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Tag: TikTok

  • ‘This happened to me last year with Nordstrom’: Ulta customer orders $200 perfume. Then she opens the box

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    Opening a beauty package you order online should be a dopamine-filled little treat. When one Ulta customer picked hers up, however, she says the box felt wrong right away.

    What Went Wrong With The Ulta Package?

    TikTok user Jessie (@jessiexlizabeth) shared a video of herself opening an Ulta order in real time after something immediately felt off when she picked it up. The video has since gotten more than 238,100 views.

    “I just got my Ulta package,” she says at the start of the clip. “It’s fully empty. This is supposed to be my $200 perfume.”

    Right away, she explains that she hasn’t opened the box yet and starts recording as proof, saying she’s furious and already preparing for a chargeback if the product isn’t inside.

    As she works to open the shipment, she adds, “There is no way there’s a perfume in here. I am flabbergasted.”

    She uses a screw to pry into the packaging and admits she’s visibly shaking from the stress of it. “Oh, it’s in there,” she says when she first breaks open the box.

    That relief lasts only seconds. Once she sees what’s inside, she realizes what actually happened. “It’s fully opened and taken out of the box,” she says. “Are you kidding me?” she says. “I am losing it.”

    This wasn’t even Jessie’s first issue with the same order. She had previously shared that she originally purchased the perfume as part of a Black Friday deal, but everything else from that order arrived without the fragrance. The second shipment was supposed to correct that mistake.

    Fortunately, there was a resolution. In a follow-up, Jessie shared that Ulta refunded her fully for the missing perfume. She also said she planned to go to a physical store to buy it in person instead.

    Are Delivery Thefts Common?

    There’s no clear national statistic that tracks how often packages get stolen mid-delivery, but reported cases suggest it’s far from rare. In Arizona, one woman who tracked repeated missing shipments eventually learned that a USPS driver had been stealing packages and reselling the items on Depop.

    Across Reddit and Facebook, shoppers have shared similar complaints involving Amazon, eBay, and other retailers.

    The Mary Sue has reached out to Ulta Beauty via email for comment and contacted Jessie through TikTok direct messages.

    Commenters debated where the theft could have happened.

    One person blamed temporary staff, writing, “Seasonal workers, they can’t be trusted.”

    Another shared a precaution they now take, adding, “When I feel that the packages are empty, I go back to the store and open it in front of the associates.”

    Someone else believed it pointed to a larger internal issue, saying, “So this is definitely an internal issue. Ulta warehouse workers are clearly running something. Internal theft is always the biggest problem for loss prevention.”

    @jessiexlizabeth @Ulta Beauty ♬ original sound – Jessie

    Another focused on packaging itself, writing, “Ulta and Sephora need to stop putting their logo on the outside of the box.”

    One shopper took a broader view of the issue, adding, “The convenience of online shopping has just become convenience for theft. I so prefer brick & mortar.”

    And one person shared a similar experience, saying, “My Ulta package came in today & it was completely opened. You can see the brown tape ripped & they re taped it.”

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Ljeonida Mulabazi

    Ljeonida is a reporter and writer with a degree in journalism and communications from the University of Tirana in her native Albania. She has a particular interest in all things digital marketing; she considers herself a copywriter, content producer, SEO specialist, and passionate marketer. Ljeonida is based in Tbilisi, Georgia, and her work can also be found at the Daily Dot.

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  • ‘This is like the fourth or fifth time’: Tour group walks into an Ohio woman’s apartment while she’s sleeping. Her property manager didn’t tell her they were coming

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    An Ohio woman has a message for Northsteppe Realty: Stop entering the home she is currently leasing.

    “[Northsteppe Realty] had a tour of people come to my house,” said @thegarbitchtruck, a TikTok influencer with 60,000 followers. “I was dead [expletive] asleep in my bed. Had no [expletive] clue. Had no clue that there was, they scheduled a tour for our home.”

    Her video recounting the realty company’s aggressive tactics has generated 102,000 views since Dec. 10, with many viewers asking, “Isn’t this illegal?”

    Entering without notice: ‘this is illegal’

    @garbitchtruck suddenly woke up to a leasing manager entering her apartment without her consent.

    “ I literally, I’m gonna freak out. So my leasing manager decided it was a really cute, fun game to send a tour. Of the people I’ve never met who want to apparently lease this apartment after me,” she said. “Their employee opens my [expletive] door… I’m up immediately walking down my stairs and I’m upset ’cause I’m tired. I don’t know why the [expletive] someone’s walking in my house.”

    She quickly confronted a man, alongside three other potential residents, who were entering her home. “ I go down to my front door and I said, um, ‘why the [expletive] are you trying to enter my house?’ It’s a, it’s a 20-year-old dude in a [expletive] Carhartt with two or three other adults standing behind him looking like kids that just got in trouble.”

    The leasing agent said he was from Northsteppe Realty, which set @garbitchtruck off immediately. @thegarbitchtruck claims that Northsteppe Realty did not give her prior notice before entering her apartment for tours.

    “I know in the state of Ohio, you need at the very least, a 24 hour warning before you send people to my [expletive] home,” she told her viewers.

    @garbitchtruck’s other encounters with Northsteppe

    This wasn’t the first time that Northsteppe entered her home, allegedly without consent.

    @garbitchtruck called one of the company’s managers, Michael, to complain about it. “I called him today and I said, ‘Hey, this is the third [expletive] time you have sent people to my house to get into my home without a warning, without letting the residents know. This is the third time. The first time I was [expletive] naked, getting out of the shower, and I [heard] men’s voices downstairs.’”

    According to her, maintenance workers also let themselves into her apartment without any prior notification.

    “ We’ve had multiple times. We’ve had maintenance show up and unlock our door and walk in our house like they own the [expletive] place,” she said. “And then multiple times after that, we’ve had showings.”

    Alongside that, she had other complaints. “It’s the worst [expletive] company I’ve ever lived with, and I have been on my own living in my own apartment since I was 18. I literally lived in a slum Lord apartment that had better management and better maintenance and better communication than these [expletive] right here who are a giant [expletive] realty business.”

    Among her complaints were a rent increase mid-lease, alongside transfer fees to make basic payments. The apartment complex also does not, according to her, communicate regarding issues in any capacity.

    @thegarbitchtruck #fyp #viral #northstepp #help #why ♬ original sound – The Garbitch Truck

    Northsteppe Realty—a variety of sketchy occurrences 

    Many commenters quickly picked up on Northsteppe Realty’s sketchy behavior and even claimed that many of the things @garbitchtruck described are illegal.

    For one, it is illegal for an apartment complex’s maintenance workers or general employees to enter a residence without prior warning. If @garbitchtruck received no prior warning, they are in fact breaking the law.

    There is a chance, however, that Northsteppe Realty is notifying @garbitchtruck through an electronic notice.

    “So as someone who has leased from Northsteppe for years, the way they send notices is to the primary resident through email if there are multiple residents,” wrote one commenter. “If you are not the primary resident you won’t be notified. The emails also go to junk mail quite often so you gotta check that. Also it is in your lease that on a specific date if you don’t renew they will start to show your apartment.”

    In Ohio, the law does not specify whether the notice needs to be written, so landlords can email their notices to residents.

    Other commenters noticed additional strange things about @garbitchtruck’s description.

    “Everybody’s talking about how the entry with no notice is illegal but, and correct me if I’m wrong, did you just say they increased your rent mid lease?” said one viewer.

    If the lease has any terms that allow for rent increases, it is legal to increase rent costs. As tenantrights.com states, “a mid-lease increase is usually not allowed unless the lease includes a clear clause permitting it or you agree in writing.”

    But if there is no clause that states Northsteppe Realty can increase rent prices, this is illegal.

    The Mary Sue has reached out to Northsteppe Realty and @garbitchtruck for comment. We’ll let you know if either party responds. 

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Rachel Thomas

    Rachel Joy Thomas is a music journalist, freelance writer, and hopeful author who resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can email her at [email protected].

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  • This entrepreneur’s product went viral on TikTok. Scammers quickly swooped in.

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    Michelle Mildred is the proud entrepreneur behind the company Coloring Your Own. She’s not the owner of a company called “Flolyed Shop,” which is just one of the many sites posting fake ads using her face and voice. 

    The single mother says the ads are promoting products that look like hers, and sending customers to scam sites overseas.

