One cis, straight TikToker is facing online criticism after he said the reason he’s able to wear nail polish and pearl necklaces in his everyday life is because of legendary transgender pioneer activist Marsha P. Johnson. (Yes, you read that right.)
To make a long, cringe-y story short, a recent TikTok video from influencer Cooper Neidecker went viral on Twitter over the weekend because in it, he can be seen defending his personal style (which is literally just painted nails, a pearl necklace, and a basic, striped button-down shirt) against critics by citing Marsha P. Johnson (one of the leading figures of the modern queer rights movement) as his fashion inspiration.
“I didn’t invent this style, and I never claimed to have,” Neidecker said in the clip. “I actually credit Marsha P. Johnson, a transgender woman of color, to be the person that I get all of my fashion inspiration from. She is the trailblazer.”
“But I’m rockin’ the look!” he concluded.
If you think his video was weird and tone-deaf, especially since nothing Neidecker is wearing looks or even remotely resembles/channels the exuberance and joy of a beloved and important LGBTQ+ icon like Marsha, then you aren’t alone.
Once the Twitterverse caught wind of Neidecker’s video, the jokes and memes started rolling in. (And rightfully so!)
In true “influencer who messed up” fashion, Neidecker took to his TikTok to issue a two-part apology video to explain his side of things.
@filmcooper Link to her charity in my bio
@filmcooper Link to her charity is in my bio
“I said that Marsha P. Johnson is the reason that I dress the way that I dress, which is such a dumb, f*cking thing to say,” Neidecker explains in his apology. “Holy sh*t that was a dumbass thing to say, and I’m really, really sorry.”
He continued:
“I don’t know if you can tell, but I don’t dress like her. I don’t dress like her at all. What I was trying to say is that without her, the world wouldn’t be where it is today, and people wouldn’t be dressing the way that they dress because she had a ripple effect on people accepting themselves and dressing how they want. That’s what I meant to say, but oh, I f*cked up. It seemed like something totally out of left field and unrelated, and it didn’t make sense and I’m sorry that I said that.”
(At least he’s self-aware now??)
In an effort to make amends for the gaffe, Neidecker said he’d be donating to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute and urged his 635,000+ TikTok followers to do the same if they can.
Oh influencer culture…you never cease to amaze me!
