Ella Emhoff faces flak after discussing 'climate anxiety' while using plastic bags in social media posts

WASHINGTON, DC: Ella Emhoff, stepdaughter of former Vice President Kamala Harris, sparked a wave of backlash after she took to TikTok to share her struggles with "climate anxiety."

The controversy erupted when users noticed that just a day earlier, she had publicly used plastic bags, both at home and while out, raising eyebrows given the contradiction. Critics swiftly called out the perceived hypocrisy, especially in light of Harris’ public stance against single-use plastics.

Ella Emhoff talks about her experience with ‘climate anxiety’

Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, posted a new TikTok video in which she claimed to suffer from “climate anxiety.”

The 26-year-old model and fashion designer, known for her progressive activism, shared her emotional struggles in a six-and-a-half-minute “check-in” video, saying, “I think everything with the environment is really f*****g getting to me, and it is — I experience a lot of climate anxiety, like all of us do."

She added, "It’s really hard not to sit in those moments where it just feels so heavy."

The backlash erupted when social media users pointed out that just a day earlier, Emhoff had posted an Instagram video showing her using multiple plastic bags.

In the clip, she sits on her bed with her dog, displaying colorful yarn and fabrics, some stored in plastic.

Later, she’s seen shopping at Remainders, a California thrift store, where she carries a plastic bag and browses items stored in plastic bins. 

Internet accuses Ella Emhoff of 'hypocrisy'

After Ella Emhoff opened up about her struggle with climate anxiety, Instagram users quickly turned her comments section into a battleground of criticism, targeting her apparent contradiction. Many pointed to a recent post showing her carrying plastic bags during a shopping trip and accused her of hypocrisy.

One user wrote, “Should probably not support a store filled with excessive plastic bins as shelves. It might worsen your climate anxiety. Not surprised one bit by the hypocrisy. People like you are truly doing a great amount of damage to our country. It’s dangerous.”

Another commenter added sarcastically, “In fact, didn't you call for banning single use plastic bags, or was that just for everyone else but you?"

Mockery also poured in, with one user responding simply, “Climate anxiety 😂😂😂😂😂,” while another lashed out, “Please stop having your father and step mom fly private everywhere. It’s giving me terrible climate anxiety. If not for them flying as much as they do privately I believe the average temperature would be one degree lower. Omg this world is falling apart.”

Others took a more direct approach, pointing out the inconsistency in her lifestyle. “Look at allllll the plastic bags,” one user wrote.

Another asked, “I thought you were all about saving the planet!? What's with the plastic bags?"

One commenter elaborated, “For someone who is suffering from "climate anxiety" due to how non-environmentally friendly plastics are, you sure have a lot of fabrics and yarns that contain some form of plastic. But hey, typical liberal always has to be a hypocrite about something.”

Another follower got even more specific, stating, “The acrylic yarn you love to use so much is made from a derivative / by-product of petroleum oil, called PMMA. You are destroying the planet by crocheting!"

Emhoff family was previously called out for using plastic bag

The Emhoff family's use of plastic has raised eyebrows before, despite Kamala Harris’ previously strong stance against single-use plastics. 

Back in 2019, during a CNN town hall, the former vice president stated, “We do need to ban the plastic straws,” aligning herself with broader environmental efforts.

However, by early 2024, that position appeared to soften. In January, Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were photographed leaving a California grocery store with their purchases packed in a plastic bag, an image that fueled further criticism.

Harris and Doug Emhoff first met on a blind date in 2013 and married a year later. At the time, Ella Emhoff was just 15. Since then, she has grown into a public figure in her own right, often making headlines for her activism and the reactions it provokes.