    “I oscillate between like, ‘I can hang on until this ends,’ and then, ‘I don’t know how much more I can take,’” Mildred said.  

    She says some customers are getting counterfeit products when ordered from scam sites, and some aren’t. If they are, they’re much lower quality.

    “You can see the print is really glitchy,” she said while showing WCCO a knockoff one of her customers unknowingly purchased.  

    It all started after she posted a product to TikTok in September that went viral.

    “Within 36 hours there were fraudulent videos on Amazon, and then Walmart, Temu,” she said.

    Mildred individually reported the sponsored ads on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.

    “I did hire an intellectual property firm. They’ve taken down 175 listings, but I’ve reported over 750 and it takes them a while to get up and running,” she said.

    It’s an effort costing her nearly $2,000 a month out-of-pocket, and endless back-and-forth conversations.

    “I have to bring this to Facebook and be like, ‘Hey, turn off this revenue stream for you because it’s causing damage to my small business,’” she said.

    Mildred is now taking steps to watermark her videos, website and urging you to watch out, too.

    “I didn’t pay myself for four years,” she said. “I don’t know what the future looks like.”

    Mildred says these are ways you can best protect yourself:

    • If you see something advertised on social media, click on the page itself to see who’s running the ad and their reviews.
    • Go to the website and see what other items are offered, and if they look AI-generated.
    • Search the website in Google and write “scam or fraud” and look at the products on Trust Pilot.

    WCCO has reached out to Meta and TikTok for comment.

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    Frankie McLister

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  • ‘Luxury is not luxuriating’: New York woman goes to Chanel to get $3K Coco Crush ring resized. It turns into a whole debacle—now she’s out hundreds

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    If one buys a luxury good, they understandably desire a luxury experience. However, that’s not always what they get.

    Shoppers have reported a host of negative experiences purchasing high-end goods. From items that arrive in lackluster packaging to mistreatment at the stores themselves, luxury customers say that many upper-echelon shopping experiences leave them wanting more.

    Now, another user has recounted their experience with a luxury label. This time, the brand is Chanel. According to TikTok user Debbie (@detectivedelulu), a recent trip to their New York store ended in frustration. What did they mess up?

    A Chanel Ring Resize Goes Wrong

    In a video with over 927,000 views, Debbie recalls going to a Chanel store to get a Coco Crush ring resized. She says she received the ring as a gift.

    After waiting for 30 minutes, she was allowed to enter the store. She was greeted by a man named Gregory, of whom she is very complimentary.

    “I told him off right off the bat. ‘Listen, this ring too big. I have all the receipts. Can I exchange it for a smaller size?’ He was like, ‘Oh, let me see what I can do for you.’ Blah, blah. He goes to the back, comes back, and says, ‘Yes,’” the TikToker starts.

    Following this, Debbie tried on several sizes. While doing this, she discovered she liked a different color of the ring more and asked if she could exchange it. Gregory assured her that she could.

    From here, the good news continued. Debbie was told that her new ring was actually cheaper, so she had a $50 credit she could spend at the store. Debbie selected the compact mirror. 

    Things Take A Turn For The Worse

    While everything seemed to be going OK, Debbie soon learned that the exchange wasn’t as straightforward as she thought.

    First, she was informed that, even though she could exchange the rings, she would have to pay New York taxes on the new ring. This essentially dissolved her $50 credit. While Debbie says she didn’t mind paying the taxes, she says she wished she had been informed of this before getting excited about the potentially free mirror.

    Second, Debbie said she wanted to pay with cash. The cashier said they could only accept the money if they used a money counter—even though Debbie simply paid with “two $100 bills and two twenties” for a total of “four paper bills.”

    “Right next to her is another sales representative counting cash with his hands,” she states. “I’m not talking, like, $10 bills. It was, like, a stack of 20s. Hundreds.”

    All of this extra time spent meant that Debbie missed an appointment she had previously planned. Seeing that the time was lost, she decided to get another Chanel ring cleaned.

    Can Chanel Even Clean A Ring?

    Initially, Debbie’s proposed ring cleaning seemed to go off without a hitch. While the ring was three years old, she was told it was covered by the brand’s cleaning warranty. Debbie says that she was informed the cleaning would take between 30 minutes and an hour; the TikToker responded that she would simply wait for the cleaning to finish in-store.

    However, soon afterwards, a woman came and “kneel[ed] in front” of Debbie.

    “She tells me, ‘Oh, um, for you to get this polished, because of the material, whatever it is, we have to send it out, and that may take up to weeks for you to get it back,’” the TikToker recalls.

    Knowing of horror stories in which items were not returned for months or years, Debbie requested her ring back, at which point she was told that the ring was currently being given an “ultrasound.” This was probably a misstatement; the worker was likely referring to the concept of ultrasonic cleaning.

    Overall, Debbie marks herself as disappointed with the experience, noting that one of the “gifts” that came with the ring was simply promotional material.

    Bad Experiences At Chanel Stores

    On Reddit, users recalled their own negative experiences at Chanel stores.

    “Was given a damaged and scratched bag to open for Christmas,” said a user. “Went back to return it and was told I was the one who damaged it and they wouldn’t exchange it.”

    “I was in a boutique this summer and the SA was discussing fashion when she commented on ‘plus size ladies like us,’” recounted another. “I’m a size 10.”

    “Completely ignored at the Chanel in Vegas,” noted a third. “left without buying anything.”

    @detectivedelulu Chanel, don’t call your advertisement cards a gift. #chanel #cococrush #vent #relateable #fyp ♬ original sound – Debbie

    In the comments section of Debbie’s video, users noted the poor service of the Chanel store.

    “Girl even Pandora offers free cleaning and on the spot no hassle,” said a user.

    “Next time get a Cartier ring,” advised another. “I got in Paris and they even give you a small cleaning kit!”

    “It’s insane to me that luxury companies have worse customer service than Kohls,” noted a third.

    The Mary Sue reached out to Chanel via website contact form and Debbie via TikTok DM and comment.

    Need a Gift?

    Three picks from the shopping experts at Gee Thanks!

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Braden Bjella

    Braden Bjella is a culture writer. His work can be found in the Daily Dot, Mixmag, Electronic Beats, Schon! magazine, and more.

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  • Australia’s new social media ban for kids started with a mom saying, “Do something!”

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    With the world’s first social media ban for teenagers under 16 now in effect in Australia, its initial political architect is celebrating a new less-digital era for millions of children — and sharing that the legislation was personally inspired by his wife, for their four children. 

    “She read a book called ‘The Anxious Generation,’ by Jonathan Haidt,” said Peter Malinauskas, the premier of the state of South Australia. “And I will never forget the night she finished reading the book and she put it down on her lap and she turned to me and said, ‘You better do something about this!’” 

    Within seven months, and with strong public support, that idea fast became law across the land, winning support from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Ten major apps including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and Facebook have complied to bar everyone 16 and under from their accounts and from setting up new accounts. 

    “Heaven forbid they might talk to one another a bit more, pick up the phone and have a chat rather than just being obsessed with the screen,” said Maulinauskas. 

    The ban puts the onus of responsibility on social media companies rather than parents with a penalty of up to $33 million if found to be in breach. It allows for each company to decide how best to adhere, which must be “multi-layered,” using more than one kind of identity verification, which could include traditional methods including national IDs and passports but also artificial intelligence — controversial over possible inaccuracies — to scan facial features for age. 

    Malinauskas readily admits there will be growing pains. 

    “People will find ways around it and lots of things will go wrong, and that’ll be highlighted in coming days and weeks in Australia,” he said, “but on balance, this is a reform that parents want so they can do their job more easily.” 

    He says officials from North America, Europe and Asia have been speaking with him about advancing similar legislation in Canada, the United Kingdom and Japan. Malaysia is already on track to be the next country to ban those under 16 from social media in 2026. 

    Yet in Australia, the law already faces a legal challenge. The country’s High Court accepted a legal challenge from two 15-year-olds who assert the ban violates their freedom of communication. The case could be heard as early as February. 

    Malinauskas blames those companies for putting all children through “a global experiment” over the past decade with “social media addiction and overuse because many of these platforms have had addictive algorithms.” 

    “I’m really proud, really proud that we’ve been able to see South Australia and then Australia lead a reform that’s going to make a big difference to young people’s lives,” he said. 

    “And the reason why politicians are looking at it is because parents know something’s not right. You know, there is no better judge of what’s in the best interest of a child than a parent, right?” 

