financial insecurity is arguably the number one killer in the world. Its not just 'nice' not to have to worry about money, its almost everything. And if someone doesnt know that or believe that, its because theyve never really had to worry.
don’t worry, you’ll get it by MarchNormally I don't pay attention to booktuber's TBRs but for October I decided to read some books Jess was planning to read so I was extra looking forward to her October books video as every single book I've read this month was also read by Jess. Literally the first time I've decided to do it and I'm having to wait weeks for it.