A wedding couple has been put on blast after a viral TikTok. And it's weirder than you think.
An interracial newlywed couple has been getting dragged since a video of their wedding went viral on Thursday.
The TikTok video, posted by groom Tra' Alexander (@tenneggee), shows his bride, a White woman, leading him, a Black man, around on a leash.
Watch the video here:
@tenneggee Alexander Wedding Reception #viralvideo #foryou #atomicdog #walkthedog #xyzbca #fypシ #fyp #wedding #reception
In the video—which plays to George Clinton's Atomic Dog—Alexander walked on all fours like a dog while wearing a leash. He then stops, dances on all fours and lifts his leg as if to urinate on his bride before continuing.
The video left viewers aghast at the sight.
Many viewers assumed the couple was engaging in a type of BSDM kink play in which the subservient party is often on a leash and walked like a pet, in addition to raceplay, which is a type of kink that focuses on and emphasizes race in sexual role-play.
Many viewers felt the behavior was both inappropriate and offensive at a wedding—especially one that had children present.
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Alexander, however, has publicly spoken out about the display since the backlash.
Alexander told The Daily Dot the routine he and his bride put on was not rooted in kink, but rather tradition.
According to Alexander, dancing like a dog to George Clinton's Atomic Dog is a tradition passed down in his family that originated with his father.
He said:
“The song itself means something to me and my family."
“[My dad] made his own dance for it [a] long time ago. And ever since, it’s been passed down to my oldest sister and then me.”
Alexander then said the dance was also poking fun at his bride, who had been trying to get Alexander to marry her for six years.
“It was showing that she finally got me."
“There was nothing like ‘Oh, well that’s my slave owner.'”
Alexander has since uploaded another TikTok on the subject, which shows him and his sister doing the dance as family fun.
Despite the misunderstanding, Alexander is glad to have gone viral with a family tradition that means so much to him.
“This is [my] family song, you know, full of gratitude and heritage. So I don’t I don’t really care about the comments. They don’t know me."
"But I really do appreciate them letting me go viral.”