When lifestyle becomes lifeline, and the fleece starts looking political.
In this episode
TikTok Trouble
Unwooly Intentions picks up where Episode 2 left off, with Dai and Bessie finding themselves unexpectedly famous — thanks to one accidental TikTok.
It started, as most disasters do these days, with a poorly lit TikTok.
Dai and Bessie, sitting on a bench by the hedge, sharing a Scotch egg and a moment. Grainy footage. Cheesy piano music. The caption:
“Love knows no bounds 🐑❤️ #SheepSoulmate #LiveYourTruth”
By lunchtime, it had 80,000 likes.
By tea, Bessie had fan art. One depicted her in a tiara.
Dai wasn’t flattered. “This isn’t visibility,” he muttered. “It’s trespass.”
Bessie blinked once, as if to say, Did they get my good side?
The Progress Awards
That evening, an email landed in Dai’s inbox like a pigeon with an attitude.
Dear Dai,
We are thrilled to inform you that Bessie has been nominated for Icon of the Year – Non-Human Allyship at The Progress Awards.
Dai choked on his custard cream.
“She’s a sheep,” he said aloud.
“She’s an ally,” the email insisted. “A symbol of resistance. A bold rejection of speciesist norms.”
Bessie sneezed onto the keyboard.
Publicity Without Permission in Unwooly Intentions
The internet roared with praise.
“Representation baaadly needed!”
“Finally, someone taking interspecies love seriously.”
“This ewe is braver than my ex.”
They sent a contract. They offered a tote bag. They even offered an oat milk sponsorship deal.
Dai stared out the window.
“She’s not a brand,” he said. “She just likes being warm and left alone.”
Bessie chewed a nearby pencil with distinct contempt.
Bessie Isn’t Having It
A photoshoot was proposed. Dai declined.
A profile piece for Grazia was pitched. Declined.
A sustainable hoodie line, with slogans like “Love is Wool” and “Baaa Means Yes” was pushed aggressively.
Declined.
Bessie trampled the hoodie sample.
“They don’t care about love,” Dai told her. “They care about clicks.”
She replied with a very deliberate sneeze on the latest issue of The Guardian Weekend.
Visibility’s Price
Eventually, the Progress Awards team emailed again.
“We respect your withdrawal, but note that refusal to accept symbolic status may reflect internalised shame. Would Bessie consider alpaca therapy?”
Dai unplugged the router.
He gave Bessie an extra blanket. They sat under the stars, the night heavy with opinions they hadn’t asked for.
“They want you to be a cause,” he whispered. “You just want cabbage.”
Bessie leaned in and farted.
Gently. With dignity.
They’d have their peace, even if it meant walking away from the spotlight and back into the field — where no one asked for hashtags, and love didn’t require an explanation.
Coming Next on Dai and Bessie
Bessie’s fame refuses to fade — and neither does society’s hunger to turn private oddities into public campaigns. When Dai is invited to speak at a diversity panel titled “Love Beyond Labels”, he arrives with hope… and leaves with leaflets. In a room full of fringe identities, he learns the hard way: even among the marginalised, there’s a VIP list — and he’s not on it.
Read it? React to it.
Do you think society’s obsession with visibility has gone too far? Should every kind of love be platformed — or are some things best left in the pasture? Let us know where you draw the line between representation and ridiculousness.
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