TikTok creator Madeleine White is responding after a viral getting-ready video sparked a wave of backlash for showing her preparing to attend Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Orlando while visibly dealing with pink eye.
On November 8, the influencer, who had just turned 30, posted a clip documenting her festival glam. In the video, White acknowledged her irritated eyes and joked about masking the symptoms with makeup and accessories. “I’m just going to cover it up with sparkles and a pair of sunglasses and call it a goddamn day,” she said while finishing her look before heading out.
White explained that she developed conjunctivitis — commonly known as pink eye — after her husband, Andrew Fedyk, experienced it first. Fedyk is one half of the Canadian DJ duo Loud Luxury, who regularly perform on the festival circuit. According to White, Fedyk “gave himself” pink eye after using green makeup for a Halloween costume, and she hadn’t realized how contagious it could be.
“I really didn’t know that it was contagious,” White told viewers in the initial clip. “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 with him.” The candid admission quickly drew attention as the video spread across TikTok and other platforms.
Viewers Call Out Festival Attendance Amid Contagious Illness
The reaction was immediate and intense. Viewers criticized the decision to attend a crowded event while dealing with a contagious eye infection, arguing that even mild symptoms can spread in tight spaces. “Going out with pink eye is wild,” one commenter wrote, encapsulating a common response in White’s mentions.
White engaged with the criticism directly, pushing back on the idea that staying home was the only acceptable option. “This is my first time hearing in my life you’re expected to stay home with conjunctivitis.. in UK we wash hands, don’t touch eyes and continue as normal,” she replied to one comment. Her response, contrasting norms she said she grew up with, further fueled the debate in her comments section.
EDC Orlando, a multi-day electronic music festival known for massive crowds, elaborate stages, and elaborate attire, provided a high-profile backdrop for the conversation. With thousands of attendees, the optics of showing up while symptomatic struck a nerve with viewers who urged caution at large-scale events.
White Highlights U.S. vs. U.K. Norms In Follow-Up
In a follow-up posted to her secondary TikTok account, White doubled down on her perspective that cultural expectations differ. Writing text over the video, she said, “Today I learned conjunctivitis / pink eye is treated very differently in the US than the UK lol,” while lip-syncing to an audio clip expressing shock. She added a caption clarifying her personal experience growing up: “Back in the day I didn’t even get a day off school for this…”
White’s follow-up did not appear to be an attempt to minimize concerns so much as explain where she was coming from. By framing her reaction as a difference in norms, she acknowledged the disconnect with many U.S.-based commenters while maintaining that her understanding of pink eye precautions had been different.
The debate underscored a broader conversation that often arises on social media when creators share real-time decisions around health, etiquette, and public spaces. TikTok’s comment sections frequently become forums for cultural comparison, particularly when creators have international audiences — a dynamic White encountered as the clip went viral.
Birthday Weekend Continues As White Shares Post-EDC Update
Despite the controversy, White carried on with her milestone celebration in Orlando alongside Fedyk, sharing glimpses from the weekend on Instagram. In a photo carousel posted after EDC, she included an image from the festival where her eyes still appeared slightly red. She captioned the set with a playful nod to downtime after the festivities: “30, flirty + in bed for the foreseeable future feeling very loved.”
Loud Luxury, the duo made up of Fedyk and partner Joe Depace, has become a staple at major dance events, which helped contextualize White’s presence at EDC Orlando. While the timeline of Fedyk’s symptoms wasn’t detailed beyond White’s remarks, her videos centered the couple’s Halloween mishap and her subsequent lack of caution as the apparent catalyst for her own case.
White’s posts arrived at a time when creator transparency often meets swift audience feedback. Her on-camera candor — from acknowledging her symptoms to debating the norms around attending public events — offered a clear snapshot of how quickly TikTok discourse can escalate, especially when health considerations are involved.
As of now, White has not suggested that the backlash altered her weekend plans, but her later captions hinted at rest and recovery following the festival. The overall response to her videos reflected a common trend with viral creators: viewers appreciate spontaneous honesty but remain quick to scrutinize choices that could affect others in shared spaces.
Whether the episode changes how White documents future behind-the-scenes moments remains to be seen. For now, the influencer has leaned into addressing the reaction head-on — and, in the process, spotlighted how a single get-ready-with-me clip can ignite a larger conversation about personal responsibility, cultural differences, and where the line is drawn when bringing everyday ailments into high-attendance events.
