Privilege, Twitter, and Homophobia: Why many followers are turning their backs on Polly Vadasz and Elle Darby

 Founder of Sighh Studio, Polly Vadasz, and influencer couple Elle Darby and Connor Smith have been called out for offensive Tweets dating back to 2011. But is ‘cancelling’ them the solution?

We are all familiar with cancel culture by now, with many celebrities being publicly reprimanded for their past comments and actions. We may have even done some digging ourselves and been shocked at what we have found. The ever-increasing list of cancelled celebs has made us more conscious of our own posting habits, making us think twice before we post online. But is it productive to unfollow and stop supporting an individual because of the attitudes they held as a teenager?

Influencer couple Elle Darby and Connor Smith may seem like the dream family online, but a backlog of harmful, racist tweets has been uncovered from their past. Similarly, business owner Polly Vadasz has come under scrutiny for her historic social media posts.

The offensive Tweets are a world away from the positive and uplifting messages Polly Vadasz promotes in her lines of stationery and accessories. After a quick scroll through Sighh Studio, you will find decals and planners printed with phrases such as ‘you got this’ and ‘working on myself for myself’. This could not be further apart from the prolific log of racist, homophobic, classist, and ableist Tweets dating from 2011-2017 that have surfaced, causing Vadasz to delete her account.

Forums, such as Tattle.life, dedicated to exposing the harmful Tweets have become popular amid concerns of them spreading hate towards Vadasz and Darby. The intent of the pages is to encourage others to stop supporting the individuals because of the offensive posts. There are concerns over the impact losing followers, friends, and business can have on the mental wellbeing of the individuals.

Twitter users are calling for high profile supporters of Vadasz and Darby to unfollow their accounts, and for others to follow suit. Vlogger Gabriella Lindley has previously worked with Vadasz and has voiced her horror at the situation.  

It’s hard to imagine having your entire business put at risk, as well as losing friends and followers because of how you acted on the internet as a teenager. To what extent to we believe that people can change, and can we forgive hateful comments from the past?

Vadasz released an apology on her private Instagram account, promising to give a set percentage of profits to charities that promote inclusive teaching in schools and workplaces. However, there has been no acknowledgement on her business account, where most of her followers are. There is the assumption that the business owner hopes that some of her customers will remain unaware of the situation and continue to support her business.

Cancel culture is harmful and we must allow room for people to make mistakes and learn their lessons online. However, until we receive a public apology from Vadasz, there will continue to be calls for people to stop supporting these individuals.