Married at First Sight star Cameron Merchant uploaded a video in which he offered to pay for a woman’s groceries on Sunday – but the simple ‘act of kindness’ has received notable backlash.
Watch Below: MAFS’ Cam Merchant pays for a woman’s groceries
The video was filmed at his local supermarket.
After accepting Cameron’s offer, the surprised first-time mum was asked about how her life has been going as she unpacked her groceries.
She explained that whilst life was going well with her seven-month-old baby, “it’s obviously hard when she’s sick and not sleeping.”
The video ended with Cameron hugging the mum and telling her, “‘together we can be a little bit stronger.”
Cameron, who was on Married at First Sight in 2019 has faced criticism following the gesture, with a number of people taking to social media to explain their issues with the post.
“Why film this?? Then it’s not genuine is it? It’s all for views! These videos make me cringe” explained one person, whilst another questioned why Cameron had to film the interaction.
“Nice but why record it for likes. Just do it” they commented.
Whilst comments on the post have now been limited, positive messages have also flooded Cameron’s Instagram, including a message of support from The Bachelor star Jimmy Nicholson.
“The world needs more people like you mate. Great work, keep doing what you’re doing” he wrote.
“What a legend…Kindness is everything” commented another fan.
Watch Below: Cameron Merchant surprises Jules Robinson on her birthday
The star is the latest to join the controversial ‘random act of kindness’ trend, which sees people film and share their good deeds.
Whilst many have good intentions, people have labelled the videos exploitative and performative, questioning why acts of kindness have to be filmed and shared for recognition.
Recently, Australian TikTok star Harrison Pawluk made headlines following his own act of kindness that garnered over 58 million views online.
The woman in the video revealed she never wanted the attention after a video was posted online of her unexpectedly receiving flowers from Harrison, revealing that she felt offended that the interaction was filmed and published without her consent.
“I felt dehumanised” Maree explained to the ABC.
“He interrupted my quiet time, filmed and uploaded a video without my consent, turning it into something it wasn’t, and I feel like he is making quite a lot of money through it.”
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