Latest news with #AimeeSmale
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘It is so hard': Grim reason CEO is getting trolled
A successful CEO has shared the horrendous response she got from men after she posted a video of herself crying. Aimee Smale, 27, is the founder of the UK fashion brand Odd Muse. The incredibly successful brand, established in 2020, has gone from strength to strength. The 27-year-old recently found herself at the bottom of an internet pile-on because of her brand when a debate erupted on whether Odd Muse could be considered fast or slow fashion. The conversation ended with the CEO being viciously trolled online, and in response, she posted a video of herself crying. Ms Smale has over 200,000 followers on TikTok alone, and she shared that she was feeling 'heartbroken today' and was taking the backlash to heart. 'I can't lie the abuse I'm receiving is overwhelming. I shouldn't look but it is hard when the accusations are so wild and untrue,' she said. The clip went viral, and she deleted it, but it was too late because, bizarrely, some online discourse erupted, primarily from men claiming her display of emotion meant she shouldn't be running a company. 'Grow up and be professional,' one advised. 'No one looks good crying,' another said. 'Toughen up princess. Life is hard, and you've just shown this woman that you can't take the heat,' someone else said. 'I'm not sure you're right for the cutthroat business world if you're immediate response to criticism is to start crying for attention on the internet,' one said. 'This is why the most successful business moguls are men. They don't cry, and definitely don't make a video crying and playing victim,' another said. Someone else said she was a 'stupid woman', and another claimed that being a businesswoman means you can't film yourself crying. Ms Smale then took to social media again and blasted the men commenting such sexist things and argued that any man saying her crying is an example of why 'women shouldn't run companies' likely has no idea what it is like to do AU$63 million in sales. That video was met with an outpouring of support from women who were quick to point out showing emotion doesn't mean you can't do your job. 'They hate to see a girl boss win because they know they never could,' one wrote. 'We will cry when we want and we will succeed when we want,' someone else cheered. 'You're building empires while they're building paragraphs in the comments section. Nothing rattles fragile egos like a woman doing better than they ever will,' another argued. Someone else theorised, 'Men can't stand to see a woman more successful than they'll ever be.' 'We're literally human. It's so crazy. We're meant to cry for a reason. Why are you holding it in?' one asked. 'I don't know why people think bosses don't cry? CEO's cry. People cry,' someone reasoned.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Odd Muse fashion brand boss sobs hysterically over 'offensive' videos about her clothing
The founder of fashion brand Odd Muse has broken down in tears after claiming she has received a wave of online abuse. Aimee Smale, 27, who owns the Brentwood, Essex-based aspirational luxury label, shared a clip of herself crying to her TikTok account, alongside a lengthy caption that stated she was 'heartbroken' over the 'bullying' she has received online over the last week. While she didn't directly call anyone out by name, it is widely believed that the emotional video came in response to American influencer @plzdontbuythat, who posted a clip accusing Odd Muse of mistitling itself as a 'slow fashion' brand a few days ago. Slow fashion is the opposite of fast fashion in that its production focuses on quality garments that will stand the test of time, ensuring it uses high grade materials to achieve this aim. It is also considered 'ethically' made. The influencer and self dubbed 'apparel educator' - who recently called out fashion label House of CB for allegedly being 'sinophobic', a fear or dislike of China - said Odd Muse was 'fast fashion by every sense of the definition' and 'people that own apparel brands say whatever the f*** they want'. But business owner Aimee, who has previously taken Pretty Little Thing to task over allegedly 'stealing' one of her designs, hit back at the American influencer by calling the 'offensive' accusations about her brand 'wild and untrue'. In a video shared to TikTok, Aimee appeared make up-free and wearing a grey jumper. She was visibly in tears while mouthing words that were inaudible to viewers. She wrote: 'A bit heartbroken today I can't lie, the abuse I'm receiving is overwhelming. I shouldn't look but it's hard when the accusations are so wild and untrue. 'I work so hard and have been so integral with my journey… I can't tell you the amount of things I have said "no" to and challenged in my journey because they do not align with my values. 'All I've ever wanted to do is help others and challenge the norms behind the industry I am in'. She continued to defend herself by saying people believed 'lies over non-scandalous information'. She added that the backlash was perhaps a symptom of success, and that as she had acquired a bigger brand over the years, she had become a 'target'. 'The last time I'm addressing the bullying that has gone on these last few days and just want anyone who is experiencing this right now to reach out because I just want to be there for others right now,' she continued. Odd Muse is seen as a mid-luxury brand that prides itself on being 'timeless' and 'non-seasonal', and markets itself as producing 'investment fashion' pieces for women around the globe. They mostly sell form-fitting dresses, structured two pieces, skirts and trousers, that all retail from around £50 to £180. Last week, @plzdontbuythat shared a video titled 'My thoughts on Odd Muse calling itself "slow fashion"'. 'I was introduced to the brand Odd Muse this week and she loves to describe the company as slow fashion and sustainable... within about 42 seconds of entering the website it's really clear they are fast fashion by every sense of the definition,' she said. The single mother went on to accuse the Odd Muse founder of misrepresenting her brand as slow fashion because the price point 'is really high' and the items are 'made really well'. 'It is my belief that there is zero room for you to call a polyester dress an investment piece - which is like 95 per cent of what the pieces are [made of]' she added. She also referred to the fabric as 'high grade polyester' while at the same time using her hand to mimic a quotation mark. She did however concede that Aimee was 'very successful' and that her brand did 'huge numbers', but warned her viewers not to take the words of apparel owners at 'face value'. Aimee, who regularly models for her own brand, responded to the fast fashion allegations the next day, by calling them 'offensive'. Alongside a video posted to her TikTok account, she penned a caption that read: 'Odd muse is my literal baby, I work so f***ing hard and I am so proud of how much I have grown this brand with integrity. 'I won't listen to people who don't understand fast fashion tell me I am fast fashion. It's so offensive.' The video showed Aimee posing up a storm in what appeared to be an Odd Muse yellow cinched mini dress and brown sunglasses. The still image was accompanied by the words: 'Yesterday I got accused of running a fast fashion brand.' More text explained that there was a 'huge' difference between fast and slow fashion, and that this mostly centred on 'working conditions' and how long it took to bring a product to market. She also shared a screenshot of the what appeared to be the results of a recent BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) audit, for which Odd Muse received the highest grade possible, grade A. BSCI audits assess social compliance and working conditions within a company, such as employee rights, fair pay, occupational health and safety among others. She concluded the video with a short message seemingly aimed at the apparel educator, which read: 'Leave me alone now please x'. However the mini presentation failed to pacify the influencer, who said the BSCI audit was incomplete.
