TikTok influencer targeted with criticism after viral video about 'unchic' fashion choices sparks backlash
Lifestyle influencer Tara Langdale became embroiled in backlash after a TikTok about "unchic" fashion trends went viral, sparking controversy and online hate.
Lifestyle influencer Tara Langdale talked to Fox News Digital about how she received hurtful messages from critics after a not-so-serious fashion post describing what she views as "unchic" went viral, spawning a cascade of events that made her apolitical post a victim of attacks.
The self-described stay-at-home working mom amassed some 250,000 views and found herself on the receiving end of some hate after an April 7 TikTok of her seated, drinking from a wine glass with nicely done hair, gold jewelry and manicured nails as she skimmed through a list of "unchic" fashion sins.
Tattoos, Lululemon, baggy denim, camouflage and visible panty lines were just a few that made part one of Langdale's controversial "unchic" list, which drew backlash from seething critics who called her out with a political twist.
"Voting for Trump is unchic," one said.
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"To her, privilege = chic. Hope this helps!" said another.
A third said, "just say you’re a republican and go lmao," while a slew of commenters took exception to her tattoo stance and ranted about classism.
The video even caught The Guardian's attention, prompting an article that coined "chic" as "a shorthand for a type of conservative-coded aesthetic" and spoke of the "rigid and airbrushed" looks of Trump allies, sch as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Though Langdale diddles cribe herself as conservative when speaking to Fox News Digital, she insists not everything is about politics.
"When I get dressed in the morning, I'm not thinking about my political party and how I should dress to showcase that," Langdale said.
"I think conservativism is more of culture, religion – all of those things go into your conservativist mindset. Now, if you're talking about conservative style of dress… that's also going to be more like religion and culture," she went on. "Of course, if I'm going to church on Sunday, I'm dressing very conservative. I'm going to keep it classy, but if you see me in the street in my regular day-to-day, I am not at all conservative. I would never consider my style to be conservative. But am I conservative? Absolutely, so I can differentiate the two. I know that the internet has a hard time doing that."
Langdale addressed the politicized dogma, saying she doesn't understand why TikTok users jumped to conclusions about "conservative" or "Republican makeup" as they did.
"Because I'm blonde, because I have more of a natural look about me, I'm not fully glammed all the time… I'm really not sure how that makes me appear conservative, but, again, I just think when people don't agree with what you say, they have to find a way to discredit you, and that's just an easy tactic," she continued.
At the same time, Langdale pushed back against the idea of her video implying that people too poor to afford expensive items are automatically "unchic," and pointed to brand-name items like athletic apparel brand Lululemon, Apple Watches and Golden Goose sneakers – all of which can be pricey – as evidence pointing to the contrary.
"Just keep in mind that money talks and wealth whispers, and I don't know any wealthy people that are wearing Gucci across their chest," she said in her original post.
Langdale explained that the TikTok trend of users showcasing "things I find incredibly chic" grabbed her attention as they began circulating on the app. She found them "pretentious and off-putting," so she felt compelled to take her own stab at the video.
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"Of course, my video came off as pretentious and off-putting as well, but it felt like a certain level of cringe for me, and I don't like to personally attack anybody on social media, so I wouldn't go after a specific creator. I just kind of wanted to hop on the trend… so that was my initial, ‘Why I created the video.’"
Langdale shared that her direct messages on the platform have been "insane" with threats and comments about her family since the video went viral.
"It does make you step back and take a pause," she shared.
"Like, is this really worth it for how crazy people react? And I would never want to put my family in danger, but I think a lot of it is just the keyboard pirates that are just back there behind their computer typing whatever they can to try to get more likes in the comments," Langdale added.
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