Are some occupations just more valid than others?

If the essential vs. non-essential job survey that surfaced in the midst of circuit breaker in 2020 taught us anything, it’s to avoid deeming certain occupations more important than others.

With another public figure on the TikTok hit list for purportedly expecting others to accommodate her by steering clear of her during her photoshoot in the London Underground, it appears that the lesson from the most infamous survey of Singapore in 2020 has yet to preach itself overseas.

Models

Model Antonia Freya Lydia has recently come under fire for a behind-the-scenes video shared on TikTok, whereby members of the public constantly strolled into her pictures, interrupting her photoshoot in the London Underground.

Lydia’s TikTok video, which has since spread like wildfire and currently boasts millions of views, shows her rolling her eyes, glaring at commuters walking past the camera and clearly getting irritated.

I mean, I guess that’s fine in the London Underground, but in Singapore, you just might run the risk of taking the limelight in Beow Tan’s next YouTube video.

This has set off a debate among netizens in relation to photoshoots in public areas, and whether it was right for the model to react the way she did to the unknowing commuters disrupting the photoshoot.

A few TikTok users have even openly condemned Lydia with response videos, one such user being TikToker @itsprestonlr, who criticises the model for getting annoyed at commuters with “real jobs” who are “trying to get to work”.

His comments were met with agreement from an army of viewers, who slammed the model for expecting commuters to steer clear of her just because she was having a photoshoot.

Essentially, many viewers felt that the model was entitled and in the midst of doing her job, was ignorant to the needs of the surrounding commuters who were just trying to commute to their jobs too.

Some viewers also shared that the model should have known better, as she could not possibly expect a public area where thousands of people go every day for the purposes of commuting, to be empty.

Others concurred with the above and argued that the model should have been prepared for disruptions to her photoshoot.

Perhaps the solution to dispersing the crowd lies in the Kopitiam auntie’s catchline – “Excuse me! Hot Ah!”.

On the other camp however, some viewers, especially content creators and photography enthusiasts, sympathised with Lydia and her photographer.

Members of this camp argued that even with plenty of room in the surrounding area, people would still walk straight into the photo, blocking the camera.

In response to TikToker @itsprestonlr’s video, netizens also came to Lydia’s defence by arguing that modelling and photography were as real a profession as that of the commuters seen in the video.

They argued that commuters should have respected the model’s space as well by trying not to disrupt her photoshoot.

So, which camp are you on?

Featured Image: TikTok / @turnttoni