TikToker accused of posting ‘poverty porn’ over tearful video about Vietnamese boat woman
By Ryan General
May 9, 2023
Social media users are accusing a TikTok travel content creator of posting “poverty porn” and engaging in “slum tourism” over her recent video shot in Vietnam.
On May 6, Asian AustralianTikTok user Fiona Wang posted a video of herself crying while her partner consoles her during a visit to the Southeast Asian country.
The video, which racked up over 6.7 million views and 1.2 million likes before being deleted on Monday, included a caption explaining that Wang was tearful over a Vietnamese woman who rowed their coconut boat and “tried so hard to make us happy.”
“It breaks my heart to see these people work so hard to make a living in Vietnam,” reads the in-video text.
Some viewers found Wang’s emotional reaction endearing, while others accused her of exploiting poverty for entertainment, as indicated by her use of the hashtag #poverty in the captions.
“As a Vietnamese, I don’t f*cking need her tears,” a commenter wrote in a repost of the video. “We work hard and we proud [sic] of it and happy with what we do for a living. We do not need a foreigner or whoever feel [sic] pity for us and hashtags #poverty us.”
“She used a visibly happy and earning worker to make poverty porn and to make herself look good,” wrote another.
“Why not just appreciate her by thanking her instead of recording yourself crying and posting?” another chimed in.
“Love how she’s checking the camera mid cry [sic] to see if she has the best angle for virtue signaling,” one commented.
“We are ready for slum tourism mode… we will exploit poverty to get views and monetization by fake crying,” a user pointed out.
Slum tourism is a controversial type of tourism that involves visiting impoverished or underprivileged areas, purportedly to gain insight into the living conditions of local residents.
However, critics have argued that it is exploitative and insensitive to the struggles of those living in poverty as it reinforces negative stereotypes about people living in disadvantaged areas and can contribute to the commodification of poverty.
In an interview with Insider, Wang explained that she posted the video “very spontaneously” and that the moment was “very real and raw” for her.
“Being Asian Australian, I know I am very privileged to have grown up in Australia, but I also understand the struggle. My parents are immigrants, and I spent many years in China,” she said, adding that she “never said Vietnamese people were poor or unhappy.”
Acknowledging her privilege, Wang said that she understands how the video may have offended viewers. However, she noted that her content should reflect both her “fun and happy moments” as well as “the other side,” including the sad, mistake-prone and learning moments.
Although Wang said she received many positive comments from those who appreciated and understood her intentions, she decided to delete the video because she and her partner have been receiving harassing messages online.
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