Cheezburger
  • 2 hours ago
A 27-year-old fashion influencer turned CEO is being accused of “psychologically terrorizing” her employees. Now, she’s scrambling to save the image of her multi-million dollar brand.

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Transcript
00:00This Gen Z fashion CEO is being accused of psychologically terrorizing her employees.
00:04Now she's scrambling to save the image of her multi-million dollar brand.
00:08I am so genuinely, genuinely so, so sorry.
00:12Matilda Jerf, a 27 year old Swedish influencer,
00:15found viral fame online by documenting her travels
00:18and showing off her favorite outfits and beauty tips.
00:21By the time she turned 24,
00:23the Gen Z-er founded her own fashion line called Jerf Avenue,
00:26inspired by her own wardrobe,
00:28with a brand philosophy that promotes positivity and inclusivity.
00:31I'm Matilda and I'm wearing Jerf Avenue.
00:37The brand was an overnight sensation among her massive online fan base.
00:41Teens and young women who want to emulate Matilda's effortless,
00:44cool girl image helped her earn $35 million in revenue last year.
00:49But things aren't always how they appear.
00:51Matilda was the subject of a bombshell investigation by a Swedish newspaper.
00:5511 former and current Jerf Avenue employees blew the whistle of Matilda's behavior
01:00and alleged that the company had an abusive workplace environment of psychological terror,
01:04including repeated and widespread incidents of bullying, favoritism,
01:08intimidation, belittling, yelling and fatphobia.
01:12So important to know if anything f***s up, it's not our fault, it's their fault.
01:16I'm joking, we're all a team.
01:18Swedish news outlet Aftonbladet later released an investigative documentary
01:22on the various allegations featuring the former and current employees
01:25openly and anonymously discuss their experiences of bullying
01:29and subsequent psychological distress.
01:45One accuser claims Matilda reserved a certain toilet in the office
01:48for herself and her favorite employees.
01:50She allegedly put a sign on the door reading,
01:53Please do not use in English.
01:55When the sign fell down and one of her not-so-favorite employees used it by mistake,
01:59the report says she made an employee scrub the toilet as punishment.
02:03Others claim that Matilda openly swears at her employees in office, often making them cry.
02:07Another was disturbed by the CEO's outward disgust toward large body sizes.
02:12In response to images of a plus-size model, Jeff allegedly said,
02:15We have to reshoot this because she looks so f***ing fat in these clothes.
02:20We can't show that.
02:21Interesting behavior, considering Jeff Avenue has long prided itself on being inclusive.
02:26So how did the young CEO handle the backlash?
02:29Well, it didn't exactly go well.
02:31Just five days after being accused of harassment by her workers,
02:34Matilda posted a Notes app apology to her Instagram feed.
02:37To anyone who I've hurt or let down, I want to start by saying that I'm genuinely sorry.
02:41When I started Jerf Avenue, I never expected that the company would be what it is today.
02:46With so many team members and so much responsibility, I wasn't ready.
02:50Critics rolled their eyes at her cliched text-only apology
02:53and called her out for going right back to business as usual on Instagram,
02:56where she quickly shared personal holiday photos following the apology post.
03:00One replied,
03:01So you're just gonna act like nothing happened?
03:04Another joked,
03:05Chill time after yelling at my employees all year.
03:07The investigative report caused Jerf Avenue to lose hundreds of thousands of followers,
03:12but Matilda's ride-or-die fans are optimistic the fashionista will bounce back.
03:16Besides, one could argue that the only way to change bad behavior
03:20is when it starts to hurt your bank account.