A viral video of Charli D’Amelio, where she posed as a Walmart cashier, has drawn criticism from social media users on X. They called out the influencer for “cosplaying” working-class life while being a multi-millionaire.
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Charli D’Amelio cosplays as a Walmart employee
Charli D’Amelio, one of the first Gen Z Influencers to make it big on TikTok, has come under fire from social media users for pretending to work as a cashier at Walmart while promoting her family’s new product launch.
After joining TikTok in 2019, D’Amelio shared dance videos on the app, where she now has over 150 million followers. She is the most-followed person and is the highest-paid star on TikTok.
The D’Amelio family (daughters Charli D’Amelio and Dixie D’Amelio and parents Marc and Heidi D’Amelio) are launching Be Happy Snacks Popcorn, a brand of popcorn that will be sold exclusively at Walmart and on Walmart.com, this week. To celebrate the launch, the family shared videos of themselves scanning the bags of snack popcorn at a Walmart check-out stand.
The family posted several videos on their official TikTok account sporting the signature blue Walmart vests, smiling wide, and working as cashiers and stockers. “Our mood watching people get their @Be Happy Snacks,” they captioned one of the posts. “Go get yours now!!”
@dameliofamilyofficial Our mood watching people get their @Be Happy Snacks ♬ IT GIRL – Sped up Version – Aliyah's Interlude
X users react
The TikToks were reposted to X, formerly known as Twitter, where the Influencer family was criticized for their campaign. Walmart employees get paid $17.50 per hour, and Charli D’Amelio is worth an estimated $17.5m, according to Forbes. Many people argued that the videos were insensitive to several employees who earn minimum wage doing such jobs.
User @MediaverseCU on X posted, “I feel like this makes a mockery of working class jobs but okay….”. Another user said, “Maybe I’m just a hater but something about a rich person pretending to be a working class citizen just rubs me in the wrong way,”.
I feel like this makes a mockery of working class jobs but okay….
— Max MediaVerse (@MediaverseCU) October 29, 2023
Other users also shared their sarcastic responses on the app, saying “yasss cosplaying the working class”, and “don’t you love when billionaires cosplay as the working class,”. Another user said, “so weird to see people have fun role-playing the working class lol”.
yasss cosplaying the working class
— alfonso🪽 (@ctrlalfonso) October 29, 2023
Do celebrities actually cosplay the working class that often?
It is not just Charli D’Amelio who has faced criticism for pretending to perform and enjoy “normal” tasks. Last year, in the first season of The Kardashians, Kris and Kylie Jenner were accused of being “privileged” for spending a day engaging in activities typically associated with everyday people, such as grocery shopping and visiting a car wash.
While running their regular errands, the two even found excitement in pushing the shopping cart. They visited a gas station and a car wash, where Kris exclaimed, “This place is like Disneyland. We have to bring the kids here.”
In the past, Ariana Grande has also been criticized for taking pictures with Starbucks staff while dressed in their uniform. In August, Ed Sheeran served hot dogs at The Wieners Circle in August during his Mathematics Tour.
Most recently, Lana Del Rey moonlighted as a waitress at a Waffle House in Alabama this summer. The singer was spotted by fans behind the counter of the restaurant, where she was making coffee and serving customers while wearing a uniform and name tag.
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