The Brief: The fake crying acting challenge on TikTok draws criticism for showcasing how White women can weaponize their tears.
DEEP DIVE
The latest TikTok trend sees creators participating in a cry on cue challenge. They suddenly stop crying when the beat drops. The trend, which is set to “Night” by Circles Bob was meant to show off the emotional accessibility of those taking part in the acting challenge. There are over 64,200 videos linked the audio on the app.
These videos appear to highlight how easy it is for white women to fake emotion and weaponize their tears. Historically, white women have used their tears to falsely accuse Black people for crimes they did not commit.
Hanna Stocking’s video has com under intense scrutiny, receiving comments like “This isn’t the flex you think this is.”
https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahstocking/video/6969305722588892422?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6964507285922645509&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0
TikToker @notwildlin’s video about the trend was shared on Twitter, drawing even more criticism.
https://twitter.com/splash4dakash/status/1405043562241302528?s=20
If you're missing the subtext, his point is that these performances have and continue to be used to get people killed. https://t.co/OJkKBJgh2R
— L.D. Lewis, Sea Witch Apologist (@Ellethevillain) June 16, 2021
They telling on themselves now, unprovoked
— Cooch Hall (@guinep_paltrow) June 16, 2021
This killed Emmett Till and countless others https://t.co/iDz7FBHnWo
— Shon (@gayblackvet) June 16, 2021