Outrage over influencer Jadé Tuncdoruk's rates is unreasonable

A storm erupted when Sydney influencer Jadé Tuncdoruk said she refused to work for free – but there’s an infuriating reason people are outraged.

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Influencer Jadé Tuncdoruk is a businesswoman, so why does her choice to back herself and her value make many so uncomfortable?

Jadé Tuncdoruk, or Jadé Tunchy as she’s known to her hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, is a businesswoman.

While ‘influencing’ is a decidedly modern day gig, her Instagram profile isn’t some cute hobby, it’s her shopfront, her ‘office’, her way to generate income.

Never one to keep her opinions stifled, Jadé recently commented on a strange phenomenon occurring with her business right now.

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Jadé Tuncdoruk revealed she had been dropped by brand after refusing to work for free or a discount. Picture: Instagram / Jadé Tunchy

Clients she’s maintained a relationship with for years are now asking – expecting – her to work for very little, or for nothing at all.

“I’ve collaborated/worked with a few brands over time (a long time) who as of late have asked me to work for much, much less, or for free due to budget cuts – which I understand,” she wrote on her Instagram story.

“However when I’ve said no – which is in my opinion completely warranted – have completely written off the relationship.”

The 25-year-old, who’s represented by MaxConnectors, says these companies then “severed ties” with her.

“These are brands I’ve travelled with and promoted for years who just throw the relationship away because I’ve refused to work for free,” she wrote.

The response to Jadé’s comments has been depressingly predictable. Picture: Instagram / Jadé Tunchy

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“I’m very surprised that these organisations are willing to throw relationships down the drain after such a long time. Each to their own, but personally I wouldn’t severe [sic] ties with someone who I ‘valued’ for years.”

Despite her stance being entirely pragmatic, reasonable and well within her rights, the response to Jadé’s comments has been depressingly predictable. Australians are losing their jobs and she’s not willing to drop her prices! She should be helping out struggling businesses right now!

Yes, the coronavirus pandemic has been a difficult time for everyone. Yes, millions of Australians are out of work. Yes, marketing budgets have been slashed with gusto by a razor sharp butcher’s knife.

Despite this, let’s remember for a second that Jadé is her own “boss”. If she’s decided that she’s not willing to negotiate on her rates, power to her, right?

Remember women are their own bosses. Picture: Instagram / Jadé Tunchy

The whole palaver has uncovered an insidious trope – why do we sneer at a hardworking woman who knows her worth and has respectfully, and thoughtfully, communicated that? Why do we have such an entrenched bone to pick with women who firmly decide to hold their own, as Jadé has done?

Why do we label her perfectly justifiable behaviour as sinister braggadocio?

All signs point to the fact that as a society, we still feel uncomfortable about women who put their own needs first.

Who, instead of staying in line and being perceived as ‘nice’, decide to step up and own their dollar worth impenitently.

When it comes to dialogue about money, we so often brand women ‘greedy’, while men who do the same are merely ‘astute negotiators’.

In 2015, due to the infamous Sony hack, Jennifer Lawrence discovered she was being paid millions less than her male equivalents who starred alongside her in American Hustle. Rather than get mad at Sony, she got mad at herself for being short-changed.

“I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early,” she wrote in Lenny Letter.

The reaction to Jadé shows we as a society are still uncomfortable about women who put their own needs first. Picture: Instagram / Jadé Tunchy

“But if I'm honest with myself, I would be lying if I didn't say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight. I didn't want to seem ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled’.”

While women have been socially conditioned to always take the “nice” route, there’s plenty of research that illustrates society is also inherently resistant to women who stand their ground over pay.

A 2017 study by the University of Wisconsin, the University of Warwick and Cass Business School discovered women and men are equally as good negotiators when it comes to salary, but women are more likely to have their request rejected or questioned.

In Women Don’t Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide, co-author Sara Laschever summed up the way society has harangued women into being terrified of appearing “pushy” or “selfish”.

“We teach little girls that we don’t like them to be greedy, pushy or overly aggressive … once adulthood is reached, studies are conclusive that neither men or other women like women who are too aggressive,” she wrote.

Agree with it or not, Jadé’s stance on her fees has unveiled the harsh social cost of being a woman who knows her value and is unapologetic about it.

This story first appeared on whimn.com.au and has been republished with permission

Originally published as Outrage over influencer Jadé Tuncdoruk's rates is unreasonable