From a legal perspective, her recent statements may arguably be pushing the boundaries of religious doctrine.
Critics of food influencer and self-proclaimed Muslim Foodie Beauty claim that she has once again knowingly eaten pork despite her faith, accusing her of using her religion merely as a shield against further criticism.
Lying For Likes?
We have all long since accepted that part of an influencer’s job is not always telling the truth. Some exaggerate the quality of a product as part of an advertising campaign, while others lie to maintain a certain image.
And then there are those who almost seem incapable of doing anything else. As though years of presenting themselves online have made lying so natural and essential to them that, eventually, they even start lying to themselves.
Foodie Beauty could fall into exactly this category – at least, that is what many of her critics believe. One of her latest videos, in which she stretches the rules of the religion she has chosen as “the right one” for herself, has given them fresh ammunition for this accusation.
Food Influencer Serves Up Lies
We have repeatedly seen that Chantal Sarault – Foodie Beauty’s real name – has never been particularly concerned with the truth. Sometimes she lies about her physical condition and health, while at other times she promises her viewers that she will only use her new mobility scooter for longer distances and otherwise make an effort to stay active.
The other side of her fondness for dishonesty has almost criminal overtones, such as the repeated allegations of donation fraud in Kuwait, where she claimed she wanted to raise money for stray cats, and in Syria, where the collected funds were supposedly intended to cover the education costs of a young girl.
Recently, the lies surrounding her faith have also been piling up. Sarault converted to Islam for her ex-husband Salah, although she has also claimed at times that she only did so at the request of her ex-husband’s family.
Not long ago, she ate poultry sausages in pork casing in one of her videos and then claimed that the Quran states that wasting food is a greater sin than consuming pork. Now she is once again being accused of knowingly eating pork while trying to cover it up.
Porking Out?
In one of her latest videos, she shows that she ordered Asian food for delivery – after all, consuming large quantities of greasy food is an important part of her content – and eats it in front of the camera.
Her viewers and critics, who have long grown accustomed to the influencer bending the truth and therefore regularly double-checking the accuracy of her claims, began investigating the dishes she described as a “Chicken Egg Roll” and “Singapore Fried Noodles” with shrimp and beef.
The result of their investigation: The nearest Asian restaurants in her area that offer these exact dishes all label them as containing pork, with the “Chicken Egg Roll” even being sold as a “Pork Egg Roll.”
They also see her slow, deliberate way of speaking and the cuts throughout the video as further evidence that Foodie Beauty knew exactly what she had ordered and was now being careful not to give herself away. The influencer is otherwise known for doing little to no editing of her clips.
Sarault herself has not yet commented on the matter – although ignoring all criticism until viewers move on to criticizing another action or statement is generally part of her usual behavior.
Questionable Even Beyond Religion
Fundamentally, of course, it should not matter at all what an adult woman chooses to eat. Even if she should be consuming healthier food or is not permitted to eat a certain type of meat according to the rules of her religion, it is still entirely up to her whether she follows those guidelines or not.
In any other case, the enormous amount of research that the influencer’s critics put into such a trivial video would itself be at least equally questionable.
However, Foodie Beauty repeatedly uses her faith as a shield against critics and claims that many of the issues people raise about her are only viewed so harshly because she is Muslim. Absolving herself of all criticism in this way is particularly problematic when she has not only lied about everyday matters as an influencer, but has also previously faced allegations of donation fraud and other misconduct.
In the end, the entire issue is therefore less a question of faith than one of morality – and Foodie Beauty still owes us an answer.