TikTok star Sienna Gomez apologises after Did You Eat Today? merch backlash

16 February 2021, 12:49

Sienna Mae responds to backlash over “did you eat today” merch

By Sam Prance

Sienna Gomez has since removed the Did You Eat Today? merch from her Confidence Is Cute store.

TikTok star Sienna Gomez is coming under fire over new merch items with the phrase "did you eat today?" printed on them.

Sienna Gomez is a 17-year-old TikTok creator. She's currently amassed over 15 million followers thanks to her popular, body positive videos and she's also launched her own successful merch brand, Confidence Is Cute. The brand stocks an array of tees, hoodies, sweatpants and beanies adorned with phrases like "every body is beautiful" and "stop looking at my rolls".

For the most part, Sienna's work has received praise from the TikTok community. However, her latest additions to her merch store have been criticised for being insensitive to people with eating disorders and now Sienna's apologised for them.

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TikTok star Sienna Gomez addresses Did You Eat Today? merch backlash
TikTok star Sienna Gomez addresses Did You Eat Today? merch backlash. Picture: @siennamarie via TikTok, @confidenceiscute via Instagram

Last week, Sienna added a selection of "did you eat today?" hoodies and sweatpants to her store. The merch was met with immediate backlash online. People began accusing the merch of making light of and being triggering to people with eating disorders. Images of Sienna promoting the merch quickly went viral with people asking her to stop selling it.

Sienna then took to Instagram to defend the designs. She wrote: "The 'did you eat today question’ is not meant to make fun of/ glorify EDS/ be harmful or ironic in any way. The question is hoping to encourage/ check-in with people if they actually ate. This question is about expressing compassion and care for those who are seriously struggling."

She continued: "Not liking this design (which is okay) is different than misinterpreting the meaning behind it - which we are hoping to clarify now. We created this design with love and positivity in hope of uplifting others and asking hard questions. We stand behind the true intentions of this 100%."

However, just hours later, Sienna removed the items from her site and took to TikTok to apologise. In a video, she said: "Hey guys, I have heard the messages from many of you and I’m deeply sorry for any offense caused. I am young and I am still navigating the world. and this industry and obviously, I will not get it right the first time.

She added: "I care deeply about inclusivity and I strive to lead by example. that means listening."

Sienna ended the video by saying: "With that said, I have heard you and I have removed the merch. I will still be donating all the proceeds of this line to Teen line, which is a place that many teens can reach out for help. I care about you and thank you for speaking up. Be nice to someone today. We are all struggling with something."