An Influencer’s Guide To The Meaning Of ‘Essential’
In the midst of a pandemic, influencers have taken it upon themselves to graciously travel abroad in order to keep us motivated and united in these troubling times. An interview on This Morning with influencer Sheridan Mordew provoked national outrage after she claimed that her trip to Dubai- and by extension, all travel that influencers have undertaken during the pandemic- is ‘essential’, as her fitness videos keep her followers motivated. So, let’s start with a definition and then see where that relates to the role of influencers.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, ‘essential’ is defined as “necessary or needed”. The first job that comes to mind when I think about essential professions is any job in the medical profession; when I think about essential professions during the time of a world-wide health crisis, my answer definitely doesn’t change. More roles relating to this meaning include supermarket workers, delivery/postal services, police/firefighters, and any other job that is necessary for society to stay healthy, safe, and have access to the essentials. As an employee at a fast food restaurant, the UK defines my job as essential too- and to a certain extent I agree. Entries that fall to the bottom of the priorities-for-pandemic-survival-list, however, would be watching the Insta-famous living their best life in Dubai. For Mordew and other influencers to speak openly of how important it is for them to be abroad is an insult to every worker who has no choice but to go to work, come into contact with infected members of the public, and help ensure that the country has access to everything it needs. Doctors, nurses, carers, hospital canteen/cleaning staff, and every other role that keeps healthcare running are the backbone of our countries, and to claim that ‘influencing people’ is anywhere near that same level of inspiring is a lie, plain and simple. Anton Danyluk- one of the participants from Love Island- argued that he was “not taking the piss” when he was called out for his travel, stating that he was in Dubai for legitimate business reasons. Granted, some people might need a reminder that holidays and good times will eventually return, but having carefree influencers posting about lounging around a pool in the sun is not the most considerate way to achieve this.
For something to be essential, it must by definition be something that we can’t do without. As a little experiment for this article, I unfollowed every influencer on social media to see how I fared and, honestly, I didn’t notice any difference. One influencer I refollowed after the week was up that also does workout videos is Joe Wicks, known for his healthy recipes and short fitness routines. Throughout the pandemic, Wicks has regularly been releasing workouts to keep his followers motivated and healthy- and he’s been doing all of this from the comfort and safety of his own home. Within the This Morning interview, clips from Mordew’s workout videos were played and they all take place inside the hotel apartment she is staying at. “This could be in your garage in Bolton,” Philip Schofield points out in the interview, to which she replied that she jumped at the opportunity to “get on a plane for essential travel and get out to Dubai” as many of her clients “depend on me for motivation to bring their happiness and all that”. After playing a clip of Mordew riding a camel and celebrating her 24th birthday at a club, Holly Willoughby made the accurate point that, as is natural, seeing people doing something that is physically, financially, and legally impossible for you to achieve only promotes jealousy about our personal lockdown circumstances. As ostensibly well-intentioned as the excuses given by influencers are, the travelling and incessant posting drastically misses the mark for ‘motivational’ and lands somewhere central to ‘tone-deaf’. The viral tweet below features Dr Alex, an influencer who also works in A&E, versus an influencer that jetted off to Dubai as soon as he could.
Another point that Mordew attempted to make during her interview was that influencers are keeping people united. I suppose that, technically, she’s not wrong. Never had my twitter timeline been so full of people in agreement and all sharing similar opinions on a topic. Of course, what we were in agreement about wasn’t the essential nature of influencers- but at least there were a few days of harmony where the general public could all come together for a common cause: thanking the true essential heroes of the country, and finally clicking that unfollow button on influencers’ pages for good.
by Holly Berry
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