Fashion Scandal: Hosts Promise Changes After Backlash

Their initial response was to delete the TikTok video they uploaded of the Tamsin takedown, but they have since left the Instagram video up and allowed listeners to freely share their opinion on it.

Co-founders Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews also sat down with Maddison, Joanna, and Anika for a special Style-ish episode where they discussed the backlash in full and issued apologies to Tamsin.

'It's never nice having commentary like the commentary we've had. I think it's been deeply reflective for all of us,' Maddison said.

She went on to add that she 'loves Tamsin' and her content, but just didn't agree with the influencer's take on how one's taste should be developed.

'I thought that was an interesting take. I disagreed with it. I came across more aggressive than I would probably like... I don't think we got the tone right on that one,' she added.

Joanna said: 'I definitely made flippant and unnecessarily aggressive comments that were directed toward Tamsin. I didn't do my due diligence when it came to looking at the broader content Tamsin makes.'

She added: 'I think I projected my feelings about that entire segment onto Tamsin as a creator... I remember being like I don't really have anything to add to this conversation. It just felt a bit above me. I don't feel like I'm a taste-maker.'

Joanna said she let her insecurities get the best of her and she projected her feelings onto Tamsin, noting: 'I absolutely think that my language and the way I came into it a bit aggressively toward Tamsin was uncalled for and I apologise to her for that. I think that was just unwarranted.'

Anika also agreed that their 'intentions didn't land where I really had hoped because, Tamsin, she has really thought about this. I did agree with a lot that she said but it didn't come through a lot, and for that, I am sorry.'

Co-founder Michelle added her own commentary to the apology, saying the 'tone' of the first podcast episode 'missed the mark' and it was her and Zara's responsibility to 'goal keep' the image Style-ish puts out there on behalf of Shameless Media. 

'I think the message of your [Style-ish] segment was something a lot of people could see themselves in... When it's three of you in a room, the tone can very quickly get away,' she said. 

'You can't always have that bird's-eye perspective in the moment to check that tone. That's where it's Zara and my responsibility and the Shameless Media team's responsibility to be that bird's-eye perspective. That's where we have potentially let the show down, but also let Tamsin down that that tone got away from us and we didn't goal-keep it as well as we should have.'

When the Daily Mail contacted Shameless Media for further comment, Zara and Michelle released a statement saying the controversy had been 'a lesson for the Style-ish brand' and a reminder that all of their podcasts 'need to reflect our values'.

'As co-founders of the business, we felt it was imperative (and very much our responsibility, given the buck stops with us) to make personal contact with Tamsin hours before our podcast episode went live,' they said.

'We thanked her for laying out her thoughts, and acknowledged that having three women unpack one woman's TikTok on a podcast episode can be heavy-handed.' 

'Once the episode was live, where the hosts personally apologised to Tamsin in the studio together, we sent Tamsin the link privately,' added Zara and Michelle.

'We also felt it was important to appear on Sunday's episode (which was unmonetised) ourselves; we are the owners of this company, and ultimately, all content under the Shameless Media umbrella needs to reflect our values.

'We thank Tamsin for her honesty and candour; this has certainly been a lesson for the Style-ish brand on tone and balance. This experience is an opportunity for Shameless Media to make a better, more thoughtful show.'

Unfortunately, it would seem the podcast apology episode didn't quite land with many listeners, as they once again flocked to the comments of the Style-ish social media pages to criticise the 'buzzwords' and perceived lack of accountability used in it. 

'Yeesh. That "apology" pod ain't it. Heavy on the buzz words ("unpacking", "missed the mark", "learnings") + immediately defensive ("we didn't even put the video in show notes, the production team did", "I didn't even know who Tamsin was", "the social cut-down missed the 'nuance' of the full episode") and wayyyy too light on the accountability & responsibility (did MST even apologise?!),' one person wrote.

'Clearly the "we try to imagine the person we're talking about is in the room with us" strategy is optional - why even mention that?! The OG bin fire (which involved plenty of oversight + multiple intervention points to re-think publication) was not "missing the mark"; was not a problem with "tone" & editing FFS. Minimising and justifying your behaviour doesn't help your cause.'

Tamsin herself has since addressed the apology - by essentially saying it's not up to her to decide if it's good enough.

She shared another TikTok video on Monday saying she 'very much appreciates that they [Style-ish] took the time to sit down and record it and talk about it'.  

'I'm not going to dig into the apology that they released because I don't want to open another can of worms. I will say I appreciate that they took the time to do it,' she added.

'The response that they put out isn't for me... It's for the regular listeners and active listeners to decide how they feel about it... I am very grateful for everybody who was very kind in sticking up for me or in challenging their response to me. But I also do not condone being nasty individually to the podcast hosts.'

The Daily Mail has also reached out to Tamsin for further comment, as well as Maddison, Anika and Joanna, who host Style-ish.