HEXHAM Labour Party has labelled the words of influencer Molly-Mae Hague as "tone deaf."
It comes after the former Love Island star featured on the Diary of a CEO podcast.
In the episode, the star, who was last year appointed creative director of clothing brand Pretty Little Thing, seemed to suggest anyone could be a millionaire if they work hard enough as “everyone has the same 24-hours in a day”.
"She has received some harsh criticism for her comments and even been compared to Mrs Thatcher", said Hexham Constituency Labour Party in a social media post.
"The problem with her statement is that she fails to acknowledge that while we may have the same amount of time in the day, we don't all have the same privileges and opportunities. While we can all work hard, it won't benefit us all in the same way.
"How hard Molly-Mae works is debatable, we don't know. We haven't lived her life. She may be a grafter, but she needs to be honest and realistic about how she has gotten her riches and fame. It is not all down to hard work, but good fortune and circumstance have played their part.
"For most of us, her lifestyle is not attainable, no matter how hard we work. We might have the same amount of time, but they playing field is not level. We don’t have the connections.
"But also, we have other demands on our 24-hours in the day. We have to care for children or vulnerable relatives. We work hard in jobs such as retail, teaching, nursing etc. which no matter how hard we work, we won’t become rich or famous. It’s not why we work, but it doesn’t mean we are not working hard, it just means the doors are closed.
"An example of those that work hard is the garment makers at Pretty Little Thing/Boohoo who are paid £3.50 an hour. In Molly-Mae’s book, if they work hard, they too could be like her.
"In defence of this sentence, she has said it is factually correct, we do all have 24-hours in the day. It may be factually correct, but it’s tone deaf."
In a statement to the Metro, Molly-Mae's representatives said: "Molly did a podcast interview in December about her own rise to success.
“If you listen to the full conversation and interview, Molly was asked about how the nature of her potential grows and how she believes in herself. This part of the interview was discussing time efficiency relating to success.
"Molly refers to a quote which says 'we all have the same 24-hours in a day as Beyonce'. She was discussing her own experience and how she can resonate with this specific quote.
"Her opinion on if you want something enough, you can work hard to achieve it is how she keeps determined with her own work to achieve more in her own life. Molly is not commenting on anyone else’s life or personal situation she can only speak of her own experience.
"She acknowledges that everyone is raised in different ways and from different backgrounds but her comments here are in reference to timing, hard work and determination in her own life. If you listen to this interview, you can see the whole conversation was about her own personal circumstances, how she has grown up and this small clip in the conversation was talking about a quote that inspires her.
"Social media users have shared a short snippet from this interview with words such as 'if you are homeless, buy a house' and 'if you are poor, be poor' these are absolutely not Molly’s words, these are not Molly’s thoughts and this isn’t at all the meaning or thought behind that conversation."
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