Olivia Rodrigo Faces 'Performative' Criticism After Women-Owned Festival Vendors Allege Unpaid Bills

Olivia Rodrigo is facing accusations of 'performative' feminism online after she was photographed in New York carrying what users described as a 'women's rights' tote bag while women-owned vendors from her Daisy Chain Fields festival said they were still waiting to be paid.

The photographs surfaced days after two small food businesses publicly described heavy losses and gruelling conditions at the August event.

Critics said the bag sat awkwardly beside those claims, given that the festival raised $10 million for organisations supporting women and girls, with Melinda French Gates matching the amount to bring the total commitment to $20 million.

According to reports, an outside company is handling food vendors, and Rodrigo did not personally handle the payments.

A Tote Bag and a 'Pap Walk'

Images of the 23-year-old singer walking through New York earlier this week spread quickly on social media. The Instagram account shocked by the post shared the pictures with the caption 'Omg this look >>>'.

On X, the same outing drew a sharper reading. One user accused Rodrigo of 'doing a pap walk in New York yesterday showing off her "women rights" tote bag while leaving the women-owned businesses at her festival unpaid', and described her as 'performative'.

Replies piled on. 'i just can't believe someone can talk about how much of a feminist she is and then, behind closed doors, treat the women she hires like this,' one user wrote in a reply.. Another mocked the outing as a staged photo opportunity, asking when the accompanying magazine feature would be published.

The criticism does not establish that Rodrigo owes the vendors anything. It reflects how the image of a women's rights slogan landed with fans who had spent the week reading the vendors' complaints.

'We're Still Waiting To Be Paid'

Daisy Chain Fields, Rodrigo's inaugural festival featuring an all-women lineup, took place on 29 August at Great Park in Irvine, California, with a lineup that included Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Garbage and Bikini Kill. C3 Presents produced the event, while DLS Events handled food and beverage vendors, Paste Magazine reported.

On 6 October, Mary Chacon, owner of the micro-bakery Ugly Oats Kitchen, posted an open letter to Rodrigo on Instagram. She said the contract carried about $1,400 in fees, required vendors to hand over 35 per cent of their sales to DLS, and warned vendors they could be fined if they ran out of food.

Chacon said her team closed the bakery to regular customers to bake thousands of cookies for the festival. She described the day as the most miserable her staff had experienced, saying one team member suffered heat exhaustion and that most vendors were stranded at their booths until 1 a.m.. She said it would take months to recoup the losses.

'I heard when you were on stage that you raised $20 million for women. Incredible!' Chacon wrote. 'While this is astounding, it feels like it was done at the expense of some of the women vendors.'

Por Suerte Cookies, a women-owned custom fortune cookie business, gave a similar account. 'We barely sold anything. I took a significant financial loss,' the company wrote. 'And we're still waiting to be paid.' It argued that supporting women should go beyond putting them on stage, and that vendors are talent too.

A $20 Million (£15.6 Million) Pledge Under Scrutiny

The vendors' claims struck a nerve because of how the festival was marketed. The event raised $10 million (£7.58 million) for organisations supporting women and girls, and Melinda French Gates announced on stage that she would match the sum, bringing the total commitment to $20 million (£15.6 million). Beneficiaries include groups working on reproductive rights and maternal health.

That message made the tote bag a target. Some fans argued that a festival built on women's empowerment should not have left women-run small businesses reporting losses, and that Rodrigo, as its founder and headliner, should answer for how vendors say they were treated.

Others pushed back. Supporters said Rodrigo was being blamed for a dispute between independent vendors and a contractor, and that a first-year festival could learn from its mistakes.

No Public Response From Rodrigo or Organisers

Rodrigo, Daisy Chain Fields, C3 Presents and DLS Events had not publicly responded to the vendors' allegations when Paste and IB Times UK published their reports on 7 October.

Reports on Thursday suggested that the payment issues may have been resolved, but those reports could not be verified through a statement from the vendors, DLS Events or Daisy Chain Fields.

Rodrigo closed the festival in August by telling fans 'see you next year', Stereogum reported. Chacon, by contrast, said Ugly Oats Kitchen could not afford to take part again. Until the festival or its contractor answers the claims, the online verdict on the tote bag is likely to rest on the vendors' account.