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People on the Internet have been divided following a recent TikTok controversy involving a Los Angeles–based influencer and a follower who works as an emergency room nurse. The influencer, who goes by the name Tara Lynn and has amassed more than five million followers on the platform, publicly criticized the nurse for failing to deliver a halter top she had agreed to lend her ahead of New Year’s Eve.
Here’s What Happened
A few days before the holiday, the influencer made a TikTok post asking her followers, specifically those living in the Los Angeles area, whether anyone owned a particular halter top from For Love & Lemons in a size small or extra small. She explained that she had searched extensively online but was unable to find the item anywhere, as it appeared to be sold out across multiple retailers.
Several people responded in the comments and through direct messages, telling her they had the top. According to the influencer, many of those individuals were only willing to part with it for a price, with some allegedly asking for as much as $2,000. Eventually, one follower reached out and offered to lend the top to her for free. The follower later identified herself as an ER nurse who had been following the influencer since 2022.
The influencer said she was very relieved to hear from the nurse as she had been making plans to try her luck at a mall when the offer came through. After they exchanged messages for a while, the two reportedly agreed that the top would be sent to the influencer via Uber, and that it would be returned promptly after New Year’s Eve.
Things Didn’t Go as Planned
According to the influencer, the package never arrived. She claimed she waited for several hours and attempted to contact the nurse, but did not receive a response for roughly three hours. Frustrated by the situation, the influencer posted a TikTok accusing the nurse of intentionally misleading her. In the video, she referred to the follower as “one of my haters” and suggested that the nurse had been “playing the long game” by pretending to support her content while preventing her from finding another top.
The nurse later entered the comment section under the video and publicly identified herself, offering an explanation. She wrote that she had been required to stay overtime due to severe staffing shortages in the emergency department and an influx of patients. She explained that she had just gotten off work around 3 a.m., had already apologized to the influencer privately, and emphasized that she was not a hater and still enjoyed the influencer’s content.
However, the influencer responded to the nurse in a now-deleted comment, allegedly telling her that she should not have offered the top if she knew she might be working, or that she could have communicated earlier so they could “work around it.”
On her own TikTok page as well, the nurse shared screenshots of the private conversation she had with the influencer, showing her apologizing and explaining that she had been unable to access her phone during her shift due to hospital policy and the demands of the emergency department.
Here’s How Netizens Are Reacting
Although the influencer’s video has reached more than two million views and over 200,000 likes, the opinions in the comments are very much divided. Some viewers agreed that commitments should be honored regardless of circumstances.
One person wrote, “Shouldn’t have offered if you’re that busy my love!! thankyou [sic] for what you do but pls don’t ever offer anyone anything again if you can’t follow through.” Another remarked, “I’m a nurse! I don’t understand how you don’t know you’re gonna work and how you don’t get a single break to go on your phone.” Someone else asked, “But you knew when you started work? Why not send it before?”
However, many others felt the influencer’s response lacked perspective, particularly given the nurse’s profession and the timing of the incident. One netizen wrote, “Expecting an ER NURSE on NYE to prioritize you is wild.” A second said, “She’s talking abt an ESSENTIAL worker during one of the busiest times of the year! hope this helps.” A third commented, “Mind you, this is an adult… this is over a shirt…” A fourth added, “I’m so sick of influencers.”
