A Florida TikToker took to social media to share a strange advertisement she came across on Target: Her face advertising wigs from a third-party seller she doesn’t endorse. The rabbit hole got even stranger when found the seller’s TikTok, which included AI-generated videos of her, too!
TikToker Maddimehringer posted her findings on social media, as well as the original product post on Target. The third-party seller, Jessie’s Wig Store, had posted several screenshots from a TikTok video of Maddi’s. She states it was done without her permission.
“So that’s not a wig, that’s my actual hair,” Maddi says, seemingly disturbed by the advertisement. She then continues onto the seller’s TikTok account, finding numerous AI-generated videos, one of which states the “secret” to Maddi’s hair is a wig. In the caption of the video, said wig is then advertised.
“Someone please tell me what I should do. I’m so scared,” Maddi asks her audience. In the caption of her TikTok video, Maddi makes it clear she “DID NOT” approve of her being used on Target or the third-party seller. Hashtags ‘Target,’ ‘AI,’ ‘AIimages,’ and ‘lawsuit’ were added.
Viewers rush to recommend taking legal action: ‘Hire a lawyer and get your bag’
While some called for Maddi to sue Target, others were quick to point out that Target wasn’t the problem—it was with the third-party seller. At any rate, the top comment on Maddi’s TikTok video was loud, clear, and shared by many: “Hire a lawyer and get your bag,” urged TikTok user NATASHA.
The point of contention was commenters arguing that it was false advertisement. Not only because the videos were AI-generated, but also by advertising Maddi’s real hair as a wig sold by the third-party seller. That’s in addition to being a product Maddi doesn’t endorse.
Others wondered how the third-party seller was able to get away with generating AI videos of so many people. “I can bet 100% TT has somewhere in some fine print that once you post you give up all rights to your video,” TikTok user Yesitsjoselol speculated.
One user shared that the same thing happened with her daughter and a seller on Amazon. “It was a long process to get it removed,” nor was she compensated. Many more viewers online bashed the use of AI, calling the videos “creepy” and “vile.”
At the time of this post, there were over half a dozen AI videos of Maddi posted on the seller’s TikTok. Hiring a lawyer may very well be the next step if the seller isn’t willing to take down the videos.
