It's not multi-millionaire Chrissy Teigen's fault that you think she's #RelatableAF and are now shocked that she once drank an expensive bottle of wine.
Yesterday, 'Chrissy Teigen Net Worth' started to trend on Google after she tweeted asking people 'what’s the most expensive thing you’ve eaten that you thought sucked?' and then shared: 'one time john and I were at a restaurant and the waiter recommended a nice Cabernet. We got the bill and it was 13,000 dollars. HOW DO U CASUALLY RECOMMEND THAT WINE. we didn’t even finish it and it had been cleared!!!'
Within moments, people jumped on Chrissy, saying her comments were 'tone deaf' and that 'People are not going to relate to this.'
Chrissy responded: 'hey, not everything I say on my twitter is going to be relatable to you because it is my life and my twitter and my stories. I see your tweets, I get your jokes, you are so funny, yes, you really nailed me,'
Chrissy is funny. Chrissy has two kids and has to deal with the problems that life throws at you that no amount of money can protect you from. Chrissy was also once not rich, so probably understands some of what is is to not be mega-rich. There's a lot that Chrissy says that you, in your life, might be able to relate to. Whether that's her love of cooking, how cute she thinks everything her kids say is, or her awful recent baby loss.
Chrissy Teigen and her husband John Legend are also rich AF. And you know what, THAT'S FINE, because she was never out here with a begging cup pretending and asking for your charity. In fact, it's the opposite. Her net worth is approximated at $75million. And that's not an awful secret she's been hiding from you and you should now feel duped by - it took me 0.00056 seconds to google. In just the last few weeks, she's been on what looked liked an incredibly expensive and incredibly lovely holiday - and posted about it on Instagram a lot. She's also posted on Instagram about travelling to Washington DC where she wore a LOT of very beautiful clothes and her husband performed as part of the week of the US President's Inauguration. She's posted about filming TV shows. She's posted stories and pictures from her very big, beautifully decorated house.
If you thought Chrissy Teigen and John Legend HADN'T at some point been to a restaurant and spend several thousand pounds on a bottle of wine, then I don't think that's a secret she's been hiding from you.
But it might be a secret you've been hiding from yourself.
Instagram and social media has suckered us into believing we have access to the truth of everyone's lives - and that because of that democratisation, there's somehow a level playing field we're on. On Instagram's playing field, we can buy similar candles, have similar issues, think the same things about Donald Trump and we can be fooled into believing that old adage that celebrities are 'just like us'.
Maybe I've been hearing the jokes differently this whole time, but I've never felt duped that she's anything other than an extremely beautiful model who is now very rich
But most of them aren't. Most of them are VERY rich. Most of the problems you face, they'll never face. Most of the issues you are tackling, they can solve with money and connections. Maybe of the mountains you try to climb, they can helicopter to the top of thanks to privilege.
And of course privilege is dangerous - unchecked. But surely when it comes to Chrissy Teigen and her net worth there's some self-awareness? Always to her humour? Maybe I've been hearing the jokes differently this whole time, but I've never felt duped that she's anything other than an extremely beautiful model who is now very rich and lives a very lovely lifestyle.
In other areas, it can be greyer though. The fashion blogger you follow and wish you had their wardrobe... is there family money there? Are all the clothes tagged as ads? The mum blogger who seems to be able to do it all... do they have a nanny? Do you really know how often their mum comes over? The beauty fave who swears by this £2.99 product... do they also have weekly £299 facials? And is she getting them for free? The Influencer who posts like they just woke up like this... what filter are they using? That extremely beautiful older celebrity that looks 20 years younger than you... what surgery are they claiming they didn't have but definitely did? And your reality show fave who reckons you should pop to Dubai for a slice of the celeb life... did they get free what most of us might earn in a year? Do you ever reach the bottom of a caption to see the #ADs? The brands tagged in the same colour as the background of their stories?
In situations like those, there is a real issue around the pretence of relatability on social media. People are being conned. And it's causing real world issues, because people feel bad about themselves when they look at someone and don't know their story, but expect to be able to emulate them. You might not have the same advantages, but are holding yourself to the same standards. It's something that needs to be addressed, and it something I hope people will start to interrogate themselves when using social media.
But, surely, with Chrissy Teigen and her 'surprise' net worth, there was no fake stage set? If there was a misunderstanding, it was yours - perhaps stirred up by social media and the spell it has bound over us.
That's not to say that because someone is rich, privileged, famous, that they won't sometimes have the same struggles as you, struggles that no amount of power can change. We don't all have to stay in our lane. Not only should aspiration be real, but there are great levellers in life. As Chrissy, who so bravely and openly shared the loss of her baby, Jack, recently, knows only too well.
Yesterday, not long before her wine tweet, Chrissy posted: 'my little jack would have been born this week so I'm a bit off. I truly feel kicks in my belly, but it's not phantom. I have surgery for endometriosis tomorrow...but the period feeling this month is exactly like baby kicks. sigh.'
And, once people had set upon her, she added: 'me, sharing story of getting screwed over by a waiter. shares story of rough week, baby would have been born. feeling anxious, sad. you: let's fucking own this rich bitch for retweets'. How brutal. No matter how much Chrissy is worth, you can bet that yesterday was a bad day.
Celebs, they're not just like us. They are humans, and sometimes things happen to them that also happen to us. A lot of the time though, that's not the case. While we all continue to live on social media and believe everything we see on our scroll, where people are being honest with you about their lives and circumstances, it's your responsibility to judge what you take to heart, and what you take with a pinch of salt.
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