A TikToker’s video sharing an exchange between herself and a patient concerning her hairstyle has drawn viral attention on the platform, where more than 1.6 million people have viewed it.
In the video, user @samanthaclarke29 tells her viewers that she was going to pick up lunch for herself and the doctor at the medical office where she works as a nurse. On her way out to her vehicle, a patient told her that her hairstyle, micro braids that were pulled up into a bun, was “inappropriate.”
@samanthaclarke29 She tried to shoot and got her shot knocked TF down!!! Funky ass
♬ original sound – Samantha Clarke
“Yesterday it was just me and my doctor here,” she says. “He decides he’s going to buy me lunch, but the key was, I had to go get it. Not a problem. So while I’m walking to my car, I ran into a patient of ours in the parking lot. At first, she didn’t recognize me. So as she’s passing me, she’s staring at me, and when she passed me she turned around and she goes, ‘Samantha, is that you?’ I said yes, I said, ‘You can go head up, the doctor is waiting for you.’ She looks at me and she goes, ‘You know, I never liked braids. I think they’re inappropriate for the workplace. They give off Medusa.’”
However, @samanthaclarke29 was ready to clap back, knowing she was off the clock.
“So knowing that my Black ass was off the clock, I looked at her and said, ‘Huh. Well, you know what else is inappropriate?,” she said. “Coming to the doctor and smelling like you just ran a 10K, because it gives off stinky ass. Have a good day.’”
Legislation has been introduced at both the state and federal level to combat discrimination against hair styles and textures.
In 2019, California passed the CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.” The act has since been passed in New York, New Jersey, Washington, Maryland, Virginia, and Colorado. A federal CROWN Act failed to pass in the House of Representatives earlier this year, however, the act was reintroduced and passed the House in March 2022.
Commenters were equally surprised by the nerve of the patient to suggest that @samanthaclarke29’s hairstyle was in any way inappropriate. Some praised her response.
“Where do people get the audacity?” one commenter wrote. “Like, it would never occur to me to just randomly insult anyone.”
“Oh my…your braids are neat and look very professional,” another commenter wrote. “It’s good that you took her to class. She learned something new and to watch what she says.”
“Who the hell is she to decide what is appropriate at YOUR workplace?” a commenter wrote. “You look great.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @samanthaclarke29 via email regarding the video.
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