Big Brother housemate Holly has faced intense backlash from not only her new roomies, but the Australian public — but I don’t think the 31-year-old model is as bad as everyone claims.
As a Big Brother super-fan and someone who has been embarrassingly glued to the livestream for longer than I’d like to admit, I’ve seen far more of Holly and Colin’s relationship than the average viewer. While some housemates insist she’s “leading Colin on” or using the fan favourite to coast to the end and snag the $100,000 cash prize, I’ve watched hours of one-on-one chats between Holly and Colin that are — dare I say — cute.
She reassures him when he’s anxious, lets him speak without shutting him down, and stays surprisingly level-headed even when he spirals into jealous accusations about her “flirting with everyone in the house.”
There’s this constant rhetoric that she somehow thinks she’s “better than Colin.”
The idea she doesn’t really like him, and would never go for him on the outside are also common sentiments across the housemates.
But honestly… is it the housemates or Holly that think she’s better than him? Why wouldn’t she like him? He’s hilarious, emotionally intelligent, and kind. Why is it so unbelievable that a young, attractive woman would be into the most charismatic guy in the house?
On livestream, I’ve even seen people compare her to a predator because of their 10-year age gap. Admittedly, it’s fairly large, but it’s not uncommon and I wonder whether the same outrage would be had if the genders were flipped.
Comments like “he’s under her spell” still float around the house too, as if women like Holly possess magical siren-like witchcraft that forces innocent men to do their bidding. They’re two consenting adults. Why is all the emotional responsibility hers?
And then there’s the objectification. The other night Holly made a throwaway comment in the kitchen about forgetting the cameras were always on. Michael implied she shouldn’t worry, as viewers would just be looking at her chest. Is that all she is? A body? A punchline? Do we reduce her to that because of her looks?
If anything, the constant gossip from the group about her — and I mean constant, sunrise to sunset — only helps to justify the comment she made about ‘pretty privlidge’ earlier in the season.
Was she right to say that her experience being objectified as a beautiful woman was akin to the struggles of a plus-sized, Blak queer woman? Absolutely not.
However, for viewers watching the livestream, it’s clear that Holly has been alienated, dismissed, and dragged for days on end, mostly for being confident and attractive. Yes, she’s self-absorbed. But does that justify 12 people piling onto one girl? Especially since Bruce is out here peddling gender-based opinions from the dark ages.
Even Michael publicly calling out her “fauxmance” on the plasma before nominating her Head Housemate, with Jane applauding, felt grim. The two oldest people in the house leading the humiliation of a woman who has openly said she suffers from anxiety? In a high-stress environment? Yikes.
Is Holly perfect? No.
Is she misunderstood? In my opinion, yes.
She was told to her face that she’s self-absorbed — and she eventually takes it on board. She reflected. She acknowledged it and wants to change. That’s growth.
At some point, we have to stop and ask: Does she need to be punished forever, or has she got the message? Does the punishment fit the crime?
Personally, I’m here for a Holly redemption arc. Everyone deserves a second chance — and tearing down women for sport is so painfully outdated. Maybe I’m wrong and she is a master manipulator and has Colin and I fooled. I’ll happily eat my words if I am. But until then, I’ll be choosing to give her the benefit of the doubt.
And yes… this is absolutely my version of the “Leave Britney alone!” moment (IYKYK!).
You can watch Big Brother on Channel 10, and catch the livestream on TikTok or 10Play.
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