AN influencer captured the awkward moment an ”entitled” bloke tried to ”belittle” her for filming TikTok videos while at the gym – only for her to then point how how much they earn her.
Madi Webb was filming herself doing exercises at her local gym in Los Angeles, California, US, on 26 March when the complete stranger criticised her out of the blue.
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The ‘rude’ man suggested her videos were ”distracting” her from working out and she would ”get more out of” her gym session if she put down her phone.
However, the 25-year-old had the ultimate comeback and rather than getting defensive, put the gym goer in his place by ”making him feel stupid” as she claims to earn between $10,000 and $35,000 [£7.8k and £27.5k] per TikTok video.
The social media content creator shared the footage on TikTok captioned ”where tf [the f*ck] did he find the audacity”, which has since gone viral with 2.5 million views.
In the clip, you can hear the man telling Madi: “Your form’s good. I don’t know why you have to make these little videos. It’s kind of distracting from your workout. You’d probably get more out of it [if you stopped].”
The footage shows the influencer smiling politely before saying ”See, I’m already getting a lot out of it, because I make so much money making these ‘little’ videos”.
As the man walks away, the video shows the 25-year-old put her middle finger up and angrily mouth ”f**k you” at the camera.
By doing this I am where I am right now. I live in a penthouse in LA
Madi Webb
Many users took to the comments to praise the influencer for her ”perfect response”, while others questioned if the man was trying to ”flirt”.
The fitness enthusiast, who lives in Los Angeles, California, had just joined a new gym and revealed she was in the middle of filming herself exercise when the stranger appeared out of nowhere.
Rather than become defensive, Madi admitted she found the experience ”funny” and wanted to ”stand in [her] power” against the ”rude” man.
Madi said: “I thought it was funny. I grabbed my phone to record him because he just sounded like an idiot. I already had my phone out recording so all I had to do was pull up the camera.
“He was entitled. I wanted to essentially make him feel stupid. If people are going to come up to belittle you then you might as well stand in your power and not allow that to happen.
“I honestly think his intention was to do that immature boy dance and poke fun at me so I would notice him, instead of just being a kind person.
“If he wanted my attention there are so many ways he could get it, he didn’t have to insult me in order to do so.
“Women are so conditioned to think that’s flirting. I dont think it’s flirting. I think it’s just rude. If he wanted to flirt with me there’s a million ways he could have done so.
“Instead he chose to put me down. Any man who needs to put down a woman in order to feel more masculine is not a man.
“I know that responding defensively is never going to turn out the way you would like it to. It essentially gives them more of an excuse to be an a**hole.
“He was embarrassed because I was not playing his game at all or getting offended by it or being defensive.
How much can you make from TikTok?
It’s also been reported that TikTokers are paid a matter of cents per 1,000 views.
However, with the UK’s top TikTok of 2022 receiving over a staggering 244.2 million views, there’s plenty of money to be made if you consider joining the popular platform.
The most popular creators usually make up to £10,000 per post, Simply Business reported.
“I didn’t do anything that was b*tchy or rude. All I did was respond to him very politely but in a sassy way.
“I don’t think he was expecting that response at all. Definitely not. That’s my favourite way to respond to men.”
The podcaster, who manages all her own content, admitted this is not the first time she has been ”belittled” for her TikTok videos, but having come ”from nothing” she is grateful for it helping her to get to where she is now.
Madi said: “I always get belittled for my videos. I have since the day I started social media. It’s jealousy in a way.
“The only difference between me and everyone else is that I’m not afraid to be seen trying. I never even posted the videos that I was filming in that gym. I was just practising for future gym content.
“I was not afraid to pop out with my phone and film my videos and look silly. I’m not scared of that. When people call me out for looking cringey or annoying or silly or stupid it feels like a compliment to me.
“By doing this I am where I am right now. I live in a penthouse in LA. I came from nothing. So there’s literally nothing you can say to make me feel bad about what I’m doing.
“I manage myself so everything that I earn is essentially self-earned. I’m more of an entrepreneur than an influencer.”
The 25-year-old admitted that despite her response coming naturally to her, she used to be a ”people pleaser” and has had to learn to ”empower” herself and now encourages other women to do the same so they never feel afraid to ”take up space”.
Madi said: “I grew up being such a people pleaser. Every part of me has been very much learned because I didn’t want to be that way anymore.
“Once I learned to empower myself all I wanted to do was empower other women. And give them the skills and the tools and advice and tips I wish I had.
“I feel like all my content is a love letter to my younger self who didn’t have anyone to look up to who was teaching me how to step into my power.
“You are entitled to take up space. Men are so intimidated by women who are not afraid to take up space and to stand in their power. A lot of men are intimidated by that because it’s very anti-patriarchy.
“You’re allowed to be there. You’re allowed to do what you want to do. You’re allowed to film your workouts. Or, you’re allowed to just work out in peace with your headphones on.
“The most courageous thing you can do is not be afraid to be un-liked and misunderstood.”
However, the influencer warned that everyone must ‘prioritise safety’ and admitted she would not have responded the way she did if she had been in any danger.
Madi said: “I always tell everyone to prioritise safety over everything else. If you are alone with a man in a gym and he comes up to you, do not smile and be petty and sassy.
“If you feel safe in your environment and you’re around other people I would say never ever allow anyone to make you feel small.”
Many users took to the comments to praise the influencer’s response.
One user said: “Perfect response though because he scattered quick.”
Another user said: “How did you think so fast on your feet.”
A third user said: “You devoured his soul.”
A fourth user said: “Why is he so concerned with what you’re doing? Love your response.”
Other users questioned if the man was trying to ‘flirt’ with Madi.
One user said: “Am I the only one that thinks he might’ve been trying to flirt.”
Another user said: “Was this supposed to be a chat up line.”