21-year-old influencer criticized for celebrating the purchase of her new house
A 21-year-old TikTok influencer bought her first home without a mortgage and then received negative comments for posting about her success.
“People said that I “He was bragging, showing off,” Katylee Bailey told Fox News. “The hate got worse and worse to the point where I felt guilty for achieving such a great achievement in my life.”
“I wanted to feel secure in my life, to have that security,” the UK-based content creator continued. “I did something so big and people still decided they wanted to take me down.”
Bailey posted a TikTok video on April 7 declaring that she had bought her first home. He showed her clapping and jumping with a fake champagne bottle that spewed confetti. It included a caption that read “The greatest achievement of my life. Let’s toast to the next chapter.”
The video has garnered more than 4 million views and thousands of comments. Some celebrated Bailey’s success, but others said the young TikToker was bragging about how some struggle to make ends meet.
“This is very disturbing to see,” one TikTok user commented. “Like paramedics who save lives 12 hours a day, five to seven days a week, and still can’t afford heat.”
Another wrote: “I can’t even afford to buy a bar of milk from the cooperative.”
Others accused the TikTok influencer of not having a real job, Bailey said.
“I think people forget that even though social media isn’t a 9 to 5… there’s still a lot of things that come with social media,” Bailey said. “I still have to pay the tax. I still have to do everything. I have to keep my accounts like a company would.”
Bailey left the university when classes went remote as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and He started trying to capitalize on social media. She focuses her content on her daily life, posts about family, and shares relationship advice.
“I wanted people to grow with me,” he said. “I just wanted to show people that people can have a lot of followers and still be normal.”
He started making money by posting on TikTok, but then got paid by the number of views, shares, and comments. As his followers grew, offers from brands began to arrive.
“It took a lot of brand deals and money to prove to my family, ‘Look, you don’t have to worry about me, I’m going to be able to do what’s best for me,’” Bailey said. .
Bailey told Fox News that he used to borrow money from friends to get food before making big money on TikTok. She has amassed 2.9 million followers on TikTok and almost 400,000 on Instagram.
“Social media has opened many doors for me, opportunities that I never thought I could have,” he said. “I have been able to help my family, help my friends. “I’ve been able to let them experience it with me.”
Bailey frequently posts how grateful she is to her followers and loved ones for trusting her and helping her succeed. But the TikTok star said negative comments about purchasing her first home initially stopped her from moving.
“I had problems and for a long time I didn’t move into the house just because I felt a big weight on my shoulders,” Bailey said. “I was scared by all the hate.”
Bailey posted a video addressing the negative comments in April, but has since deleted the post.
“I just wanted to come here to say I’m sorry to anyone who feels like I’m bragging about the house thing,” Bailey said in the TikTok video while sobbing. “Yes, the system is absolutely screwed. I will never understand the fact that I have been so lucky, but believe it or not… I really work.”
But the TikTok influencer finally decided not to let social media haters get her down.
“I think what I’ve learned from using social media is that you’re never going to make everyone happy,” Bailey said. “There will always be people who don’t like you.”
“There may be haters that comment, that watch my videos, but the one thing I always laugh at… at the end of the day, they may hate me, but they’re also helping to get me where I am,” Bailey continued. “They are giving me a view. They are giving me a like. They are giving me a comment. So if they want to hate, they can hate.”