Fake it till you make it!

Remember the time when you pretended to be on call with your boyfriend whenever you got into a shady guy’s uber or travelled alone on the subway. Believe it or not, it always works! 

Talking to a reliable friend while travelling alone can be a relief, but what if that go-to person isn’t available at the moment? 

In a 2014 survey, it has been found that about 45 percent women and 27% men don’t feel safe travelling alone at night. The nonprofit Stop Street Harassment conducted research in 2018 and estimated that 66 percent of women are being sexually harassed in public places. An alarming 77 percent of women reported being the victim of verbal sexual harassment, and 51 percent reported no consent sexual touching.

Image Source – Google | Image by MORGAN SUNG

In an attempt to fight back the unfortunate incident, TikTok users are faking “safety calls” for tensed users who can then play them on loud. The well-planned scripted conversation made it feel like the viewer is about to meet someone and that person is watching their every move.

In one video, a popular TikTok user @donteatmycheeseburger suggests a viewer to charge their phone so that she can track their movements on the way back. Graciddy, another TikToker, pretends in a video as if she is mad at the viewer for running late. She made-up like she is tracking their location and says someone is waiting outside and seeking for their arrival.

Lifeisweirdandsillysoami, a TikTok user, takes it to an extra mile and pretends to be a viewer’s furious mother to rescue the viewer out of a bad date. 

“I don’t want to talk about what you did, come home right now,” she continues ranting like a mother whose child has broken several curfews before. “I don’t care who you’re with. I don’t care. Come home right this second or I’ll come, drag you home.”

Image Source – Google | Image by MORGAN SUNG

Mendy Perdew, a costume recorder uploaded multiple videos faking ‘safe calls’. In one of the videos, she inquires of the viewer if everything is OK, and says that she is waiting for them to come home. She says to show the viewer’s surroundings if you feel like something is shady or dark and she’s gonna keep the viewer on call until she arrives.

“That just ripped me apart,” Perdew responded to the requests she got for more safety call videos. “I’m a mom. I’m a human being who just wants people to live in peace and these folks are scared. I can’t fix it, but I just thought I’d try to help.”

She’s overwhelmed by the response she got in the “safety calls” campaign. With this initiative, everyone is now willing to make videos, especially those pretending the calls in different dialects and languages.