Influencer Becca Bloom has drawn criticism over her and her husband David Pownall’s lavish holiday traditions.
On social media, Bloom has been dubbed the queen of #RichTok, a side of TikTok where people document their luxurious lifestyles. In a video posted on her account Sunday, she and Pownall detailed their “controversial” holiday traditions, with Bloom’s husband revealing that she opens her Christmas presents before December 25.
“I don’t do well with surprises,” Bloom said, before her husband argued that she actually picks her own presents and “acts surprised” when she opens them.
The influencer then shared that her mother sets up a Christmas tree in the house, but not for Bloom and Pownall.
“[She] sets up a Christmas tree for every pet in our household. So we have a tree for our dog, a tree for our cat, and a tree for our fish,” she explained. “And they each have their own presents underneath them.”
Pownall explained that during the holidays, he and Bloom, who had an extravagant wedding in Lake Como in August, are thinking about their future children.
“We buy presents for our future kids and write them Christmas letters,” he said.
For Thanksgiving, Bloom said that instead of going around the table and saying what they’re thankful for, everyone thanks her mother. Bloom’s parents are Simon Yiming Ma and Heidi Chou, Chinese tech entrepreneurs who co-founded the software company Camelot Information Systems.
They concluded the video with a luxurious tradition that Becca and her mother have for Christmas presents: Wrapping them in silk instead of wrapping paper.
“Insane,” Pownall said, before Bloom chimed in: “It’s more environmentally conscious that way. This way, we reuse the wrapping paper every single year, and we can also use it as a scarf.”
“It’s quite the rationalization,” Pownall added.
@beccaxbloom *Controversial* Holiday Traditions in our Family🎄🎄 #vancouver #holiday #christmas #christmastraditions #christmasdecor
♬ original sound - Becca Bloom
In the comments section of the video, which has more than 3.2 million views, followers reacted in disbelief to Bloom’s Christmas traditions.
“You wrap gifts in what??? The fish has a tree??? You thank your mom every year?” one wrote.
“Are you being serious? THE FISH?” another added, while a third joked: “Are u telling me ur fish is living a better life than me??”
Other people accused Bloom and Pownall of bragging about their wealth.
“Gifts for a fish, meanwhile, I’m struggling to buy a coat for winter,” one commented.
“This feels out of touch…” another wrote, while a third added: “When u have so much money, u don't know what to do...future kids get gifts.”
On TikTok, Bloom, who is the founder of Studipal, an online tutoring program for students in China, and the co-founder of Hearth Wireless Chargers, a phone charger brand, is known for showcasing her luxurious lifestyle to her 4.9 million followers on TikTok.
In a TikTok posted last month, she pushed back at critics who argued she shouldn’t speak about equality because of her wealth. She went on to say that men “don’t understand” the issue and noted that her husband covers “all the bills,” which she described as the “bare minimum.”
“Men only remember the word equality when it benefits them financially, not when it comes to wages, not when it comes to safety, not when it comes to emotional workload, not when it comes to the cost of beauty,” she added. “Not when it comes to the social scrutiny women face on a daily basis.”
