She Was Assaulted In Las Vegas And Shared Her Story On TikTok: Now, Her Viral Videos Have Reopened An Important Conversation Around Victim-Blaming
While in Las Vegas, TikToker Ariel Lyndsey was assaulted on February 13. After recording a confrontation with her assaulter and posting it on the platform, Ariel’s TikTok went viral.
“We had just gotten to Vegas and got ready for dinner. We were walking through the hotel when it happened,” Ariel captioned the video.
In the first clip, Ariel is understandably emotional and tells the man to get away from her. The man smiles toward the camera, seemingly unbothered, and runs into the men’s restroom.
Next, Ariel frantically asks the hotel staff if they are security. She described the situation to multiple hotel employees while waiting for security to arrive at the restroom.
“He put his hand up my…skirt, and he literally grabbed me. What a sicko,” Ariel said through tears, “This has happened to me one time before in Santa Monica, and I regret not stopping it so much. I told myself that if it ever happens again, I am not just going to let it happen.”
The man does try to exit the restroom after some time, and Ariel attempts to block him from leaving. He did successfully push past Ariel and her friends.
“This video is frustrating to watch because I wish we had stopped him or had more help sooner,” Ariel wrote on her TikTok, “It took over five minutes for security to come, and he got away.”
Once the security guard did arrive, Ariel had to stand her ground and rehash the traumatic experience again.
TikTok; pictured above is Ariel in one of her videos
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“This is the kind of stuff that women have to deal with,” one of Ariel’s friends said after learning that Ariel’s assaulter had called her crazy.
Ariel’s video reached 16.6 million people and generated 2.4 million likes. Many commenters supported Ariel’s decision to hold the man accountable.
Despite a plentiful influx of supportive comments, Ariel still did receive hate regarding the situation. Some people accused her of staging the entire altercation, while others blamed her for the way she was dressed.
Ariel made a follow-up video to address these concerns and provide an update on her police report.
“First off, no, it was not staged. That is the most insensitive thing someone could say in response to that. I pressed charges, and this is the report,” Ariel said while holding up documentation.
“Next, there are a lot of comments that are literally the reason why women do not speak up for themselves. It is wild to me some of the things that come out of people’s mouths. It makes people not speak up when people are gaslighting you or victim-blaming or making an excuse for someone that just touched you,” Ariel continued.
After addressing these all-too-prevalent responses toward victims of assault, Ariel did say that her assaulter was caught.
“The security…detained him while I pressed charges, and they questioned me. But, they could not just take him to jail right away. So, he was detained, and then he was let go,” Ariel explained.
Still, even after her first follow-up video, Ariel continued to receive comments questioning her story. Ariel shut down these allegations and posted a third video to share how her assaulter confessed and was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
“The guy confessed. He was arrested yesterday, and this is all public information. So, let’s stop victim-blaming women, and let’s start making it a safe place for people to come forward with things like this,” Ariel said.
“There is clearly a big gap in education or how people are raised. But literally, it’s consent. Don’t touch another person,” Ariel finished.
Hundreds more uplifting and supportive comments poured in on this video.
“You are not alone,” wrote one user.
“I am proud of you, Ariel. You are a very strong person,” wrote a second user, followed by a heart emoji.
Now, Ariel hopes that her story will kickstart a very pertinent conversation around assault and victim-blaming.
To watch Ariel’s original TikTok video, visit the link here.
@ariellyndsey Reply to @ariellyndsey im sorry I feel like im fumbling over my words rn and the video cut off
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