Audrey Roloff has lots of love to offer but some of her so-called fans can’t seem to give her the same. The 26-year-old star of Little People, Big World recently shared her thoughts on love, particularly on how people are using and defining the word, but was immediately lambasted for using such emotional message to promote some of her products.
“Have we lost grip on what it really is,” Audrey said about love. “It’s so commonly mistaken for tolerance, or watered down feeling or desire.”
“We are so quick to say we love this and love that… but have we cheapened this meaning?”
Audrey went on to say that her love for Jeremy is on an entirely different level compared to her “love” for Christmas and campfires. Audrey believes the true definition of love has been compromised and that there is a need for a reconciliation of sorts.
“We must reclaim the definition of love,” Audrey said. “True love is so much more than desire for something or someone.”
To get her point across, Audrey quoted Timothy Keller, a pastor, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. According to Keller, “frightening spells” are common in any kind of relationship. Such spells cause “feelings of love to dry up,” which should be tackled by still doing the “ACTS OF LOVE” despite the “lack of feeling.” Keller said that couples should remember that marriage is a “covenant, a commitment, a promise of future love.”
Audrey agreed that there will be moments in a relationship that one or the other will have that lack of feeling. There will be episodes that one may not find the tenderness, sympathy, and eagerness to please. During these times, however, the right path to take is to still show these important traits through actions. Keller further said that this is the perfect time to be “tender, understanding, forgiving, and helpful.”
“If you do that, as time goes on, you will not only get through the dry spells, but they will become less frequent and deep, and you will become more consistent with your feelings,” the quote said. “This is what can happen if you decide to love.”
“LOVE IS A VERB.”
What got at least one fan a bit riled up is that Audrey followed her emotional message with some promotional stuff. Audrey promoted their “love is a verb” sweatshirts, which she and Jeremy designed and were wearing in the photo. Audrey asked those interested, particularly married couples, to get the matching sweatshirts by visiting their Beating 50 Percent website.
One of the commenters said that the message “sounded good” until Audrey “started pushing [their] products.” The follower said that preaching and selling don’t belong together and that Audrey is only cheapening both with her posts.
“I’m not saying this to be mean or shame you,” the follower said. “It just sounds like your [sic] preaching to sell the products.”
Audrey clapped back at her critic by saying that what she is doing is perfectly okay since she and Jeremy are creating and selling products that “have so much meaning and passion behind them” that “it’s hard not to speak to that.”
Another fan backed Audrey up by telling the critic that the Little People, Big World star uses Instagram to support her online store and that her heartwarming messages are one of her ways to reiterate its mission. The fan also said that Audrey is trying to remind people of “what a marriage is and what is needed to keep that marriage strong and full of genuine love” through her brand.