Let this be a reminder for influencers—putting your entire life out there can sometimes mean opening yourself up to feedback you might not want to hear!
A UK influencer couple is learning this the hard way, after receiving a wave of criticism over the name they chose for their newborn.
Liana Jade, 24, and her partner Connor Darlington, who are well-known on YouTube with over two million followers, decided to name their baby boy Koazy (pronounced Cozy).
The name became the subject of ridicule on a podcast, prompting Liana—known on social media as @lianajadee—to share an emotional response in a TikTok video defending their choice.
Liana explained in the video that the topic of "new and unique" baby names came up on The Unplanned Podcast, hosted by American couple Matt and Abby Howard.
While Matt and Abby didn't directly mention the name Koazy, they criticized unconventional baby names, calling them "ridiculous" and "out of control."
They also suggested that naming a child something unique could be seen as a "red flag," adding, "it might not be the flex you think it is" to choose a name that doesn't already exist.
In response, Liana addressed her eight million TikTok followers, explaining the story behind her son's name: "People have said we called him Koazy because he was cozy in the womb. But no. It was a name we already had and as I was getting so heavily pregnant, people were saying 'he's so cozy in your belly.'
"It confirmed to us that is what we should name him… we were like 'Oh my God, it's meant to be,'" she shared, adding: "I wasn't trying to name him anything for a flex."
Liana continued: "I knew everyone wasn't going to love the name so I am not going to sit here defending it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But it's just different when there's this comment section open on such a big influencer's video of people, fully grown adults, just sat there slandering my baby's name."
She went on to say: "I think it's quite cruel – and if I had posted that video personally, I think I would have been very mindful of who was being named and how that can have an effect on other people."
Many followers came to Liana's defense in the comments, with one person writing: "Koazy is a cute name it fits him soo well it's so sweet and cute [...] DONT listen [to] them [...]."
Another shared their own experience: "My family disagreed with our baby name… we're in the UK and called our baby Randy.. they hated it and I don't give a hoot! Ignore them love."
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