Influencer Madeleine White draws sharp criticism after partying at a massive rave while suffering from pink eye

10 November 2025

In a clip posted to TikTok, UK-based influencer Madeleine White revealed she was preparing for her 30th birthday celebration in Orlando despite being visibly afflicted with conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye. She filmed herself doing makeup while her eyes appeared red and swollen, telling followers she would simply “cover it up with sparkles and a pair of sunglasses and call it a goddamn day.” The event in question was a large‐scale rave with around 100,000 attendees.

White explained the infection stemmed from her husband, DJ Andrew Fedyk, who she said contracted pink eye using green Halloween makeup. “I really didn’t know that it was contagious,” she admitted in the video. “I thought he got it from the makeup. I didn’t know that I could get it. I was definitely nowhere near as cautious as I should’ve been.”

The backlash was immediate and intense. On social media, commenters slammed her decision to attend a crowded event despite the contagious nature of pink eye. “Girl pink eye is literally VERY CONTAGIOUS, the doctors will give you days off because of this??” one user wrote. “This is very contagious for you to be out the house around a bunch of people 😭😭.” Another chided: “I really love you, Mads, but this is not okay.”

In response to the criticism, White posted a follow-up video acknowledging that she learned pink eye is handled very differently in the U.S. than in the U.K. “Today I learned conjunctivitis / pink eye is treated very differently in the US than the UK lol,” she said. “Back in the day I didn’t even get a day off school for this…”

Some fans defended her, pointing out cultural differences in how such infections are treated. One commenter noted that in the U.K. one may not stay home for it, and another remarked that an irritant-type conjunctivitis is not contagious. Others urged caution, emphasising that when pink eye stems from viruses or bacteria it remains highly transmissible via personal contact, shared surfaces or droplets.

The incident spotlights a broader convergence of influencer culture, public health and social media dynamics. When a creator with millions of followers attends a large gathering while visibly unwell and admits to concealing symptoms, the implications reach beyond personal choice and into public responsibility. Because influencers operate in amplified public spheres, their decisions often carry communal consequences.

Event organisers and health professionals alike underscored that even if a case of pink eye is mild or allergenic in origin, attending a rave of 100,000 people with red, irritated eyes invites contact risk and sets a controversial tone. Critics argued that the occasion while celebratory did not mitigate the obligation to protect others from transmission, especially in dense social settings.

From a branding perspective, the episode reminds influencers of the delicate balance between personal authenticity, spectacle and accountability. White’s aesthetic decision to hide the red eyes with glitter and sunglasses was intended as light-hearted, but the backlash suggests that audience expectations now question not only fashion statements but health behaviour.

White’s look for the night doubled as performance: applying neon eyeliner, testing the products she’d risk contaminating, and acknowledging that she’d dispose of some items after use. She described the face jewels as both fashion and cover-up. “I feel like the rhinestones are really helping me out,” she quipped. “I think for having pink eye in both eyes, it’s a good effort.”

In the end, the saga sheds light on how health sensitivities, large-scale events and influencer accountability intersect in the digital-age social scene. White has acknowledged the criticism and offered context but the conversation includes too many moving parts not just her decision to attend, but how culture, public health guidance and influencer reach converge.

Whether the incident will translate into changes in influencer etiquette, event staffing or audience expectations remains to be seen. What is clear is that the moment signifies a shift: celebrities and creators are now held responsible for more than aesthetic choices they are scrutinised for public‐health judgement, especially when they operate in immersive communal settings.