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  • What’s Trending On TikTok This Week: Post Malone, TYLA, Usher, & More!

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    It’s December 10, 2025, and it’s time for another roundup of our favorite current trending songs on TikTok. From Usher to Post Malone, we’re celebrating some of our favorite artists climbing the charts this week. We’re hearing old songs we haven’t heard in a while, and some from our favorite TV shows (aka Stranger Things season five is finally here). What a week it’s been for pop culture!

    Here are the viral trending TikTok audios we’ve been obsessed with this week.

    ‘White Iverson’ By Post Malone

    With the 10th anniversary of Post Malone’s STONEY comes a resurgence of fans’ favorite song, ‘White Iverson.’ We love that Post Malone songs truly never die, especially on the internet, when we’ve all grown up with him and his music. Now it’s time to take it to TikTok! Grab a basketball, head to your nearest fast food stop, and participate in this hilarious trend.

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT POST MALONE:
    DISCORD | FACEBOOK |INSTAGRAM |TIKTOK |TWITTER |WEBSITE

    ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ By The Clash

    Stranger Things 5 is here, which means the song that started it all is back on the TikTok charts. Grab your air guitar because ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ is stuck on our FYPs and is definitely not going anywhere anytime soon. Make this trend extra Stranger Things-esque with the Upside Down filter in the back of your videos. Get to filming, Hawkins!

    ‘CHANEL’ By TYLA

    If you haven’t posted to TYLA’s famous ‘Chanel’ dance yet, what are you doing? Seriously, this dance has been in our minds and all over our FYPs for the past few weeks. Now, we can’t stop listening to her new song and hoping for new music soon! Which popular TYLA song is your favorite?

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TYLA:
    FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE

    ‘I Don’t Mind’ By Usher

    Usher and Juicy J have dominated our feed this week, just like they dominated the early 2000s. ‘I Don’t Mind’ is just one of those songs that’s been stuck in our heads! But, hey, we don’t mind. Take to TikTok with this audio, sharing an embarrassing story or something you’re scared to admit but really don’t mind. Tag us so we can see!

     LEARN MORE ABOUT USHER:
    FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE

    ‘Needy’ By Ariana Grande

    Although Ariana Grande is everywhere lately due to Wicked: For Good, we’re bringing it back to the Thank U, Next era. ‘Needy’ was one of our favorite songs from this album, and we’re so, so happy it’s made its way back onto our feeds this week. Most importantly, it’s been finding its way into a lot of edit pages (keep the amazing edits coming!)

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ARIANA GRANDE:
    FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE

    Which of these audios have you been hearing on your FYP this week? What are your predictions for trending songs for next week? Let us know by chatting in the comments or buzzing us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

    Find more trending music news here, honeybee!

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  • ‘That big event that happened a few years ago…’: Woman travels to Las Vegas. Then ‘security’ says they’re doing mandatory room checks

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    You’re settling into the bed of your hotel room when, suddenly, you get a knock on the door.

    What’s going through your mind? Maybe someone ordered you a Room Service surprise? Maybe there’s an issue with the hotel? Or maybe something strange is afoot?

    A user on TikTok recently sparked discussion after recalling her own bizarre hotel experience. Specifically, she’s asking why the hotel decided to inspect her room—twice.

    What Happened In This Las Vegas Hotel Room?

    In a video with over 146,000 views, TikTok user Sylvia Longmire (@spintheglobe) recounts a strange experience she had at the LINQ Hotel in Las Vegas.

    According to Longmire, she was in her room one morning when she suddenly got a knock on the door.

    “I had my Do Not Disturb sign on the door, so I was surprised that somebody was knocking so strongly,” she recalls.

    When she got to the door, she saw that the person knocking was a security guard. The reason he was there? To perform a “mandatory room check.” According to Longmire, the guard claimed that, following the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, this had become standard practice.

    Longmire says that, while she’s a supporter of law enforcement, the perceived effort of the security guard was fairly low.

    “He just went in my room and just kind of walked around and looked at things,” she recalls. “He said, ‘OK, everything looks good,’ and he left.”

    Longmire suspects that, seeing she was a non-threatening wheelchair user, he probably assessed that she was not a threat. Still, she felt uncomfortable, with the thought going through her mind that the man could have been someone posing as a security guard who really wasn’t one.

    It Happens Again

    The following day, Longmire got another knock on the door—again at 10:00 am, which Longmire says woke her up.

    “It’s Vegas. Nobody is awake at 10:00 am on a Friday morning in Vegas,” she says.

    Longmire attempted to yell to whoever was at the door, as leaving the bed given her disability can take a fair bit of time. 

    Soon, Longmire learned it was another security check. She countered that the security had been there yesterday, that she’s disabled, and that she can’t easily come to the door. The security guard from the night before then showed up and informed the other security guard that they did not need to inspect her room.

    “I don’t know how legal that is,” she says of the experience. “I would not have said no simply because, again, I’m all in favor of security—but this was unusual.”

    Are Room Inspections Normal in Las Vegas?

    While some commenters claimed that this was not typical, a small detail in Longmire’s story shows why her room may have been inspected so many times. In short, she was using the Do Not Disturb sign.

    On Reddit, numerous users have noted that room inspections have become especially common since the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, especially if one uses a Do Not Disturb sign for days on end. Users on Facebook have made similar claims. Some say that these inspections only begin after two or three days; others say they can happen at any time.

    Hotels do not hide this fact. Often, stipulations that random room checks can occur are in the terms one agrees to when they book a room.

    Some hotel chains have made this promise openly. For example, Caesars Entertainment announced in 2018 that room checks would be performed every 24 hours if someone had a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. The LINQ, where Longmire was staying, is a Caesars property.

    The TikToker Responds

    In an email to The Mary Sue, Longmire said that she’s now aware that this is standard practice industry-wide. As far as why the hotel did not inform her of this, she says that she checked in using a QR code at a kiosk and never actually spoke to a worker during the check-in process.

    “I definitely should have called the front desk to find out if this was legitimate,” she wrote. “However, I kind of froze in the moment and the security guard was very firm that they needed to come in my room. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman, maybe it’s because I’m very compliant with law enforcement and authority that I let him into my room without really questioning it. Obviously, hindsight is 20/20 and I would’ve behaved differently had I had a bit more sense.”

    In order to improve this experience for others, Longmire recommended some changes.

    “I definitely would’ve appreciated it more if he had been doing the inspections with a female security guard,” she shared. “When he was in my room, despite being in a very official-looking uniform and just making a cursory inspection of my room, he did not leave the door open and I felt very unsettled while he was in there alone with me. Again, that is on me for not setting some boundaries but I just froze in the moment from being so caught off guard.”

    She said that, following the incident, she asked the front desk about it, who claimed an independent company performed the inspections. That said, the front desk said they would make a note about her disability so room inspectors could be mindful of the longer waiting period for her to answer.

    @spintheglobe The weirdest thing happened to me in my hotel room at the LINQ in Las Vegas yesterday morning and this morning, and I need somebody to tell me if this is legal. #lasvegas #linq #solotravel #solotraveler ♬ original sound – Sylvia Longmire

    In the comments section, users felt disturbed by the possibility of someone asking to enter their room.

    “As a woman alone I would have told the security officer that I’m calling the front desk to verify his presence,” said a user.

    “The October 1 mass casualty event may have been avoided if room checks were done at that time,” countered another. “Maybe they should have warned you to expect room checks during the your stay.”

    “You are totally valid in your concern! Why did the Linq not warn you about potential room checks or that they had extra security going around at check-in?” questioned a third. “It’s scary enough travelling alone as a woman, and there are so many horror stories about women being attacked in their rooms. What has happened to hospitality and customer service?”

    The Mary Sue reached out to The LINQ via email and Longmire via website contact form.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Braden Bjella

    Braden Bjella is a culture writer. His work can be found in the Daily Dot, Mixmag, Electronic Beats, Schon! magazine, and more.

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  • ‘Isn’t this a crime?’: California woman goes out for a walk with dog. Then she catches neighbor trying to unalive dogs by putting this on the street

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    A Californian woman went on a leisurely walk through her neighborhood only to see a bunch of mothballs on the ground. That was when she realized her neighbor was deliberately trying to poison dogs along the street.

