Australian influencer Jamieson May faced backlash. She tried to collaborate with a restaurant but was turned down. May is known for her content on travel, lifestyle, fashion, and food. She posted a TikTok. In it, she criticized Patsy’s, a vegetarian restaurant, for turning down her request.
In the video, May, with 9,000 TikTok followers, was shocked. She advised fellow creators against working with the restaurant. May said she sent her usual collaboration request to Patsy’s. However, their response was short. They told her to come back when she had over 100,000 followers.
The Incident
May described the response as “absolutely gobsmacked” and claimed it was rude. She hoped to rally support from her followers, but the plan backfired. Many commenters sided with the restaurant, pointing out that her relatively low follower count might not bring the value she promised.
@jamiesonmayyy I just can't believe that someone else in the professional industry of marketing and having there own business would say this to another human being ❤️🩹 Your follower count does not define you! You might have 10x better content then someone with 1 million followers!! I wanted to create this video to let all other content creators know that this is extremely unprofessional and disgusting. – #melbournerestaurants #melbournerestaurant #contentcreator #melbournefood #exposingthetruth #exposingfooditem #exposingrestaurants #contentcreatortips ♬ original sound – jamieson may 🧚🏼
Restaurant Owners Respond
Mathew Guthrie and Clinton Trevisi, the owners of Patsy’s, responded to the controversy by explaining their decision. They mentioned that May’s followers were not their target market and suggested that her video might have been an attempt to increase her visibility through outrage.
Following the backlash, on May 21, May announced that she would be taking a break from social media. She did not provide a specific reason for her hiatus but posted a message on her Instagram, which has 15,600 followers, stating, “heading offline for a few days” along with a heart emoji.
Defending Her Actions
In an interview with Daily Mail Australia, May defended her video, claiming it reached the wrong audience. She argued that non-creators and influencers misunderstood her.
This led to harsh criticism and accusations of entitlement. May clarified that her original message to Patsy’s did not ask for free services but objected to the way she was treated.
They turned off comments on the original TikTok post. But, the incident sparked a broader discussion.
