Not Your Typical TikTok Drama
By: Rayya Hadisurya
Edited by: Fiorina Siamir
Trigger Warning: this article contains topics of sexual assault and eating disorders.
When we think of sexual assault, we know it is an act of violence and torture. An act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without consent or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. Without a doubt, it is immoral, disgusting, and horrendous behavior that could have long-lasting emotional impacts in addition to physical harm, especially when children are the victims. Furthermore, victims go through emotional trauma, such as denial, learned helplessness, genophobia, wrath, self-blame, anxiety, shame, nightmares, dread, melancholy, flashbacks, guilt, rationalization, mood swings, numbness, promiscuity, loneliness, social anxiety, difficulty trusting oneself or others, having trouble focusing, and more.
On January 21st, 2022, TikTok star Jack Wright posted a video on YouTube titled “what sienna mae did to me”, accusing rumored ex-girlfriend and fellow TikToker Sienna Mae Gomez of kissing and groping him while he was drunk and unconscious. Jack and Sienna were never in an exclusive romantic relationship with each other, as they created a facade of a real relationship as a PR stunt. However, Sienna abused that fake PR stunt as a leeway to manipulate, love-bomb, and cross boundaries.
Despite her actions, many of her supporters on social media have taken to great lengths to defend her. They expressed their confusion about the need for consent while already consenting to a romantic relationship. Asking and obtaining consent is respect for yourself and your partner, as it eliminates any sense of entitlement a partner could feel toward the other. Your sexuality and body do not belong to someone else, and therefore there will always be a need for consent, whether you are married, dating, or neither. We are individual human beings, not objects to be exploited.
Like with most controversies regarding people in the public eye, sometimes you can’t help but wonder if Sienna is benefitting from this situation and the attention that comes with it. With increased attention comes increased views and money. When addressing the situation, Sienna has uploaded two separate YouTube videos and thirteen TikTok videos, all of which combined would result in a whopping 58.4 million views. In the first YouTube video she made, Sienna denies any allegations that Jack Wright made. In the following video she makes, she apologizes to her fans with a hysterically embarrassing interpretive dance video. Whether she’s canceled or not, Sienna Mae is making a profit off of this negative situation through the monetization of videos. This is not her first time facing backlash either, as she released a line of ‘Did you eat today?’ merchandise, which made it seem like she was profiting from eating disorders. Many people who struggled with eating disorders spoke up regarding the line, expressing how it might sound condescending and forceful to people with eating disorders. After the scandal with Wright, she dropped a swimsuit line, Sienna Swim. It then again received a lot of negative backlash because of the lack of curve-plus sizes despite it being a body-positive brand.
According to sources, Sienna has an estimated income of three hundred and ninety-seven thousand dollars, even after the sexual assault allegations. With her videos getting monetized, she is financially benefitting from her wrongdoings. Her scandals only gave her more fame; coincidentally, she dropped merchandise or launched a new brand after those scandals. Just how far is she willing to compromise her morals for extra fame and cash?