    “So this lady who says she’s a Christian, and is batty as hell, decided to put moth balls all over this street,” Amber (@dietcokeplsss) said. She clarified that the woman had seen a neighbor walking their pet and decided to throw the small white balls across the street to deter them.

    Amber posted about the experience on her TikTok page. It quickly got more than 1.3 million views in less than a week. Many people are curious what would drive a woman to do such a thing.

    What are mothballs?

    Mothballs are “small balls of pesticide and deodorant” that can deter insects like moths when placed alongside clothing. Due to the compounds inside the balls, they slowly transform from a solid state to a gas. Thus, releasing chemicals that can ward off moths and protect clothing.

    Why are mothballs dangerous for dogs and small children?

    Mothballs are incredibly volatile for pets and children, something that Amber picked up on immediately. In her description, she wrote, “My mom’s neighbor was walking her dog yesterday and a lady on their street got mad because she walked in front of her house. So this miserable human covered the entire street with mothballs which are toxic to dogs…” 

    As one commenter put it, “Mothballs are toxic and contain chemicals like naphthalene… which [is] poisonous to pets, wildlife and children.” All of that information is true. Mothballs, despite looking relatively harmless, contain harmful chemicals and are technically considered potentially lethal pesticides for animals. 

    Naphthalene is a hydrocarbon derived from coal tar or crude oil. It’s commonly used for solvents and dyes. Dichlorobenzene, another component in mothballs, is considered a chlorinated volatile organic compound (VOC). This is commonly used in air fresheners and air repellents. The combination makes them an airborne risk. 

    When mothballs are present in a small space, there’s a likely chance you’ll accidentally inhale both of these compounds. While they’re lethal to insects, inhaling their vapors for too long can also be toxic for pets and children, as their bodies are closer to the floor. Even adults can experience significant side effects such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, and drowsiness. 

    Long-term exposure can cause kidney damage via hemolytic anemia. They also may pose a cancer risk as they’re a possible carcinogen. The risk increases for pets and children. 

    What happened to the neighbor?

    Amber’s mother called the police after they noticed the mothballs on the ground. Officers later arrived at the neighbor’s doorstep. According to Amber’s testimony, the woman immediately confessed, admitting that she threw the mothballs around to deter walkers from making their way through the neighborhood. The police reportedly fined the woman.

    In an update, Amber clarified that it was difficult to get all of the mothballs because the neighbor smashed some into the ground. “My mom and brother [have been] picking up the mothballs that her neighbor put all over their street because she doesn’t like neighborhood pets. She literally smashed some to the ground so they wouldn’t be able to be picked up.”

    READ MORE: Our favorite Black Friday 2025 deals will leave you way cozier for way less

    Due to the smashed mothballs, there is still a risk of mothball poisoning for pets and wildlife in the area. If an animal consumes part of a smashed mothball, it may experience severe symptoms like nausea, vomiting and seizures.

    For that reason, many people recommended that Amber’s family still call local fisheries and the wildlife department to assess the situation.

    The Mary Sue reached out to Amber for more information, but she was unavailable to comment.

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    Rachel Thomas

    Rachel Joy Thomas is a music journalist, freelance writer, and hopeful author who resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can email her at [email protected].

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  • ‘ I have never had an issue with mine’: Woman buys ‘leakproof’ Owala water bottle. Then she puts it in bag with her $2,000 MacBook

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    Placing a water bottle tumbler in a bag can be risky. Any movement can be a game of spillage roulette, ruining any valuables inside. Unfortunately, one learned that ‘leakproof’ isn’t always foolproof after she placed her Owala in the same pocket as her MacBook, which resulted in a hefty price. 

    The seven-second clip shows TikTok creator Laurie (@laurienadeau61) with her hand on her forehead, devastated. “POV: your ‘leakproof’ Owala leaked (aka FLOODED it) in your bag,” she writes in the text overlay.

    “Now your $2k MacBook Pro no longer works, and you don’t have access to any of your notes or papers anymore a few days before exams,” she adds. Then, the content creator flips the camera to reveal her MacBook with its screen frozen on a Word document.

    Needless to say, the incident distressed Laurie. “@Owala I just wanted an A+ on my next exam, I’m screwed now,” she expresses in the caption.

    Viewers were empathetic

    The video racked up over 219,000 views. Many in Laurie’s comments section resonated with her, sharing their own experiences with Owalas drowning their belongings.

    “I bought one to travel with and leaked allll over first use. I’m [sure] traumatized,” one viewer revealed.

    “This exact thing happened to me. My heart goes out to you,” a second commented.

    “It happened to me with my ipad where I have all my notes and projects,” a third echoed.

    How can ‘leakproof’ Owala tumblers spill?

    Due to experience, others proposed how this could’ve happened.

    “I found that my owala would only leak when I would fill all the way to the top. So I only fill it up till the end of where I say the cap ends when it’s tightened on. Because I have tried at least 3 times and it will leak if I fill it all the way to the top,” one commenter explained.

    “Mine did this too but bc something pushed on the button and it opened slightly,” another stated.

    Essentially, Owalas are leak-free due to their screw-top lid, rubber gasket on the mouthpiece, and rubber stopper, Yahoo states. On the other hand, several factors can cause spills, such as adding hot, carbonated liquids or accidentally bumping the unlock button, according to Owala’s website. The brand recommends keeping tumblers away from other objects and covering the button to prevent this.

    However, if none of these are the culprits, it may be a missing piece. In August, one Florida-based mother learned that a missing stopper was causing her daughter’s Owala to leak. From what she allegedly witnessed, it could’ve been a case of customers pulling switcheroos to customize their own tumblers, a popular phenomenon at Target. Other factors can include damaged or unclean pieces and improper securing.

    @laurienadeau61 @Owala I just wanted an A+ on my next exam, I’m screwed now ? #leakproof #owala #macbookpro #finalseason #fml ♬ original sound – ASMR icons

    The Mary Sue reached out to Laurie via email and TikTok comment as well as Owala via press email.

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    Melody Heald

    Melody Heald is a culture writer. Her work can be found in Glitter Magazine, BUST Magazine, The Daily Dot, and more. You can email her at: [email protected]

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  • ‘Good enough to risk getting trampled’: Resurfaced chaotic video of Walmart on Black Friday in 2011 has people longing for the way things were. Why?

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    Everyone had the friend, or was the friend, who would wake up before dawn the day after Thanksgiving to stand in line for “doorbuster deals.” Who would’ve guessed we’d ever miss those caffeine-fueled Black Friday mornings? The ones when you’d size up a stranger by how they behaved when confronted with the last two PlayStation 3 consoles in the state.

    But here we are. Across the internet, folks like Cody Martin (@codymartin), Denita Barr (@denita), Maria Carolina (@carolinawilli16), and Cassie (@cassie) are lamenting the loss of the elbow-throwing, heart-pounding sprint for the best deals.

    “Bring back Black Friday,” shouts Barr in a video that’s been watched thousands of times. “I’m talking about the Black Friday where you had to get up at butt-f- – -am to go get in line at Kohl’s or you’s finna miss that f- – – – – – deal.”

    Do you remember?

    And sure, it might be a tad absurd to be nostalgic for retail madness. But watching Martin’s 16-second 2011 throwback video of Black Friday does tug at something for about 2.2 million of us.

    Perhaps it’s not just because these days, as Carolina notes, stores roll out their Black Friday deals weeks ahead of time. Perhaps it’s because it was once kind of fun to squabble over subwoofers with a stranger. As Carolina says in her TikTok, “If you can afford to have the deal for more than one day, it is not a Black Friday deal.”

    Martin’s video looks like the kind of footage you might once have seen on the 6 o’clock news back in the day. “We used to be a proper country,” the caption reads. The video pans over a crammed-together crowd of folks who’re jockeying for space. They are passing boxes hand-over-hand and generally getting their joyful consumerism on.

    “No phones in site, just people living in the moment,” Martin captioned the video. He makes it clear: This is more than just shopping; it is rowdy togetherness.

    The downfall of the inside mall

    In 2014, the New Yorker ran an article that forecast the downfall of the American mall. Yes, it was tied to online shopping. But it was also tied to the physical space of the typical indoor mall. Developers have a shorthand name for it: “Classic greybox.”

    That sounds about as appealing to shop in as it does to struggle to find parking there during the high season.

    The solution, for developers, has been to turn toward outdoor malls.

    Camaraderie in the chaos?

