YouTuber's advent calendar for tweens was terrible and her excuse was even worse

Not cool, Zoella.
 By 
Rachel Thompson
 on 
YouTuber's advent calendar for tweens was terrible and her excuse was even worse
Credit: Getty Images for Zoella Beauty

Brits are raging over the price of Zoella's advent calendar. And, the mass fury doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. People are more pissed off than ever before after the YouTuber released a new vlog in which she attempted to address the criticism of her pricey advent calendar.

Zoella—who has 12 million YouTube subscribers and 11.2 million Instagram followers—released a £50 advent calendar in the run-up to Christmas, which is being sold exclusively at Boots.

But, many people have taken issue with the contents of the '12 days of Christmas' advent calendar, which they believe does not warrant a £50 price tag. Per the product's description on the Boots website, the calendar contains a key ring, pen, bauble, cookie cutter, jotter, candle, stickers, among other trinkets.

Earlier this week, many flocked to Twitter to express their disapproval at the hefty price tag, particularly given the young age of Zoella's fanbase.

Fellow YouTuber Jack Dean posted a scathing vlog in which he reviewed the calendar, labelling it "the exploitation of young children by their YouTube idols."

Zoella addressed the criticism of her calendar 33 minutes into a new vlog. But, her comments have not been well-received by her critics, or even her fans.

In the video, Zoella begins by stating she wanted to talk about her calendar because she wants her fans to know that she cares about how they feel about her "things".

"There has been some upset, disappointed people in the Zoella lifestyLe advent calendar, specifically the price of the calendar. The last thing I want to do is anger, upset, or disappoint anyone because that is not my intention in the slightest," she says.

But, her next comment failed to satisfy those looking for an apology. Stating that she had worked on the calendar for a year, she said:" I love the product. I am all about the creativity, from a design to a product," she said.

"Where my input ends is there. Once that product is done and I am happy with it, the retailer can decide how much they sell that for. That's completely out of my decision making," she says, adding that she doesn't have the "right" to make "those decisions".

"I feel just as let down by this also and the price of any product is up to a retailer," she reiterates.

This video added fuel to the raging fire, with many suggesting that Zoella shifted the blame off herself and onto "the retailer" a.k.a. Boots.

Indeed, one person went so far as to say the 'apology' was "worse than the fucking product."

Mashable reached out to Boots following Zoella's vlog. A Boots spokesperson issued an "approved statement," which stated that the retailer had decided to slash the price to £25 during its "Christmas promotion."

"We are sorry to hear that the price of the Zoella 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar has disappointed a number of customers, we always listen to feedback," the spokesperson said.

Amid this furore, some of Zoella's old tweets have been dug up in which she made homophobic, classist remarks. She has since apologised about some of the language used in those tweets, stating "I'm only human!"

SMDH, Zoella.

Rachel Thompson, sits wearing a dress with yellow florals and black background.
Rachel Thompson
Features Editor

Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.

A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.

Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.

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