Ella Emhoff, the stepdaughter of former VP Kamala Harris, is facing scrutiny following her 'climate anxiety' claims. The 26-year-old model and designer shared her sentiments on how the past four years and her stepmother's election loss enlightened her. However, she would receive backlash as she was seen happily carrying a plastic bag the day before.
Emhoff's TikTok 'Check-in' and Preceding Video
@smellaemhoff Little check in :)
♬ original sound - Ella Emhoff
This week, Emhoff shared a 'little check-in' with her TikTok followers, where she shared how environmental change drove her torment. She talked about experiencing 'climate anxiety', and how she thinks a lot of people share the same feeling.
Her seven-minute video would also see her voice her 'disgust' over the current state of global affairs. She specifically cited the genocide, erosion of rights and loss of healthcare.
She also said that there's a 'pervasive sense of fear surrounding affordability and the livelihoods of everyday Americans'. 'All of these things are happening, and besides the small things we can do, it's really hard not to sit in those moments where it feels so heavy', she added.
Prior to this video's upload, Emhoff posted a TikTok of her visit to Remainders, a California-based arts and crafts thrift store. This comes hours before her check-in video.
The clip opens with Emhoff outside the store, waving a plastic bag in the air while posing in front of a sign. The video then cut to the store's interior, where trinket boxes were put on display.
It then transitioned to her arrival at her home, where she sat on her bed with her small dog resting. Again, she displays two bags full of purchases, with one being a plastic bag.
Her dog can be seen sporting a leash fitted with, ironically, a green plastic poop bag.
Netizens React to Hypocrisy
Following the videos, some praised her for thrifting her supplies instead of supporting bigger businesses. However, many would shoot the idea down, seeing it as blatant hypocrisy after discussing her climate anxiety.
'Look at all the plastic bags,' one commenter said. 'You should probably not support a store filled with excessive plastic bins as shelves. It might worsen your climate anxiety. Not surprised one bit by the hypocrisy. People like you are truly doing a great amount of damage to our country. It's dangerous,' another person said.
@smellaemhoff Farmers market haul in honor of being at the farmers market with @aimee #farmersmarket #farmersmarkethaul
♬ 夏とブランチ (Acoustic) - ruuka
Following these comments, netizens were quick to flock to the model's older videos to call her out. One notable clip saw Emhoff parade her farmer's market haul last month, which saw heavy plastic use as well.
In the video, she had two plastic bottles of tomato juice, tomatoes nestled in a plastic container, fruit taken out of plastic bags, and tofu wrapped in sealed plastic.
There's also a video from last year, where Emhoff shared an organising video on Instagram. It showed large plastic bags filled with dozens of skeins of yarn. She would then unpack it and neatly arrange it on her wall.
Harris' Prior Plastic Ban Endorsement
In her failed presidential campaign in 2019, Kamala Harris first endorsed a ban on plastic straws. However, she rescinded her stance on the matter during her 2024 campaign, quietly dropping the idea.
This decision suggested that her campaign had attempted to make democrats seem 'more practical' amid a host of issues. Of course, netizens were quick to remember this and called out her bipolar position on the issue amid her stepdaughter's video.
In January, fans expressed outrage after spotting the former VP and her husband carrying plastic bags during a grocery trip. From here, the pair were branded as hypocrites, and Emhoff has certainly followed them in the court of public opinion.
