Taiwan influencer criticised for wearing designer boots while helping flood relief operations

A Taiwanese influencer has come under fire for wearing designer boots while volunteering in flood relief operations in Hualien, Taiwan.

According to Taipei Times, on Sep. 23, torrential rain brought by Super Typhoon Ragasa caused a barrier lake in the Mataian River to burst, flooding Guangfu Township in Hualien.

In the aftermath, numerous volunteers have joined efforts to shovel mud out of victims' homes, clean their homes, and help them restore utilities.

One of the volunteers, in particular, stood out, though not for the reason she might have hoped.

Wearing designer boots while helping

On Oct. 5, a Taiwanese influencer, known as Ann, took to Instagram to share photos of herself aiding in the cleanup.

Dressed in a white jacket, leggings, gloves, goggles, and black boots, she was pictured shovelling mud along a debris-covered street.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 妍安·ᴀɴɴ🦄 (@anntw0219)

However, what caught the attention of netizens was not her volunteer spirit, but her choice of footwear.

The boots were allegedly the Longchamp's Cheval Longchamp Flat Boots, reportedly retailing for around NT$9,288 (about S$395).

This, coupled with the polished aesthetic of her photos, sparked a wave of criticism, with some users accusing her of using the disaster zone as a personal photoshoot.

According to ETtoday, some of the comments included:

"This is the first time I've seen boots worth NT$10,000 in Guangfu."

"None of these pictures show her putting in hard work."

Others expressed frustration, suggesting her posts felt more like a fashion shoot rather than a sincere act of volunteerism.

Ann responded to the comments

Ann later addressed the comments in an Instagram Story.

She explained that she had an important shoot upcoming and wanted to avoid injuries that would interfere with her work commitments and affect other staff for this shoot. As such, she switched to other methods of shovelling mud that kept her clothes from getting dirty, ETtoday reported.

Regarding her boots, Ann said that they were simply a pair she already owned, and she chose to wear them as they were tall and comfortable, which made them practical for walking through mud.

She further clarified that she only took photos at the start of her volunteer work, which explained her neat appearance, noting that she looked like a mess afterwards.

"If I have to say what my purpose is, it's very simple. I just wanted to help," she concluded.

Ann added that as a "key opinion leader (KOL)", she believed that it was her responsibility to accept all kinds of feedback, both positive and negative, from the public and thanked netizens for their comments.

Top photos via @anntw0219/Instagram