Screenshot/YouTube – "MAMA AFRICAH MUSLIMAH"
- In a six-part YouTube series, a woman captured an encounter she had with another woman in Victoria's Secret.
- The woman launched a GoFundMe to hire an attorney, thus far raising over $85,000.
- Victoria's Secret and the mall released statements. The woman claims TikTok unfairly banned her.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Ijeoma Ukenta, a Nigerian-American woman who was seemingly chased by a white woman in a Victoria's Secret on Saturday, has raised over $85,000 on GoFundMe to hire an attorney to defend herself against the woman.
The encounter, which Ukenta captured in a now-viral six-part YouTube series, occurred at The Mall in Short Hills in Millburn, New Jersey. The purported police report for the incident, which Ukenta displayed on-screen in the fifth video of the saga, shows that the Victoria's Secret staff corroborated Ukenta's version of the events.
Online, the woman's outbreak has morphed into a viral meme and she has been given the nickname, "Victoria's Secret Karen."
"Karen" is a slang term usually used in reference to white women who are said to act out of a sense of inflated self-importance, according to The Guardian.
Victoria's Secret Karen viral videos, explained
In the first video, which does not capture the exchange that sparked the conflict between the two, the white woman appears to charge at Ukenta. Then, the woman lied in a fainting position on the store's floor near the cash registers and began to scream and sob, pleading with Ukenta not to record her "mental breakdown."
In later videos and the purported police report, Ukenta alleged that everything began when she was scanning through the store's offering of panties and the woman started browsing items uncomfortably close to her. Ukenta said she asked her to "back up," but the woman instead went to the cash register and told an employee that Ukenta had just threatened her. Ukenta says she decided to start videotaping the scene, which Ukenta said led to the confrontation caught in the first video.
After the initial scuffle, the white woman appears to chase Ukenta around the store while claiming that Ukenta "threatened her." Then, the woman calls the police on Ukenta. Eventually, both the mall security guards and police arrived and the woman appeared to leave the mall.
In the purported police report, the woman acknowledged that what she did was "wrong" and said she experienced a panic attack after realizing that Ukenta was recording her. She also claimed she has an "anxiety disorder" and was anxious about Ukenta recording her because she was afraid of "losing her job and apartment."
Ukenta accused the mall security and police of mishandling the situation
In the third video, subtitled "Security acts oblivious," Ukenta is shown speaking to a guard in Victoria's Secret who claims to have no idea which woman she is referring to. He asks her if "everything is okay."
"No, I feel in danger. No, everything's not okay. Ask them," Ukenta says with exasperation, calling over the Victoria's Secret manager to corroborate her case.
In subsequent videos and on the GoFundMe, Ukenta states that she was unhappy with how the authorities dealt with the situation.
"I was treated like it was 1920 in Short Hills Mall. I was assaulted and harassed by a white woman and nothing was done by the security nor the police," Ukenta's GoFundMe description reads. "I'm looking to hire me an excellent attorney who can help me bring light to this wrong."
On Tuesday, the Victoria's Secret Twitter released a statement about the incident, referring to it as an "altercation between our customers" and calling the video "unsettling." In the post, the clothing company also said they have "initiated a full investigation" into the matter.
Victoria's Secret did not respond to a request for comment.
On Facebook, The Mall at Short Hills addressed the event in a comment on an unrelated post: "We certainly take this matter very seriously. We never want a single customer to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome at The Mall at Short Hills. We sincerely apologize to Ms. Ukenta for her experience."
Ukenta alleged that TikTok unfairly banned her videos of the event
On Monday, Ukenta released a new YouTube video alleging that TikTok unfairly banned her account, @greengardenbunches, for "bullying" after she posted the Victoria's Secret saga. Meanwhile, she claimed, the platform allowed the user @IamLoveKills' reposts of her videos to stay on the platform and garner millions of views.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Ukenta's account is enabled and her TikToks of the event are available to watch.
Insider reached out to Ukenta and TikTok but did not receive a response.
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