Influencer Madeleine White Fedyk is facing widespread criticism after celebrating her 30th birthday while battling a highly contagious infection. The influencer revealed her condition in a recent video shared on TikTok.
“Well, prepare with the pink eye for your 30th birthday party,” White Fedyk, 30, stated in the November 8 TikTok video. She expressed disbelief at her luck, adding, “At least it wasn’t at my wedding.”
White Fedyk’s eyes were visibly red in the video. She explained her birthday plans included attending the EDC rave in Orlando, Florida, with “100,000 more people.”
“I’m going to disguise it with glitter and sunglasses, and that’s it,” White Fedyk said. She also mentioned being more selective with her makeup application to avoid having to discard her entire makeup bag.
White Fedyk admitted she had not been careful enough around someone who recently had conjunctivitis. She stated she was unaware of how contagious it was, having never experienced it before.
“Also, to be completely honest, if the price I have to pay for the weekend I’ve had is pink eye, I consider it a win,” she added. She applied significant blush to “disguise the redness” on her face, noting, “At least I don’t have to worry about it spreading from one eye to the other.”
She then applied facial gems to her cheeks and forehead. White Fedyk expressed gratitude that attending a rave allowed her to conceal her conjunctivitis.
“OK, I think for having pink eye in both eyes, it’s a good effort,” she concluded, showcasing her final look which included shimmering highlights and “blinking” butterfly clips in her hair. She captioned the post with “Only my luck, hahaha.”
Fans quickly took to the comments section to voice their disapproval. Many questioned White Fedyk’s decision to attend a large event while infectious.
“Honey, I love you forever and ever and I tell you this with love, but going out with pink eye is crazy,” one user wrote. “Why go to a rave if you know you have pink eye? Sincerely, a health professional.”
Another user commented, “Girl, pink eye is literally VERY CONTAGIOUS, doctors give you days off for this??” A third person simply asked, “Isn’t pink eye very contagious?”
Conversely, some users defended White Fedyk’s choice to proceed with her birthday celebrations. They pointed to differing cultural perspectives on the severity of conjunctivitis.
“As a Brit, I can’t get over the drama over a bit of pink eye 😂. Here we put some drops in and get on with our day,” one user explained. Another added, “Everyone forgets she’s English, believe me, pink eye is not a big deal here. No need to stay home, we don’t get days off, etc., so as an Englishwoman she’s doing what we would do 🤣.”
A third comment noted, “Pink eye in Argentina is literally nothing serious. You can’t even miss a day of school! Calm down, people!”
The Mayo Clinic describes conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye, as contagious. It is typically caused by a viral infection, though bacterial infections or allergic reactions can also be responsible.