A trend that began as a heartfelt tribute to parents has evolved into a controversial phenomenon, as TikTok users now exploit it to hunt for cash hidden in stores under the “She Deserved the Purse” trend.
Earlier in September, TikTok user Danaesha Gonzalez discovered an extravagant purse in the baby section while shopping at a supermarket. She quickly empathized with the mother who likely prioritized her baby’s needs over her own desires.
In a viral TikTok post, she shared this emotional moment with a simple caption: “She deserved the purse.” This video garnered over 25 million views at the time of writing.
@denaeshagonzalez To the Mother who chose themselves last, you deserve the world tonight and always.🤎 #motherhood #motherhoodunplugged #parenting #parentsoftiktok
This sparked the ‘She Deserved the Purse’ trend, where individuals performed random acts of kindness to reward mothers shopping for infants. Shoppers began leaving cash or gift cards in baby products found on store shelves.
However, this benevolent trend was short-lived, as reports emerged of people rummaging through baby aisles in stores across the USA in search of hidden gifts.
Valeria Diaz is one of the many TikTok users who demonstrated how many baby products at her local Target had been opened by those in search of cash.
@valeriadiher She deserved the purse. But nobody deserves broken and tampered products over a trend… #shedeservedthepurse #momsoftiktok #babytok #babytiktok #pregnancytiktok #babyboy #babytrend #firsttimemom #newmom #newbornbaby
“She deserved the purse. But nobody deserves broken and tampered products over a trend…” she noted in the video, which has collected over 7.1 million views.
Stay-at-home mom Maria DiGuglielmo also shared her experience on TikTok, highlighting how her local store had been raided, with lids of formula bottles opened in search of hidden cash and gift cards.
“If there was money under them, it was for a parent who probably could have used it. As a struggling parent, this hurts to see people take it away from those who truly deserve it,” she expressed in her video caption.
@mariadigugs Replying to @Maria DiGuglielmo Sad to see a really heart warming trend like this being taken away because of selfish people. All the lids on the formula cans taken off just to see if there’s money under them. If there was money under them it was for a parent who probably could have used it. As a struggling parent this hurts to see people take it away from the people who deserve it. #shedeservesthepurse
Commenters on her video described similar observations, with one person noting, “I went to Target and all the can lids were off as well,” while another shopper mentioned, “The diaper boxes at my Target were all ripped open.”
This is not the first TikTok trend to spiral out of control. In the past, health experts have alerted users about a particular trend that could result in blindness for participants.
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