Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, who rose to fame on TikTok, are currently in hot water after a new promotional video featured them both dressed up and posing as Walmart cashiers. While these sisters are not the first celebrities to dress up as minimum-wage workers, I do hope this trend of rich people making a mockery out of themselves and others comes to an end.
It’s becoming increasingly clear how out of touch wealthy influencers and celebrities are, whether it’s TikTokers like Mikayla Nogueira complaining about how difficult her job is or Dixie D’Amelio saying she doesn’t want to work anymore and just wants to marry rich. No one is saying that these individuals don’t work, but they are extremely privileged, especially when compared to the jobs of the average, everyday person.
My family and I live below the poverty line, and I used to work at a McDonald’s, so I understand what it’s like to work for minimum wage. It makes me furious to think how much Walmart, billion-dollar company, has paid the D’Amelio sisters for this advertisement when it should be giving back to those who actually work for the company instead. It’s most likely far more than what a single Walmart employee will make in a single year.
It’s disgusting to see Charli and Dixie smiling and posing as they scan and bag products. I thought we stopped playing pretend grocery stores when we became older, but there must be something so fun about imagining yourself as a member of the working class.
In July 2023, young people (16-24) made up 55.0% of the labor force. It is insulting that the D’Amelio sisters get to dress up as Walmart workers for fun as if it’s a Halloween costume when, for many of us who have worked since we were teenagers, working as a Walmart cashier or any other minimum wage job is not glamorous. The sisters starred in the ad to promote their popcorn line, but there are multiple different ways to promote a product that don’t include dressing up as a cashier and pretending to work. The D’Amelios’ PR team must have it out for them, because why did anyone think this would receive positive feedback? I guess negative publicity is still publicity.
There is a difference between promoting a product and being insensitive and out of touch with reality. Walmart is one of the top four employers of SNAP and Medicaid beneficiaries in every state, according to the Government Accountability Office. This means they have the most employees on welfare. As someone who is a recipient of both SNAP and Medicaid benefits, this advertisement money should have been used to raise wages this holiday season for people who actually need it.
Many people work minimum wage jobs just to survive, whereas the D’Amelios are a rich family who get to profit from the poor experience for a few hours. I would love to see them work an actual shift at Walmart, put up with the long hours and rude customers, and then do it all over again the next day — because that is the reality for many of these workers. I’d be extremely surprised if the D’Amelio family addresses this issue at all, but for the time being, I know what popcorn I’m not buying at the grocery store.
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