There is no shortage of “Karen” moments captured and shared on social media. One Black woman appears to have caught yet another one and took to TikTok to expose the white woman who decided to police her access to a bathroom.
The video uploaded by TikToker Top_cat716 (@top_cat716) has been viewed over 584,000 times as of this writing.
“In Buffalo NY I can’t use a public BATHRO_oM,” reads the text overlaid on the short clip.
It begins with a Black woman recording herself while using what appears to be a public bathroom.
“I guess I can’t be in this bathroom ’cause people steal,” she says into the camera.
The woman then says she is having a problem with someone from a law firm on the third floor of the building.
However, she doesn’t go into detail. Before she can explain what the problem is, a white woman appears on camera and begins to question the TikToker.
“Can I ask who you report to so that I can call the law firm?” the white woman asks her.
The white woman argues that the Black woman should stay on her own floor and not use the bathroom elsewhere.
“Why do I have to stay on my floor?” the Black woman shoots back. “Because of what? Why?”
“Why would you not stay on your floor?” the white woman retorts.
She also says the Black woman “particularly” should not use the shared bathroom on her office’s floor and mentions that she asked her not to use that bathroom in the past.
“I can use whatever bathroom I want to use,” the Black woman argues. “This is the law firm where I work.”
The encounter ends with the white woman threatening to call security.
“Please contact security,” the Black woman responds. “I work here. You sound stupid.”
@top_cat716 ♬ original sound – Top_cat716
Black people’s bathroom use has been policed before
In the comments section, many likened the encounter to a scene in the movie Hidden Figures.
The movie told the story of the vital role a team of African American female mathematicians played during the early years of the NASA space program and the racism they faced at work. In one pivotal scene, protagonist Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) delivers a scathing speech confronting her demanding boss, Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), who questions her frequent absence from her desk because he’s unaware she has to travel half a mile to use the bathroom relegated to women of color.
“Hidden Figures scene,” user Airsavage420 wrote.
“It’s giving Hidden Figures,” user Sc_homegrown agreed.
“The way I would use that bathroom every single day,” user Courtato said.
This is not the first time the Daily Dot has reported on Black TikTokers experiencing racism in public bathrooms. Back in 2021, one man went viral after he caught a man repeatedly calling him the N-word after he beat him to the bathroom.
The Daily Dot reached out to Top_cat716 via TikTok comment for more information.
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