Camilla Ainsworth fears her nut milk brand’s ‘sexualised’ label will be hard to shift despite finishing as Apprentice runner up
The 22-year-old entrepreneur has defended her "cheeky Instagrammable" product, calling criticism "unfair"
The 22-year-old entrepreneur has defended her "cheeky Instagrammable" product, calling criticism "unfair"
THE Apprentice runner-up Camilla Ainsworth admitted it will be hard for her nut milk brand to shake off the "overly sexualised" label placed on it by critics.
At 22 Camilla is the youngest finalist in the show's history and despite losing out to Sian Gabbidon in tonight's final, she's happy with the "incredible platform" she now has.
However, her progression through the competition hasn't come without its critics; the suggestive and playful advertising around her M+LKPLUS product raising eyebrows.
She told The Sun Online: "I wouldn’t say I have any regrets. The only thing is the over-sexualisation.
"I think that’s quite a hard label to shift and a little bit unfair, but other than that, yeah really happy with it.
"I think you know when the public gets a little bit of information, they just want to horn in on that, so if those people took the time to actually look at my new product, my new branding, they'd see that it's cheeky, it’s fun and it’s not overly-sexualised at all.
The very nature of the product is Instagrammable."
The negative comments haven't dampened Camilla's enthusiasm, and she's keen to use her enhanced platform to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.
She continued: "I’ve got very thick skin, and I knew what I was getting myself into. I don’t take the time to search myself or anything like that.
"It’s been a really positive response, especially from young girls, and that’s what means the most to me. The amount of girls that I have messaging me saying 'you’re an inspiration', especially people from Blackburn because there’s not that many opportunities there, so I think I’ve been a bit of a beacon of hope for the younger generation.
"That means I’ve been able to ignore all of the rest of it, but you know on the whole, the stats are 90 per cent positive, 10 per cent negative, so I’m happy with that."
She might have missed out on the financial clout of Lord Sugar, but Camilla still has high hopes for 2019.
With two new flavours and a big retail announcement on the horizon, there's lot to be cheerful about.
"My grand plan is to be the leading diary free company in the UK.
"I want to expand my product range, I want to start workshops with young people on how to start a business. I would love to do that, especially young girls, because I struggled with that myself and I’d just love to be able to use social media platforms to actually do good.
"I just want to disrupt the dairy free market and get a slice of that, because it is massive."
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