Youtuber Zoella has been called out for her new advent calendar, which many
fans are calling a complete ripoff. Welcome back to What's Trending, I'm
Shira Lazar. Be sure to LIKE this video and SUBSCRIBE for more social media news.
For those of you who don't know, Zoella is one of the biggest Youtubers in the
UK. Zoella, whose real name is Zoe Sugg, launched her vlog in 2009, featuring
beauty tips, haul videos, and more. By 2013, Zoella was named one of the United
Kingdom's most influential beauty bloggers and
Twitter users. A relationship with fellow YouTube star Alfie deyes aka
PointlessBlog was also made public and they became one of the most influential
digital couples. In 2014, she released her first book titled, "Girl Online," and
reached number three on Amazon's Bestselling Books list while still in
pre-sale. In 2015, Zoella and Alfie even got their own wax figures at Madame
Tussauds. She also has her own line of beauty products called Zoella beauty
that quickly sold out. Zoella has successfully marketed a ton of products,
except for her new advent calendar. Zoella's "All You Need is Xmas"
Lifestyle Advent Calendar seems like many others you may see for sale during
the holidays. British department store Boots was selling the calendar for 65
US dollars. And, it's sold on the website saying, "This individually
designed collection will brighten and accessorize your home and life. Discover
12 amazing and exclusive treats from beautifully scented candles to stunning
accessories, stationery, baking goodies and other special surprises." But, now, many
people are calling it a ripoff. And, many parents are warning each other not to
buy it. A customer review on Boots' website says,
"I love Zoella... I almost like most of her products. This, however, is shocking! I
wouldn't want anything in this! Small and cheap tat! I'm really disappointed and
feel silly if I'm honest." Another reads, "Way too expensive. Not even
worth 10 pounds let alone 50 pounds. What a disappointment."
Another review warns, "Please don't buy this as a gift for your child unless you
hate them. The candles and room spray smell of
disappointment." So, why all the hate? For starters, Zoella's Advent Calendar isn't
even a proper Advent calendar. Advent calendars are German Christmas tradition
dating back over 200 years. Traditionally, the calendars count down
the days from December 1st to Christmas Day on December 25th, hiding 25 treats in
special drawers. Zoella's calendar is a 12 Days of Christmas Calendar, so it
starts on Christmas! Isn't the fun leading up to Christmas? Ah, hey! Who cares. It's
Christmas all year! Yeah. And, that's still only 12 days! They cut the amount of
treats and gifts in half. Her calendar is also more expensive than her competitors.
For example, beauty brands Sephora's 2017 Advent Calendar is priced at $45, $20 less
than Zoella's. Ulta also offers a 12-day Calendar similar to Zoella's,
but sells for less than 20 US dollars. Also, the goodies inside are less than
great. Many brands offer their best products or coupons inside their Advent
calendar, which is why they have become a trendy holiday product. But Zoella's
calendar offers trinkets like of Christmas ornament, some confetti, a
purse, a small candle, two cookie cutters, a note pad, another candle, a pen, some room
spray, stickers, and a keychain. Sorry for the spoilers.
"How can this get bad? We have..."
So Zoella's Advent Calendar is more expensive
than others, has half of the treats, and the ones that are in there, are junk!
Her fans deserve better! And, many people are calling her out for this crappy
Christmas gift. Wonderland Blogs tweets, "Let's not joke around now, if the Zoella
Advent Calendar didn't have her name on it, she'd think it was an overpriced piece
of sh*t too." Luce writes, "Zoella isn't that much older than me and
whoops I'm busting my ass 40 hours a week for just over minimum wage she
charges kids 50 pounds for cardboard and confetti." So ,how much of a ripoff is it?
Well, one Twitter user did the homework. Yasmine Summan did some searching on
Amazon and Primark and says, "Buying each item individually would altogether cost
you 21.57 pounds (it's roughly $29). So, you're paying 28.43 pounds
(that's 37.42 US dollars) extra for her name on it."
Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals! Also, British discount chain Poundland
trolled Zoella showing off that they have all the same junk for a fraction of
the cost. So, would you buy this? Let us know in the COMMENTS below.
And, this isn't Zoella's first brush with controversy. Many people called her out
for not writing her book, instead having a bulk of it written by a
ghostwriter. In 2016, she was called out for this Snapchat photo of her saying,
"good night" that showed off her underwear, shocking some who viewed
Zoella as a role model for young girls. A few months later, she responded to the
backlash by doing a more professional photo shoot in her underwear defending
herself by saying, "I have young teen viewers, yes, but I am also a 26-year-old
woman." When you're an influencer, and people will buy anything from you,
whether it's good or bad, you need to be wary of this! Like, who are you partnering
with, what types of products are you putting out there?
It's easy to be cheap, because you just want to make money! But, in the end,
consumers are smart these days, and they will call you out, so watch out and put
something out that you would buy! Let us know what we should be covering next , and
be sure to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE for more of What's Trending.