I Thought My Niece Was Just ‘Going Through a Phase’ – Then I Saw the Messages Destroying Her

My heart pounded as I picked it up. It was unlocked. I guess she must have forgotten to set the timer.

My hands were shaking as I opened TikTok.

It was a stitch of hallway footage from her school.

Someone had filmed Mia walking to class, and the creator had zoomed in on her clothes with the caption, “POV: one outfit, zero effort 💀.” The comments were brutal.

“Does she even own a washing machine?”

“Homeless chic isn’t a vibe, hun.”

“Someone do a wellness check.”

I kept scrolling. There were more. So many more.

A group chat called “Mia’s Closet” had 17 members.

There were dozens of zoomed-in photos of Mia’s frayed hems, her scuffed sneakers, and even the small stain on her hoodie sleeve.

There were also messages like “Day 47 of the same fit” and “Should we start a GoFundMe for her wardrobe?”

Then I found the fake fundraiser. Someone had created a mock charity page titled “Buy Mia Soap” with a photoshopped picture of her looking dirty. The description read, “Help this poor girl afford basic hygiene.”

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