'A customer sent me an email that floored me. It had nothing to do with my small jewellery business.'

A small business owner named Leah has gone viral on TikTok after sharing an appalling message she received from a customer.

"Today I received the WORST email I’ve EVER received in four years of having a small jewellery business (and with my track record, that’s saying something)," the UK-based jeweller wrote. 

Leah then posted a screenshot of the email in question, which read: 

Hey!

I've been following you on TikTok and I have to say, I love your jewellery! It's really beautiful. My Aunt runs a super successful clothing business on TikTok, so I figured I'd share a little advice that could help boost your sales.

Don't take this the wrong way, but honestly, if you lost a bit of weight and put more effort into your appearance, I think it would seriously help your brand. Your jewelry is stunning, and I just feel like it would sell even better if the person behind it looked a bit more polished. Or, you could always hire someone more attractive to be the face of it.

Just some honest feedback - I want to see you grow (your business, not you!)

Best,
(Redacted)

The email in question. Image: TikTok/@etherealhandmade

Shocking, right?

Speaking to Mamamia about the ordeal, Leah said she was "taken aback" upon receiving the email.

"It was one of those moments where you think 'this cannot be real,'" she said.

"I called my boyfriend and he was furious, told me not to reply and just to delete it. I’m very lucky because I have the most incredible support system around me — my partner Hugh, my mum, dad, sister. We’re a very close knit family and they’ve all just been reminding me over the last few days to be proud of myself, no matter my size. It can be tough though, there are lots of negative comments and the email really did throw me off for a couple of days."

The initial TikTok comments were even more demoralising.

One of the first comments read: "As harsh as the email was, it is somewhat correct. People are shallow and treat good or healthy looking people better. It’s a tactless way to say it but it’s good advice."

The comment had over 1.5k likes.

"She has a point," another wrote, referring to the customer's email. That one received 1,000 likes.

Fortunately, these opinions were soon drowned out by a sea of people who were as stunned by the comments as the initial email itself.

"I thought that email was ridiculous. And then seeing the comments made me more mad," one irate TikTok user wrote. "I liked your page and love your jewellery. And you are gorgeous!"

Leah shared the interaction on TikTok, and it went viral. Image: Instagram/@etherealhandmadejewellery

What's more, the top comment — with over 50k likes — read: "You’re absolutely beautiful and worthy of being the face of your brand."

A third pointed out how misguided the email was, sharing: "I have never once thought, 'wait, lemme check if the owner’s pretty' before buying from a small business — WHAT."

They weren’t alone in this sentiment, with a further TikTok user adding: "I can’t say I’ve ever in my 50yrs of life made a purchasing decision based on… how the artisan looks. Who does that?!"

"What on earth went through that person’s mind that they thought that was an okay thing to say? Like what was the thought process," another mused.

According to Leah, the "mixed reaction" on TikTok has been "both amazing and awful at the same time".

"Thousands of people have sent me words of love which I am genuinely incredibly grateful for." she said. "But, there’s also a lot of 'the email is right' comments alongside others. They are hard to read but I’m trying to be grateful for the opportunities this whole thing has given me.

"My jewellery business is small — we make on average 10-to-15 sales a day. We’re a small team — it’s me, my boyfriend and my mum (and occasionally my sister and my dad help!), and whilst there’s lots of negativity surrounding the email — people suggesting it’s a PR stunt, that I do need to lose weight, that I should hire models instead of taking my own face on social media and many other either untrue comments or unkind ones… it’s also shown my small business to lots of new people.

She continued, "And it's started what I think is an important conversation about women’s bodies, being a small business owner and how, at the end of the day… you shouldn’t decide to support a small business or not because of the owner's appearance."

Some of Leah's gorg jewellery. Image: Instagram/@etherealhandmadejewellery 

Sadly, unsolicited comments on women's bodies occur universally — and often. Last week, Mamamia's own Emily Vernem was trying on jeans when a shop assistant asked her if she had PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome).

"I was speechless — it was so specific, so random and so true," Emily wrote of the experience (read about her experience here).

When she confirmed to the assistant that she had the health condition, the worker replied: "I can tell."

Seriously, what? Emily was just trying to buy jeans. Leah is just trying to sell jewellery. For the love of everything, can we please stop commenting on women's bodies?!!

Follow Leah on TikTok here, and check out her jewellery business here!

Feature Image: TikTok/@etherealhandmade

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