Self-help author Rachel Hollis is facing a flurry of backlash online after posting a weird video defending her use of a cleaning person in her personal life.
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“I was doing a Livestream and I mentioned that there’s this sweet woman who comes to my house twice a week and cleans,” Hollis explained at the start of the clip originally posted to TikTok. “Someone commented and said ‘you are privileged af.’”
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Hollis went on to explain the back-and-forth she had with this viewer, copping to her privilege but ultimately defending it because she says she “worked [her] ass off” to get to that point.
And then, she says, the viewer accused her of being “unrelatable.”
“What is it about me that made you think I want to be relatable?” Hollis asked. “No, sis. Literally everything I do in my life is to live a life that most people can’t relate to. Most people won’t work this hard. Most people won’t get up at 4am. Most people won’t fail publicly again and again just to reach the top of the mountain.
“Literally every woman I admire in history was unrelatable. If my life is relatable to most people, I’m doing it wrong.”
Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with working hard to try to obtain the life you want to live, nor is there anything wrong with spending your money on things that will make your life easier.
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But when things do tend to get iffy is when people with privilege get defensive about their privilege or insinuate that they unequivocally work harder than people who have less, and commenters were ready to call Hollis out for her remarks.
“We kinda just think it’s possible to reach the top while also being kind and not demeaning to those who aren’t at the top,” @sisterbirdboutique wrote. “We’re not all called to run the same race, sis.”
“Rich people saying they work harder is all too common and still so wrong,” added @shellbruner.
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Nearly a week later, Hollis apologized for the video, but many felt she was still missing the point. Her “apology” asked if her post was upsetting because she has a housecleaner, or if it was because she mentioned a number of famous women throughout history, like Harriet Tubman and Marie Curie, who she also believes were unrelatable.
She defended both choices and then claimed she’d been quiet for the last few days at the behest of her “team,” rather than listening to her gut and responding to the backlash right away.
“Perhaps taking a moment to reflect on the biggest reason you’re not learning is because you’re not listening,” @drjolenebrighten suggested. “Getting help & employing help is not the issue. Treating them like ‘the help’ and devaluing them and the countless others who get up every day and work a hell of a lot harder than you is the issue.
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“You can’t give a sincere apology that addresses the issue until you understand the issue.”
*First Published: April 5, 2021, 7:24 am
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