18-year-old says she was secretly filmed in Ontario mall for viral TikTok video deemed as anti-woman

Kendra Seguin · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

An 18-year-old is speaking retired aft she says she was secretly filmed successful a London, Ont., buying mall, and the exchange was posted to the societal media feeds of a antheral whose viral videos seemingly observe men rejecting women. 

The woman said she was eating a pretzel connected a seat and was alone when she was approached by 2 men who asked if she had a boyfriend. She said she told them she did, to which 1 of the men said, "'That's surprising,'" then quickly walked away.

A fewer hours later, she said, she saw a video of their eight-second enactment connected societal media. She said her archetypal reaction was shock, successful portion due to the fact that she didn't recognize she was being filmed.

"I was connected the telephone with my ma telling her what happened erstwhile my fellow sent it to me. His friends saw it connected TikTok and sent it to him," the pistillate said. "I was sent the video for astir apt a week consecutive aft that."

CBC News has agreed not to place her to support her from further online scrutiny.  

More than five million radical watched this particular video connected TikTok. Thousands left comments, including galore supporting the alleged effort of "humbling these 304s," slang for promiscuous women.

Other comments referred to the poster arsenic "king" and thanked him for his efforts.

"I was frustrated and off-put by each the comments," the 18-year-old said. "So galore people were egging it connected and saying, 'Yeah, support humbling these girls,' oregon 'This is great, support up the bully work.'"

She said she wanted to talk astir what happened to her because she worries young men whitethorn beryllium influenced by what they spot online and they'll spot what happened to her arsenic acceptable behaviour.

"It's disturbing knowing the fig of boys who are learning this mentality, particularly with the caller procreation being truthful online."

Dozens of videos posted to the aforesaid relationship showing different young women successful the mall being taken by astonishment erstwhile they're asked astir their narration status. They're mocked erstwhile they respond.

The relationship holder, @fiiivestar, has not responded to aggregate requests for remark from CBC News, and the relationship has since been removed.

Women being approached by men successful nationalist and being made to consciousness uncomfortable is not new, said Kaitlynn Mendes, a sociology subordinate prof and Canada Research Chair successful Inequality and Gender astatine Western University.

But erstwhile the speech is filmed, with the potential of ending up online, Mendes said, women mightiness consciousness constricted successful however they tin respond.

"You tin spot however profoundly uncomfortable galore of the women look, and I deliberation there's decidedly socialization successful presumption of what women tin say," she said, adding immoderate women volition fearfulness being met with unit oregon verbal harassment if they propulsion back. 

Mendes pointed to the comments, calling them "nasty," and said they would not marque anyone consciousness good. 

"It enables this form of misogyny that I deliberation is truly bubbling retired determination successful society. And truthful it perchance gives it this really antagonistic outlet directed astatine women."

Legal arguments astir posting online

As unwelcome arsenic it whitethorn be, filming radical successful nationalist is not needfully illegal, said Toronto lawyer Maanit Zemel. 

She said the women successful these videos could perchance writer for penetration of privateness successful civilian court, but the lawsuit would beryllium challenging to prove. 

"She doesn't needfully person a tenable anticipation of privateness due to the fact that she's successful the mall," Zemel said. "But due to the fact that she doesn't person the cognition that she's being recorded, there's a anticipation to reason that determination whitethorn beryllium immoderate signifier of penetration of privacy."

Zemel said the women could besides effort suing for being publicized and placed successful mendacious light, which is erstwhile existent accusation is published successful a mode that makes the taxable look bad, embarrassed oregon different than they genuinely are.

"In this case, it would beryllium that this idiosyncratic is, arguably, falsely not dateable," she said, adding the comments connected the video could assistance beryllium the case. 

"If it's being posted and radical are making comments that are humiliating oregon embarrassing for her, and talking astir her carnal attributes ... it creates a concern wherever radical are, successful combination, placing her successful a mendacious light."

Other women who saw the videos said they sparked conversations astir going retired alone, adjacent to a buying mall. 

"I deliberation a batch of girls are already self-conscious, truthful if idiosyncratic comes up to you [like the creator of the video], that's conscionable reinforcing their insecurities," Caitlin Rashotte, a pupil astatine Western University, told CBC News.