    Struggling to find a historic or academic explanation for this nostalgia might be an exercise in redundancy. That’s because viewer comments encapsulate the energy so many seem to feel is missing from today’s shopping scramble.

    “I YEARN FOR A BLACK FRIDAY LIKE THIS,” Carly Gutierrezz (@carly/twinmama) wrote.

    Tiana Coats (@tiana) remembered, “I used to go out for Black Friday just for the chaos.”

    “Throwback to shouting “WHERE ARE YOU?!” To find your family members amongst the chaos,” recalled @beepbopteeptop, who says if her family couldn’t find anything else, they’d always snag some DVDs.

    Inflated prices, deflated hearts?

    One of the main complaints popping up across accounts and in comments is that the so-called deep discounts aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Shoppers are suspicious that prices are getting puffed up, only so stores can slash prices for sale optics.

    The history of Black Friday

    The whole idea of a huge shopping day the day after Thanksgiving can be traced to 1950s Philadelphia.

    That’s when the city would be flooded by shoppers and tourists for the big Army-Navy game, reports History. Police officers had to work overtime and often deal with petty theft on top of managing hordes of crowds. So it was a bad day—a black day, a Black Friday.

    Then, in the 1980s, the idea was co-opted by retailers as a way to encourage spending. Because it could be an economic milestone: the day when retailers, which often operated in the red, turned their books to the black (making a profit). Since then, it’s gone on to be an unofficial holiday.

    @_codymartin_ We used to be a proper country. #blackfriday #memories #commercialism ♬ original sound – Cody

    We reached out to Denita Barr, Maria Carolina, and Cassie via email. We also reached out to Cody Martin via TikTok messenger. We’ll update this if we hear back.

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    Madeleine Wagner

    Madeleine Peck Wagner is a writer and artist whose curiosity has taken her from weird basement art shows to teaching in a Master’s Degree program. Her work has appeared in The Florida Times Union, Folio Weekly, Art News, Art Pulse, and The Cleveland Plain Dealer. She’s done work as a curator, commentator, and critic; and she is fascinated with the way language shapes culture.

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  • ‘I was like eww’: Nashville woman sits down at Hobby Lobby. Then a ‘late 30s’ man asks if she’s OK when he sees what’s on her phone

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    A woman was shopping near the Christmas displays at Hobby Lobby when she decided she needed a quick break. As she sat down, she noticed a man “circling her” in the store, continuously following her every move and asking if she was “OK” countless times.

    In a video with more than 31,000 views on TikTok, Lacey Farmer (@laceyglamco) recounted the strange and difficult situation to her audience. “That’s the first time I’ve ever been scared [that someone] might do something to me or like try to do something to me,” she said.

    Farmer’s encounter at Hobby Lobby

    Farmer went inside Hobby Lobby to shop for some items when she realized that the National Nutcracker was going on sale. She had wanted tickets for her family for a while, so she sat down in the Christmas tree aisle to get them.

    That’s when she noticed a man, most likely in his late thirties to early forties, circling her and checking back with her inside the store. “We made our contact a couple times and I would immediately look away, like, I don’t have time for you,” she said.

    Eventually, the man approached her in the store. “He’s standing and he’s like, ‘ma’am, are you OK’? And I ignored him. And he’s like, he says it again. He’s like, ‘Hey ma’am, are you OK?’ And I was honestly annoyed because I literally am like trying to get this discount for these tickets,” Farmer told her viewers. Eventually, she looked up and responded to him, letting him know she was fine and looking for tickets to a show online.

    He told her to “have a good day,” and she walked off into another part of the store. That’s when she noticed that the man followed her to that section.

    “Now I kind of started [to notice], like, ‘oh, OK, this is kind of weird.’ I’m gonna just go to the other side of Hobby Lobby and lose this guy. So I literally darted to the other side of a Hobby Lobby,” she said.

    He continues following her across aisles

    Somehow, the man found his way toward her section every time she moved in the store. Farmer went from slightly annoyed to frightened.

    “He [had] nothing in his hands,” Farmer added. “He also… the vibes were just not good. You know what I mean? Like, you know how you can tell when someone’s just… something was not [right]… I knew something.”

    At this point, Farmer called her husband to try and find someone safe. Her husband, though, was at work 45 minutes away. She called her father, who unfortunately did not answer his phone.

    By that point, Farmer was feeling trapped. She had tried to beeline through aisles to avoid him, but he ended up approaching her again and asking a few questions.

    “And he says, ‘Hey, did you say you’re like going to a concert or something?’ And I said, ‘no.’ And he said… ‘why were you in such a hurry to get tickets?’” Farmer said. She tried to add that she had a husband and children in the conversation, but he started asking more questions about her family. She tried to lie about key details to throw him off and not share any personal information.

    As he started to discuss his own family, Farmer took the opportunity to bolt. She abruptly ended the conversation and headed out.

    Leaving Hobby Lobby

    Farmer ran out of the Hobby Lobby as fast as she could. She noticed as she was leaving that the man was still glancing around for her. 

    “ As I was running out, I was like, he was freaking looking for me. He was looking for me and I literally jumped in my car,” she added. 

    Farmer regrets not getting an employee to walk her out, but she was incredibly anxious while walking around inside. 

    As a final message, she told her followers, “ You don’t need anything in [Hobby Lobby]. Let us get our Christmas ornaments in peace. So yeah, that’s on not being able to go anywhere alone. Love that for us.”

    @laceyglamco

    Stay safe out there ladies ppl are weird. Hobby Lobby is my comfort place

    ♬ original sound – Lacey Farmer

    Commenters share similar experiences

    Many commenters were surprised by the man’s behavior, and while they thought he could have good intentions at first, they quickly realized how frightening it was for Farmer. 

    “Maybe I’m still a little too naive [because] in the beginning I was like maybe he truly is just checking in… It could be a weird situation [if] you [were] just sitting there, but the fact he continued to approach you… Your gut was definitely right I think,” said one viewer. 

    Others had incredibly similar encounters. Another commenter added, “That’s so scary. Thank you for sharing. I had a similar experience at Walmart—this guy followed me through the entire store. I thought I lost him, but he found me again at the register. I asked an employee if someone could walk me out, and all she said was, ‘We have cameras.’ I was so upset. I ran to my car. It really reminded me how important it is to stay aware of our surroundings.

    The Mary Sue has reached out to Farmer and Hobby Lobby for comment.

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    Rachel Thomas

    Rachel Joy Thomas is a music journalist, freelance writer, and hopeful author who resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can email her at [email protected].

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  • You’ll Never See KJ Apa and Mr. Fantasy on the Same Thanksgiving Float

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    Photo: TheStewartofNY/Getty Images

    Mr. Fantasy, you’re in the big leagues now, kid. KJ Apa’s Hannah Montana-like alter ego from TikTok has made it all the way to Rockefeller Center for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, a little over a week after he was seen in the audience for Dancing with the Stars. He’s not under contract to any broadcast network, a free bird! The superstar Mr. Fantasy joined the oldest float in the parade, the Jolly Polly Pirate Ship, to perform his titular song “Mr. Fantasy,” ahead of new music coming out on November 28. He climbed and danced all around the ship, surrounded by children dressed as pirates, who probably thought that Mr. Fantasy was a part of some type of Lazy Town spin-off. I don’t think he shows up on their FYP.

    When Apa was locked out of his TikTok account, he found a new, strange but productive way to cope by posting and promoting his music as Mr. Fantasy, where he wears a brunette f*ck ass bob wig, fake teeth, and real sunglasses. “It all starts with the music. The music helps me to get specific. Mr. Fantasy is always changing depending on which world he’s entering, and the music is the pioneer. The music is the great master that pulls Mr. Fantasy into these worlds,” he told People in an interview last month. And for the world of the Thanksgiving Parade, Mr. Fantasy is a pirate. Arg!

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  • ‘I COULD CRY’: Woman drops off her Anthropologie wedding dress at the Goodwill. Then they do something unexpected with it

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    A woman dropped off an Anthropologie dress at Goodwill, only for it to end up on Goodwill’s online bidding site instead of in-store.

    @madfit77, a TikTok content creator who recently got married, had an extra, never-worn wedding dress from Anthropologie. Out of kindness, she decided to donate the dress, hoping that it would “make someone’s day.”

    Then a commenter tried to find the dress: “OMG this would’ve been perfectttt! I just called to see when they were putting this on the floor to go buy and they said they are sending it out to shop good will because it is a nice dress- I COULD CRY,” they wrote.

