A pre-med student says that she was fired from her job at a dermatologist’s office because of her TikTok presence.
In a TikTok posted on April 3, Mary (@glowingwithmary) says that she was fired from her “dream job,” which was working for a dermatologist, because of her TikToks. Mary has almost 165,000 followers on the app and says that she never posted about where she worked or mentioned her former boss.
She says that she was let go from her job, and then three months later was told by a former co-worker that she lost her job because of her TikToks.
“There is nothing I want more in this life,” Mary says of becoming a dermatologist herself. “It was absolutely devastating.”
Mary says that she is working on turning the rejection into an opportunity and says that she will continue to pursue medicine—and her dreams.
On Monday, Mary’s video had over 300,000 views on TikTok.
@glowingwithmary in 2023 I really believe young women should be able to have it ALL and be celebrated for multiple passions. hurts rn but fingers crossed this is the start of an amazing year and medical and beauty opportunities that make this all worth it❤️ #skintok #premed #dermatology #sephorasquad #sephorasquad2023 ♬ Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 – PinkPantheress & Ice Spice
Commenters on Mary’s video referenced another Black female creator who also said her TikTok led to an employment issue. Eni Popoola, an attorney, said in March that she was asked to choose between keeping her job and continuing to have a TikTok presence.
Mary wrote in a comment on her own video that Popoola inspired her to speak up about being fired.
Another Black female creator, Sade (@inmysundaybest), commented that she had been let go from her job because of her TikTok videos, as well.
“This is such a common experience for Black women!” Sade wrote. “The same thing happened to me.”
It was also a familiar experience for Dominique Baker, a Black female creator who shared that she related to Mary.
“Exact same happened to me,” Baker commented. “We support you.”
Other users likewise offered their support in the comments of Mary’s video.
“We need you,” @dkahtay wrote. “Keep going.”
