TikTok star Nessa Barrett has come to the defence of ‘scar girl’ – a creator on the platform who is receiving criticism after the internet became convinced that her facial scar wasn’t real.
Annie Bonelli has nearly half a million followers on TikTok and has risen to fame over the past few weeks due to a unique scar she has on her left cheek.
Lately, Annie (now colloquially known as ‘scar girl’) is being accused by people on the app, saying that she is faking her scar in order to gain social media traction.
The accusation started when fans pointed out that older photos of the creator show her with a reddish, faded scar. Her scar now has become much darker in her more recent posts.
Questions about the positioning, angle, and width of the scar have also been questioned, highlighted in a comparison video by creator @livelaughwhor3.
On January 1st, Annie took to TikTok to explain the changes in her scar.
In the video, she said that the difference in size is because she actually has two scars. The first is from an original injury (that happened in March 2021). The second (and darker scar) occurred when she applied topical cream that ended up chemically burning her face, creating an even bigger scar.
Annie also said that her “body has always taken long to heal”, which is why the scar is still as visible as it is.
The video seemed to have no effect on the conspirators, with users commenting things under her video like “why are you gaslighting me?” and “me lying to myself in the mirror”.
In an attempt to silence critics, Annie then posted a video of herself attempting to wipe off her scar to no avail. In the caption of the video, she shared that she received the scar in March 2020 and was originally very “embarrassed” by the “permanent mark” on her face. She wrote that “[She] was made to show those out there, they’re more than their scars.” She added that she would “never stop using [her] platform for DV awareness and body positivity.”
Annie hoped this video “would help people move on”, but unfortunately it seems to have made things worse. TikTokers in her comment section are now accusing her of putting on “long-lasting makeup” to fake the scar or using a “dry makeup wipe”.
Although it is unlikely there is a lipstick out there that so long-lasting, this would not be the first time someone has allegedly lied to gain more followers. In 2021, there were a number of creators participating in a trend of faking their mental illnesses – including DID, ADHD, and Tourette’s – for social media ‘clout’.
In the case of ‘scar girl’, there is no way to know for sure if she is telling the truth. But if she isn’t, it might be more helpful to unpack this situation with loved ones or a therapist — not the haters in her comment section.
Musician Nessa Barrett agrees, urging her fans to leave Annie alone and stop the hate.
The singer took to Twitter to share her opinions on the controversy and said, “What’s wrong with social media is that we are harassing a girl because of a scar and not using all of that energy toward people that actually deserve to have their platform removed.”
Not everyone seemed to be in agreement with Nessa though. Angry and confused commenters took to Instagram tea page @TeaTokTalk to hit back at the singer for her thoughts on ‘scar girl,’ even saying that Nessa herself needs to be de-platformed after her viral incident dancing to audio of the Quran being read aloud in 2020.
Nessa has since deleted her tweets on the subject and posted a lengthy reply to the criticism she received in an Instagram comment, where she reiterated her support for Bonelli and called out online negativity.
In the comment she shared that if her platform were to be removed it would actually “be valid” – owning up to the “many mistakes [she’s] made in the past.”
She went on to say that she “uses [her] platform and music to spread love and awareness of mental health,” and that she is forever sorry for the mistakes she has made and is learning from them. She clarified that she was never “malicious” in her actions.
Nessa was inspired to say something about ‘scar girl’ because “her entire feed was filled with videos [about] the situation,” and she felt “sympathy” towards her because Annie allegedly got her scar from a domestic violence situation.
Annie has continued to post on her TikTok account, despite the hate, focusing on highlighting domestic violence awareness and positivity.
Whether or not the scar is real or fake, we hope that Annie gets the support she needs.