Masuk Free Press

As we all know, TikTok is very good at popularizing things. Everything from the UGG slippers that we wear on our feet to the Stanleys in our hands, TikTok was where it all started. TikTok is also the place where many people have posted themselves participating in trends and challenges. Some more recent trends that users have enjoyed taking part in include “That Sounded Really Bratty”, “If You Asked Me On A Deeper Level” and more notably, “She Deserved The Purse.”

“She Deserved The Purse” was started, not too long ago, to help moms and dads who were struggling. It was given its name by the woman who started it, Danaesha Gonzalez, after she was shopping in Target and noticed a gray purse left in the middle of the baby items section. The purse reminded her of the sacrifices that moms like her have to make in choosing their kids’ needs over their wants. Inspired, Gonzalez decided that she wanted to see some change.

She then took out her phone and filmed a TikTok of the purse, posting it with the caption “SHE DESERVED THE PURSE.”

Her post over time has racked up more than 25 million views, and since she put it online, people have reused the caption in videos where they film themselves discreetly leaving money and gift cards inside all kinds of baby products, while also encouraging others to do the same.

When I first learned about this challenge, I thought to myself, “Wow, that’s really sweet. I’m glad people can sense when others are struggling and in need of help and are willing to do something about it.”
So, it was quite a wake-up call when I discovered videos and news articles detailing how people (specifically teenagers) have gone into Target stores and have damaged or destroyed baby products in the hopes of finding cash or cards inside. Baby formula caps have been torn off, diaper boxes ripped apart, etc. The ones committing these petty crimes are also the ones posting videos of themselves in the act. It’s funny how people are now not only just comfortable with insulting each other online, but have now moved to filming themselves breaking the law, what a time to be alive.

  Users who have spotted these lovely reminders of humanity’s never-ending greed have taken to the trends home of origin, TikTok, to call out this behavior.

They have discussed these actions as disgusting and heartbreaking, and many people in real life feel the same way. 

“I think the initial intent of the trend was beautiful, but I think things like filming yourself for clout to show that you’re a quote-on-quote good person or destroying store property, looking for gift cards, not so great,” said Allyson Femia, an English teacher at Masuk.

Some people say that the trend shouldn’t have been started on social media at all. 

“Yeah, honestly, I think just because you did a good deed doesn’t mean that you have to really share it in order for it to count,” said senior Isabella Laraia.“Like sometimes you could just do something, you know, do a good deed, do something sweet, and not have to brag about it to the entire world.”

Femia said,  “I think sharing it on a smaller scale, I think talking about it without filming yourself doing it, I think doing it and not talking about it on social media,” (would help solve the problem of good trends like this getting ruined in the first place).

But is it too late to fix this? And how? That’s what I’m wondering. Because thanks to the selfish wants of others, who clearly couldn’t care less about the mothers, fathers and babies who they are affecting, people are now stopping to think about whether this trend can even continue just because a few hooligans online can’t control themselves. “Honestly, I don’t know. It has its pros and it has its cons, and while it can do some good, it can do some bad,” said sophomore Alisa Ghani.

It’s very sad and disturbing how social media can ruin a trend like this so quickly. People feeling comfortable taking videos of themselves trashing baby items in the first place already screams a societal red flag, but the fact that to try and stop this behavior, people are also going back to TikTok to make more videos about their opinions instead of actually physically doing something about it almost makes everything worse.

No parent, on top of trying to take care of their kids and giving up on their own wants, should have to worry about needing to check if their child’s products (things that they need to be healthy) have been tampered with or damaged by a bunch of shameless future convicts, who are only doing it for the sake of stealing from those in need. 

#TheyDeserveSomePeace