A woman shared one of her physical insecurities in a viral TikTok, but some commenters completely missed the point, instead accusing her of using an item and not paying for it.
In the video posted by fashion editor Sierra Mayhew, she shows one of the beauty steps she feels like she has to take before going out to cover up an insecurity.
In the clip, Mayhew is seen wearing a formal dress in Walgreens’ beauty aisle. With a hair color touch-up spray in one hand, Mayhew shakes the bottle and lightly sprays the top of her head to conceal her grey hair.
“This is what it’s come to, OK? That’s my problem. Please tell me I’m not alone,” Mayhew says.
The 26-year-old said she’s felt 46 years old since she was just 19 because of her grey hair, which she’s been hiding for years. She added that she was long overdue to touch up her greys but forgot her temporary dye at home so she had to run into Walgreens to buy a new bottle.
“Anyone else???” she asked. “…this has been a silent struggle of mine for so long so i decided to open up about it since i can’t be the only one.”
In the video’s text overlay, Mayhew wrote that she went into Walmart to use the product, while her video’s caption says that she’s at Walgreens.
Commenters were going in on Mayhew, assuming that she went to Walmart, used the product, and then put the used product back on the shelf.
“And this is why you always buy the products that are all the way in the back,” the top comment read.
“This is why walmart locks up products,” a person wrote.
“So the people who buy it are paying for used goods?” another said.
At no point in the video is Mayhew seen putting the product back down on a shelf. Instead, it stays in her hand the whole time.
“Guys where did she say she was putting it back on the shelf after using it?? She is expressing her deep insecurity that she wants to correct asap…” a person pointed out.
In the comments section, Mayhew clarified that she bought the root touch-up spray before filming the video. So, no, she didn’t put a used product back on the shelf.
@_sierramayhew It started when i was 19!! I’m a bit overdue for a color touch up and i forgot my temporary dye at home so i had to run to walgreens before dinner and do my touchup in the ailes lol this has been a silent struggle of mine for so long so i decided to open up about it since i can’t be the only one #grayhair #hairproblems #rootcoverup ♬ escape – Kilgore Doubtfire
Other commenters related to her content, sharing their stories and perspectives.
“You’re not alone! I started greying in 5th grade! Every few years now I let my grey grow out, I’ve come to love it,” a commenter shared.
“I’m also 26 and have a lot of greys, I started noticing them at 22! I’m glad people are talking about it,” another added.
“Grey hair has nothing to do with age. It’s about genetics. My best friend has a ton of grey hair that started in our 20s. I’ll be 40 this year and have maybe 4,” a person wrote.
This is completely true, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Your genes determine when your hair will start to grey.
“Though stress may play a role in the process, it would be more helpful to look to past generations rather than your current stress levels to help you predict when or if you’ll go gray,” Harvard reported.
The Daily Dot reached out to Mayhew for comment via email.
Update Jan. 26, 2023, 5:44pm CT:
In an email reply, Mayhew said she debated with herself for a long time about whether to share that moment because it’s one of her biggest insecurities.
“But that’s why I ended up going through with it. I thought, ‘If I feel so insecure about this, I can’t be the only one.’ I wanted to make other women feel supported if they were going through anything similar,” she said.
She added that on social media, many creators make it seem like they have the perfect life, and constantly seeing that makes her feel down.
“I’ve never seen a creator open up about premature gray hair which is part of what made me feel isolated in my struggle with it and I want to be a creator who shares the ups and downs of life even if they’re too taboo to be spoken about,” she said.
Regarding the slew of negative comments, Mayhew said that as the comments piled on—despite her clarifying that she bought the item—she noticed there was a heavy tone of racism in the comment section referring to her as “ghetto” and “ratchet.”
“That has been quite unsettling,” she said. “All I can do is share my truth and if people don’t believe me due to their implicit bias, that’s simply out of my control.”
Despite the negative response, Mayhew said she’s been able to remain calm during this experience because she knows who she is.
“Whether your classmates at school are gossiping about you during lunch hour or you’re being ‘canceled’ on social media, we’ve all experienced negative criticism,” she said. “To anyone who sees me walking through this path, I want you to know that when you know who you are, no one can take that away from you with their unkind words and if you ever need support my DMs are always open.”
