TikTok influencer Katylee Bailey posted a tearful apology after facing backlash for saying she bought a house aged 21: "I do actually work."
Katylee Bailey via TikTok.
A 21-year-old influencer has defended herself after facing backlash when she announced she had bought her first home, as viewers suggested she did not deserve it because of the nature of her job.
On April 8, Katylee Bailey, a British TikTok influencer with 2.8 million followers who typically posts motivational content about self-love and lifestyle content about spending time with her grandparents and friends, posted a video in which she could be seen popping a confetti cannon that was shaped like a champagne bottle, as an on-screen caption on the post read, "Mortgage free and a home owner at 21 baby!!!"
Bailey's video received 3.8 million views, which is comparatively viral in relation to her other posts that typically receive hundreds of thousands of views. While many commenters expressed support for the influencer, noting that it was a big achievement to own a house at her age, others were critical, suggesting her post was out of touch and insensitive towards other people who are struggling to afford rent and housing.
"So sad the people that work the least get this, and people putting their life on the line can barely afford heating," one person wrote.
"Meanwhile everyone else has real jobs and struggle to make ends meet," another commenter wrote.
Several commenters talked about how they could not afford to buy a house mortgage-free with the salary from their current industries, which they said included the care sector and engineering, implying that influencers make a disproportionate income for the amount of work that it is thought they do. As one person put it: "Maximum everything for minimum effort."
As Insider previously reported, UK residents have been increasingly turning to TikTok to share money-saving tips to cope with the nation's cost-of-living crisis, as the country has seen food and energy prices soar over the past year. According to the UK-based housing and homelessness nonprofit Shelter, this has had a particularly devastating impact on low-income renters — its most recent data states that almost 2.5 million UK residents are either behind or constantly struggling to pay their rent.
On April 10, Bailey posted a follow-up video, tearfully responding to the online backlash with an apology to her viewers.
"I'm sorry to anyone who feels like I'm bragging about the house thing. Yes the system is absolutely fucked. I will never get my head around the fact that I've been so lucky," she said.
The influencer added that she "did not grow up with money," and remains proud of herself for being able to afford a home because of her job, which she said does require hard work on her part.
"I do actually work, and let me tell you something, social media is so mentally draining," she said.
The post received 3.7 million views, and commenters were overwhelmingly supportive in response to the influencer's statement, saying that they did not think she should feel obliged to apologize over negative remarks.
"Wow do not sit there and apologise for something you have achieved YOURSELF you should be proud and so should everyone," one person wrote.
In the past, influencers who have shared videos about large or elaborate purchases have come under fire with accusations that their posts were out of touch with the reality for most people.
In October, Insider reported that lifestyle influencer Quenlin Blackwell faced backlash after telling her TikTok followers she "accidentally' bought a couch for $100,000, before appearing to suggest the whole thing was a prank. The following month, influencer and OnlyFans creator Tara Lynn was criticized for saying in a TikTok that she spent $10,000 on Harry Styles tickets so she could be close to the stage.
Representatives for Bailey did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.
