A Melbourne woman says she feels “dehumanized” after being filmed without consent for a “random act of kindness” TikTok that went viral.
The video shows TikTok creator Harrison Pawluk approaching the woman, Maree, in a public mall. He asked her to hold a bouquet of flowers while he put on a jacket.
Before Maree could return the bouquet, Pawluk wished her a good day and left. Maree’s surprise reaction was captured by the camera.
The video now has over 59 million views and 11 million likes.
Posted on @LifeOfHarrison’s TikTok account several weeks ago with the caption, “I hope this has improved your day,” it attracted supportive comments to a great extent.
“Wow, it was so cute I swear I would cry,” one user said.
Another wrote, “My heart! That made her feel so good and it looks like she might have needed it. “
Still, Maree was cynical of Pawluk’s intentions after seeing that the video had been posted.
Maree, who did not reveal his last name, told ABC Radio Melbourne, “these artificial things are not random acts of kindness.”
Harrison Pawluk asked Maree to hold a bouquet of flowers while putting on a jacket, then left and filmed her reaction. Photography: lifeofharrison / TikTok
“He interrupted my quiet time, filmed and uploaded a video without my consent, making it something he wasn’t … I think he’s making a lot of money from it.”
“It’s the paternalistic assumption that … older women will be excited for some random stranger to give them flowers.”
He said he had asked if they were filming him and they told him “no”. He also said he offered the flowers to Pawluk.
“I didn’t want to take them home by tram, to be very frank,” Maree said.
“But they didn’t give me that opportunity.”
A friend contacted Maree that night, sharing the uploaded video. At the time, Maree “didn’t think much of it.”
But after watching TikTok’s video appearing in media reports describing her as an “old woman” with a “heartbreaking story,” she said she “felt dehumanized.”
“I feel like a clickbait,” he said.
In a statement, a Pawluk spokesman said the video was “designed to spread love and compassion.”
The statement noted in Pawluk’s recent trip to Los Angeles that he witnessed “the scope of poverty and homelessness in a city where this should not be the case,” and had inspired him to create content focused on ” random acts of kindness “.
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“He offers flowers and pays for groceries from strangers,” the statement said.
“So far Harrison has only found gratitude for what he has done, but it is clear that in this case someone is upset. He apologizes wholeheartedly to Maree if he has been offended by what he did and urges her to contact him in private. so he can apologize personally. If he asks you to remove the video, he will. “