A woman in New Jersey was caught by surprise by a severe thunderstorm while beauty shopping. Instead of staying inside, as a weather alert told her to, she decided to drive through the storm and falling hail, all while recording herself with one hand and grabbing her wheel with the other. The response was negative, to say the least.
The backlash-drawing influencer is Kélani Anastasi. She is a lifestyle content creator who often shares product and food reviews, advice, and even her workouts. Her thunderstorm clips went viral, with the one attached above garnering 2.8 million views, 226,300 likes, and over 850 comments.
At the time, the New Jersey influencer was shopping at a local Ulta Beauty. Her “Ulta run” was cut short, however, as she soon got an “Imminent Threat Alert” on her phone. She showed a screenshot of the alert, which indicated that a severe thunderstorm was on its way to her area and that 80-mph winds were expected. Therefore, citizens were asked to take shelter in sturdy buildings, as “flying debris may be deadly to those caught without shelter.“
However, Kélani decided not to pay much attention to the warning. She stood by the Ulta Beauty entrance and saw the winds and hail. Initially, she stayed in the store for about an hour and a half. Once the storm “calmed down,” she went out and, with heavy rain still falling from the sky, she jumped in her car and drove away.
Driving Through Thunderstorm
In her car, she grabbed her phone with her right hand as she recorded her reaction to the storm. Her left hand grabbed the wheel, but she occasionally gesticulated with it, meaning no hands on the wheel.
“I’m just scared that a [expletive] shopping cart is gonna hit my car because they’re rolling through the [expletive] things,” Kélani said.
In a follow-up, the New Jersey woman continued her vlog. Shortly after we started recording, hail began to fall again. According to her, after she pulled over, she saw “trees and stop signs get ripped out.” She eventually took refuge at a local Popeyes, calling it the “worst thing” that she has ever experienced.
Reaction
As previously stated, her clips were met with a negative response, many from viewers who thought her decision to drive her car amid the thunderstorm put others in danger. One said, “How about we don’t film and drive and endanger the lives of many other people!” Another one commented, “Filming while handling a 2-ton weapon.”
Others were straight-up fed up with influencer behavior. One wrote, “God, these influencers are insufferable.” Another one added, “I have super annoying, exhausting cringy person fatigue.”
In response to the backlash, the New Jersey influencer added a six-point clarification on the first video’s description. The last one read, “I’m not an idiot.”