    That’s when @madfit77 realized that the dress she posted in her TikTok video with 615,000 views was getting “auctioned” off by Goodwill. “OH NO!!! I didn’t even know they could do that, wow,” she said.

    Goodwill—overpriced?

    Goodwill started its e-commerce website, shopgoodwill.com, in 1999. Since then, it’s evolved and shifted, functioning similarly to Mercari and eBay in 2025. In recent history, many shoppers have noticed a large amount of high-quality items funneling to shopgoodwill.com. Additionally, huge price increases on leftover items. 

    Customers have had major issues with the platform since it became a bigger staple of Goodwill’s overall business model.  This isn’t the first time that Goodwill has auctioned off high-priced items to the detriment of in-person shoppers. 

    We’ve reported on previous incidents where bags and other items got auctioned off before customers coming into Goodwill stores can touch them. In California, a woman found a luxury bag in a store, only for it to get ripped away and sold online for $27. 

    Other TikTok users theorize that all of the items inside of Goodwill’s “showcases” are fake luxury products, leaving employees to sell the real ones off online. 

    Prices have also made many Goodwill shoppers abandon the company entirely. A recent story documented Nike joggers at an Oregon location listed for $39.99, a minimal price difference overall.

    How does shopgoodwill.com work?

    Based on previous accounts, employees at Goodwill locations are instructed to “look out” for high-ticket items. Once one gets donated, they set it aside to send to shopgoodwill.com. They’ve instructed people interested in these particular items to go bid for them on their website.

    They sell designer goods from pretty much every upscale store, which functionally empties Goodwills across the country.

    @madfit77 #thrift #donate ♬ A Couple Minutes – Olivia Dean

    Despite the frustration, @madfit77 is still happy

    Despite the fact that @madfit77 wanted her dress to hit the floor, she’s still happy with her wedding day. She didn’t end up wearing the Anthropologie dress on her wedding day. It lowered the sentimental value and made it a more practical donation. 

    Still, she expressed some frustration at the fact that her donation wasn’t going to a woman in her area and was instead getting bid on online. 

    Many commenters advised her to donate to local thrift shops in the future and to avoid Goodwill, complimenting her on her “beautiful intentions” despite the undesired result. 

    The Mary Sue has reached out to Goodwill and @madfit77 for comment.

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    Rachel Thomas

    Rachel Joy Thomas is a music journalist, freelance writer, and hopeful author who resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can email her at [email protected].

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  • ‘New fear unlocked’: California woman uses glass straws to drink water. Then she ends up in the ER

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    Reusable straws took off as more people started paying attention to waste and sustainability. The classic plastic straw gave way to paper, metal, silicone, bamboo, and glass. The options felt endless, and for many, a glass straw seemed like the cleanest and safest choice. But one California woman says that assumption nearly landed her in surgery.

    TikTok creator @colorful__chaos is now urging viewers to stay away from glass straws altogether after a piece of one broke off while she was drinking water and ended up inside her body. Her warning video, filmed from a hospital bed, has racked up more than 28.7 million views.

    “Don’t use glass straws,” she says at the start of the clip. “It’s not worth it.”

    Woman Has Important PSA About Glass Straws

    In the video, she explains that she had been drinking water like normal when something suddenly felt off. “I was drinking my water with a glass straw and I swallowed something,” she says. “And I was like, what was that?”

    She looks at the straw and immediately sees the problem. A large shard is missing from the tip. “There’s a piece about that big gone,” she says, holding her fingers about two inches apart.

    At first, she tries to stay calm. “I kind of freaked out a little bit,” she says, then explains why she didn’t rush to the hospital right away. “I didn’t feel anything, so I thought maybe it was fine.”

    Two hours later, that feeling changes fast. “I burped really big and my mouth had blood in it,” she says. That’s when she heads straight to the emergency room.

    Once there, she says staff initially doesn’t treat it like an emergency. “At first I really don’t think that they’re taking me seriously,” she says. “They were not trying to get me back quickly.”

    That changes when doctors review her case more closely. “The doctor talked to the gastro, and he said to expedite a CAT scan immediately,” she says. The imaging shows a piece of glass sitting in her stomach.

    Doctors rush her in for an emergency procedure. “They put me to sleep and put the tube down my throat to try to get it,” she says. But by the time they begin the procedure, the shard has already moved.

    “By the time they got me into the room, it had already left my stomach,” she says. “So I’ve got a piece of glass floating around in my intestines.”

    Doctors sent her home with instructions to closely monitor symptoms. “They told me to watch for bleeding over the next two days and to check my poop,” she says. The doctors explain that since the shard already passed through her throat and stomach, they expect it to pass on its own.

    Still shaken, she leaves viewers with an unmistakable warning. “Do not buy these straws,” she says. She also explains that she had previously promoted the product online and is now trying to have that post removed. “I will not promote those. The cups are great, but glass straws will be a no-go forever in my house.”

    She reinforces that message in her caption, writing, “SEND THIS to anyone you know who uses glass straws! If you’re using them TOSS THEM OUT. Not worth it.”

    In follow-up updates, the creator tells viewers she’s doing okay so far, with no pain or bleeding as of her last post. However, she says there is still no clear sign that the shard has passed.

    Are Glass Straws Actually Dangerous?

    Glass straws sit in a strange middle ground. They’re reusable, easy to clean, and don’t retain flavors like plastic or silicone. But they are still made of glass, which means they can break, chip, or crack if dropped, bitten, or exposed to rapid temperature changes.

    There have been previous reports of users swallowing shards when glass straws fracture during use. Dentists have also warned that sipping on hard glass can contribute to chipped teeth, especially for children. Some safety articles also caution against using glass straws with very hot beverages, where heat stress can weaken the glass over time.

    None of those risks is common, but when breakage does happen, the injuries can be serious.

    The video’s comment section quickly fills with alarm and disbelief.

    “Glass straws should be illegal,” one person writes.

    Another shares a photo of herself drinking directly from a cup and adds, “I don’t understand why people can’t just.”

    One parent responds immediately, writing, “Me immediately throwing away my daughter’s glass straws.”

    @_colorful__chaos_ SEND THIS to anyone you know who uses glass straws! If youre using them TOSS THEM OUT. Not worth it. #glassstraws #glassstraw #glass #straw #emergency ♬ original sound – _itsbreezie_

    Others steer people toward safer alternatives. “Guys, buy stainless steel or silicon straws,” one commenter urges. “Those glass straws are not it.”

    And many echo the phrase now attached to the story. “New fear unlocked,” one person writes.

    The Mary Sue has reached out to @colorful__chaos via TikTok messages for additional information and updates.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Ljeonida Mulabazi

    Ljeonida is a reporter and writer with a degree in journalism and communications from the University of Tirana in her native Albania. She has a particular interest in all things digital marketing; she considers herself a copywriter, content producer, SEO specialist, and passionate marketer. Ljeonida is based in Tbilisi, Georgia, and her work can also be found at the Daily Dot.

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  • Tears at what senior dog still tries to do after losing vision to diabetes

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    A TikTok video showing a senior dog waking up confused and unable to see has moved people to tears, as it has drawn attention to the common complication of canine diabetes.

    Pet parent Joe LaMancuso began managing his senior dog’s diabetes over the summer, he shared in the comment section of his September 30 TikTok video. This includes giving his 12-year-old dog, Oreo, two daily insulin shots, using a glucose reader and having him eat a special diet.

    Diabetes is a chronic disease caused by high blood sugar due to insulin problems, affecting humans and animals alike. In dogs, the most common form is diabetes mellitus, or sugar diabetes, according to an article from the American Kennel Club. Most dogs are diagnosed after age five, though it can occur at any age. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial, as uncontrolled diabetes can lead to cataracts, liver enlargement, urinary tract infections, seizures, kidney failure and ketoacidosis.

    Oreo’s blindness seemed “sudden” to LaMancuso, as if it happened overnight. In the heartbreaking video, Oreo sits by his food bowl, unsure where to go or what to do. His head hung down in defeat. Trying to stay positive, LaMancuso wrote in the caption: “Hang in there, my lil prince, there’s still so much to smell and hear!!!”

    Eye problems are common in dogs with diabetes. According to an article from South Texas Veterinary Ophthalmology, 75 percent of dogs will develop cataracts within 12 months of a diabetes mellitus diagnosis, and blindness can progress quickly when severe or left untreated.

    Oreo is now learning how to navigate this new normal. A separate video shows LaMancuso taking his dog on a walk, and how Oreo is gradually adjusting and becoming more cautious. Pet parents are advised to maintain routines and avoid moving household items, including food bowls, to help blind dogs orient themselves.

    And while some canines can use their other senses to help them through, LaMancuso shared in a comment that Oreo’s hearing has started to go, too, making adaptation even more challenging.

    With over 101,400 views, 8,811 likes and 214 comments, TikTok users flooded the video with their heartbreak for how scary it must be for not only the owner, but Oreo.

    “That’s so sad. Please give him a cuddle and belly rub from me,” wrote one person.

    Another added: “So sorry. It’s so hard watching them get older. Hugs, stay strong for your baby!!”

    LaMancuso said Oreo became cuddly for the first time after his vision went. He slept next to LaMancuso that night.

    Newsweek reached out to LaMancuso via email for additional information and comment.

    Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup. 

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  • The Viral ‘DoorDash Girl’ Saga Unearthed a Nightmare for Black Creators

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    When DoorDash delivery driver Livie Rose Henderson posted a video alleging that one of her customers sexually assaulted her in October, it set off a firestorm of reactions.

    Henderson’s TikTok claimed that when she was dropping off a delivery in Oswego, New York, she found a customer’s front door wide open and inside, a man on the couch with his pants and underwear pulled down to his ankles. Henderson was dubbed the “DoorDash Girl,” and her video accrued tens of millions of views, including some supportive and consoling responses to what she said she had endured on the job as a young woman. Many others on the platform made commentary videos that called into question Henderson’s alleged victimhood, defended the customer, and spread misinformation, with TikTok’s algorithm seemingly amplifying these “hot takes.” Then, following Henderson’s November 10 arrest—she has been charged with unlawful surveillance and the dissemination of unlawful surveillance imagery—a new wave of reactions emerged. (Police have dismissed her sexual assault allegation.)

    None of these responses came from Black content creator and journalist Mirlie Larose.

    But Larose opened TikTok one day to find dozens of messages from friends and supporters alarmed by a video of her responding to the situation in favor of the customer and DoorDash’s decision to terminate Henderson. (Henderson was fired for sharing a customer’s personal information online, DoorDash spokesperson Jeff Rosenberg tells WIRED.) As Larose stared at the video in disbelief, for a split second she second-guessed herself as she became flushed with anxiety about the comment section “tearing her apart.”

    “Did I film this?” she asked. “It’s my face, it’s my hair.”

    “Then, within three or four seconds, I noticed something’s off. There’s no way I said this. I didn’t [want to] talk about this topic,” Larose tells WIRED. The video had been AI-generated.

    The situation highlights an increasingly common form of digital blackface, buoyed by the rise of generative AI. The term, popularized by culture critic Lauren Michele Jackson, describes various contemporary types of “minstrel performances” on the internet. This looks like the overrepresentation of reaction GIFs, memes, TikToks, and other visual and text-based media that use Black imagery, slang, gestures, and culture. TikTok’s reliance on attention-grabbing short-form video content, coupled with apps like Sora 2, has made it far easier for non-Black creators and bot accounts to adopt racialized stereotypical Black personas using deepfakes. This is also known as digital blackfishing.

    In the midst of the DoorDash/Henderson controversy, users on TikTok began to notice two videos in particular: one from a bot account and another from an actual Black content creator parroting the same script. They adopted seemingly DARVO (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender) positions, minimizing the allegations Henderson made and justifying her termination: “I saw the original video posted by the DoorDash girl, and … I understand why DoorDash fired you and why you’re blocked from the app.” The videos go on to say, “As for the guy, I can see why everyone is saying he did it on purpose. But when you look at the original video, that couch is not in eye view unless you angle yourself and look over, and if you really want to break it down, he’s inside his house.” In a statement on Facebook, the Oswego City Police Department said the male was “incapacitated and unconscious on his couch due to alcohol consumption” and that the video was taken outside his house. Police also said they “determined that no sexual assault occurred.”

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    Matene Toure

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  • ‘I would’ve cried’: Texas woman orders new Hydrojugs. Then she catches USPS through the Ring camera

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    Most of us know the restless excitement of waiting for a package you finally splurged on, refreshing tracking updates like it’s a full-time job. You expect delays, maybe a porch pirate if the universe is feeling chaotic, but you don’t expect the delivery itself to be the thing that destroys it.

    According to one Texas woman, that’s exactly what happened, and of course, it involved her new TikTok-favorite Hydrojugs.

    Woman Catches USPS Driver in 4K

    TikTok creator Eileen (@eileenp06) went viral after posting the moment her long-awaited order met its unexpected fate.

    “POV: you’re excited for your new limited edition hydrojugs to arrive only for this to happen,” she writes in the video’s text overlay.

    The clip, now at more than 24.5 million views, shows her Ring camera capturing a USPS driver rolling up to her home, tossing the package out of the van window without stopping, and then unbelievably driving over it.

    He doesn’t hit the brakes or circle back immediately. Instead, he pulls forward, parks, steps out, picks up the flattened package, sets it neatly on the porch, and casually walks away as if nothing happened.

    “There goes my order,” she wrote in the caption.

    The Hydrojugs Miraculously Survive

    The wildest twist is what happened next.

    In a follow-up video, Eileen unboxes the two Hydrojugs, and they look shockingly alive.

    The first, the red sparkly Holly model, has a tiny dent at the bottom. The rest looks untouched.
    The second, the Espresso, looks completely perfect, not even a scratch.

    “If you’re thinking of getting a HydroJug, this is what one looks like after being completely ran over,” she writes, basically giving the brand the strongest durability review anyone could ask for.

    What Is This Brand?

    Hydrojugs are exactly what they sound like: oversized tumblers designed to make drinking water feel more intentional. They lean heavily into the “cute hydration” aesthetic with their fun colors, trendy drops, and limited-edition collections that TikTok treats like concert tickets.

    At this point, the brand has tens of thousands of tags across the app, and a surprising number of viral moments.

    The comments section came out swinging, shocked at the delivery technique but also low-key mourning the near loss of the jugs.

    One person wrote, “Nooo not the hydrojug.”

    Another added, “Usps are the laziest employees I’ve ever met, honest to god.”

    @eileenp06 There goes my order ??@HYDROJUG ♬ nothing beats a jet2 holiday – A7-BBH | MAN

    A third viewer tried to keep it practical: “Please go and show this to your postmaster at your post office. The driver is not supposed to do that.”

    “He really said: delivery AND destruction in one go,” chimed in the company Ring in the comments.

    The Mary Sue has reached out to Hydrojugs via their contact form, USPS via email, and Eileen via Instagram messages.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Ljeonida Mulabazi

    Ljeonida is a reporter and writer with a degree in journalism and communications from the University of Tirana in her native Albania. She has a particular interest in all things digital marketing; she considers herself a copywriter, content producer, SEO specialist, and passionate marketer. Ljeonida is based in Tbilisi, Georgia, and her work can also be found at the Daily Dot.

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    Ljeonida Mulabazi

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  • Exclusive Interview: Arrows In Action Spill All The Details About I Think I’ve Been Here Before

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    If you’re looking for a new band to take over your playlists, look no further than Arrows in Action! Their latest album, I Think I’ve Been Here Before, is the perfect gateway into their musical world, so this is the ideal time to jump in! We were lucky enough to get to chat with Arrows in Action all about their newest album, past music, live shows, and so much more!

    Hello! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! To start us off, how would you describe your sound to someone who is tuning in for the first time?
    We’re an alternative pop-rock band! We’re a blend of everything we love, and we love a huge array of music. 

    I Think I’ve Been Here Before is less than a month away. What emotions are you guys feeling leading up to the release of this record?
    We’re feeling a mix of relief, excitement, and catharsis with the release of this album! We can’t wait for people to hear it all in its intentional order. 

    Out of the eleven songs on the record, only two are unreleased. What goes into the decision of what to release and what to hold back? 
    We wanted to make sure to save the conclusion of the album for the day of release. We were very intentional with the track order on this record, and we wanted our fans to experience the album in its entirety together. 

    ‘Hello Sunlight!’ is the oldest track on the record, having been released in May of last year. When this song came out, did you know it was part of a bigger project, or did that come with time? 
    Though it was released far ahead of the album, ‘Hello Sunlight!’ is the track that started the writing process and was instrumental in guiding us towards the sounds that would make up Side A. 

    You’ve released this album in two parts, with Side A coming out earlier this year. How do you group the songs and figure out which song belongs on which side? 
    In both subject matter and sonics, we accidentally curated two distinct vibes while writing this album. It could be the simplest thing, like the placement of a minor chord that guided a song toward side B, and in many cases, it was the lyrical perspective that placed the song. 

    With a new album comes the hope of live music! While crafting the album, which song off this album were you most looking forward to bringing to life on stage?
    Victor: ‘Cheekbones,’
    Jesse: ‘Empty Canvas,’
    Matt: ‘Empty Canvas.’

    Your debut album, Be More, came out four years ago! When you look at the artists who released that record, and the artists who are about to release this record, what do you see as the biggest area of growth? 
    Our biggest area of growth has been how much we collaborate! With years of touring and writing together, we know each other better than ever before, and we know how to expand on each other’s ideas.

    Once again, thank you so much for chatting with us! Before we let you go, what is one thing on the Arrows in Action bucket list as we close out 2025?
    A bucket list item we completed this year was headlining in Europe and the UK! A bucket list item we have that is yet unchecked is performing at Red Rocks in Colorado. Thanks for having us! 

    Check out more of our exclusive interviews here!

    We would love to hear from you! What is your favorite song off of I Think I’ve Been Here Before by Arrows in Action? Let us know by commenting below or by tweeting @TheHoneyPOP! We are also on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok!

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ARROWS IN ACTION:
    INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

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    Hailey Hastings

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  • ‘They didn’t believe I was the DJ’: Boston DJ headlines set. Then she gets kicked off her own stage

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    Boston-based DJ Lyndsay Simon (@lyndsaysimon) has gone viral on TikTok after security allegedly tried to kick her out of her own event.

    In the video, which has amassed 390,000 views, a male security officer can be seen approaching Simon. While it’s unclear what he says to her, he appears to be asking her to leave. Simon can then be heard replying: “I am the DJ.”

    Overlaying the footage is the following text: “Excuse me, why did no one warn me that the hardest part about being a female DJ is security trying to kick me off stage during my own headlining set because they didn’t believe I was the DJ…”

    Simon elaborated further in a follow-up video. She explained that she was dressed up as techno Peach on account of it being a Halloween party.

    She says when she tried to go upstairs, the man told her not to go up, and that only the DJ can be up there. To which she replied that the is the DJ.

    Still, she didn’t hold the encounter against the security guard and remarked how he was “embarrassed” afterwards. Ultimately, Simon added that this wasn’t a unique experience for female DJs. She added that the industry is “for sure a boys club.”

    @lyndsaysimon PSA: Dont forget to remind security that girls too can DJ because that was awkward af ? #femaledj #djproblems #edm #ravetok #edmlovers ♬ original sound – Lyndsay Simon ?

    Commenters were shocked at the misogyny.

    “OMG,” one wrote. “I hope he at least apologized.”

    “Are you kidding me?!” another asked. While a third remarked, “No, but was he not paying attention the whole time? He should’ve notice you while you were DJing.”

    A fourth added that they “truly hate club security,” while other commenters shared their own similar experiences.

    “I’ve been asked if I was the DJ’s girlfriend way too many times,” a fifth said. While a sixth joked, “TBT to when i got kicked out of my own party (twice).”

    Simon didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment and email.

    Sexism in the industry

    When it comes to the electronic dance music industry, there’s a real gender problem.

    As part of a 2019 study examining the lack of gender diversity in the industry, the University of Portsmouth estimates that less than 10% of DJs are female.

    Moreover, in a Guardian article, an anonymous female DJ shared how she invented a male manager to help navigate “the barrage of misogynistic nonsense and less than preferential treatment.” His name was ‘Dave.’

    “Since the creation of Dave I’ve more than doubled my fee and have significantly bettered my terms and conditions of work,” she added. “Dave is a blokey, white, middle-aged man who speaks in a way I should be able to but the industry makes impossible. Dave has become renowned among my peers and associates as a wonderful manager. After seeing my success, some fellow artists have even approached me to ask if I could put in a word for them, in the hope that he might represent them too.”

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

    Image of Charlotte Colombo

    Charlotte Colombo

    Charlotte is an internet culture writer with bylines in Insider, VICE, Glamour, The Independent, and more. She holds a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from City St George’s, University of London.

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    Charlotte Colombo

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  • Without Saying a Word, Taylor Swift Taught a Lesson in Emotional Intelligence

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    Why is Taylor Swift staying silent about the use of her song “The Fate of Ophelia” in a recent TikTok video posted by the White House earlier this month? That’s the question music fans, political junkies, and media outlets are asking. The cheeky video shows a slideshow of Trump, vice president JD Vance, and their wives over Swift’s lyrics “Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibe.” And the video pairs the lyric “The fate of Ophelia” with the caption “The fate of America” and an image of Trump.

    Swift has made no public statement about it. And there’s a lot any smart entrepreneur or business leader can learn from her. Even if she’s unhappy about that video, she’s made the choice not to interfere. In many situations, including this one, that’s the wise, emotionally intelligent thing to do.

    Swift is likely not a Trump fan. She endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024, writing “I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.” Trump, for his part, has posted “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” on social media. He also predicted sales of her music would fall after she opposed him. That obviously hasn’t happened, and more recently Trump praised both Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce when the two announced their engagement.

    Swift takes music rights seriously.

    While Trump may have changed his mind about Swift, it seems unlikely that she’s changed her mind about him. Plus, she’s known to take the rights to her music very seriously, and has sued theme parks and YouTube creators for using her songs without permission.

    Why hasn’t she said anything the Trump White House using her song in its video? Most observers assume she’s intimidated by a president known to attack those who displease him. Without reading her thoughts, it’s impossible to know whether that’s true. But there are many reasons why saying nothing is the smart choice.

    First of all, although she may not like the White House using her work, it might have the legal right to do so. The use of music to accompany TikTok videos is a complicated topic, but in short, the platform cuts licensing deals with major labels so creators can use their music as the audio for their videos. TikTok even groups together videos using the same song to create playlists. The rules are a bit different for an institutional account such as the White House, but it’s still highly possible that the use of her music was legal.

    Also, Swift is newly engaged to Kelce. Football fans–and Kelce’s teammates–come in all political persuasions. The team represents a red state. Kelce himself avoids saying anything about politics, even though he’s very open about most aspects of his life. So Swift may be considering her partner’s preferences. That’s a wise and emotionally intelligent move for anyone in a committed relationship.

    What would speaking out accomplish?

    That’s the most important question here. Swift is very much a pragmatist. She’s highly attuned to her own fame and thinks constantly about how everything she does and says will be received by her millions of fans. In 2024, she stayed silent about the election, even as an AI-created fake made it appear she’d endorsed Trump. She finally broke her silence and endorsed Harris on the night of the Trump-Harris debate. That was a moment when the nation’s attention was hyper-focused on the election, and so her endorsement seemed likely to have the greatest possible effect. You can be sure it was a very deliberate choice.

    With the midterm elections nearly a year away and Trump constitutionally barred from running for a third term, this is very different time. Today, Swift criticizing Trump would have no practical effect on any election. It might be emotionally satisfying. It might seem like the right thing to do. But it wouldn’t change anyone’s opinion, and the video would still be out there.

    Next time someone does something that makes you angry, and you want to speak out publicly about it, take a lesson from Swift. Consider what the practical effect of that would be. Maybe it would be the opposite of what you want. That’s probably the case here.

    “Congrats, you got played.”

    “If it’s the first week of my album release and you are saying either my name or my album title, you’re helping,” she said, after some people criticized her newest album, The Life of a Showgirl, on social media. She knows the same would be true for Trump. Publicly commenting on the video would just bring it exponentially more attention than it already has.

    The White House knows this too. When at least two media outlets, Variety and TheWrap ran a story about the video and asked the White House for comment, they received this statement in return: “We made this video because we knew fake news media brands like [yours] would breathlessly amplify them. Congrats, you got played.”

    That may be true for every media outlet that has reported on the video. But it’s not true for Swift. By staying silent, she’s shown that she knows better.

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

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    Minda Zetlin

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