A Taylor Swift impersonator whipped up a public frenzy and mixed responses from social media users for walking around in crowded southern California shopping areas dressed as the "Cruel Summer" singer as part of a prank.
TikToker user Ashley Leechin, who has over 1.1 million followers on the platform, said that being swarmed by gullible Swifties after walking around in an outfit harkening back to Swift's Red album era was a "horrific" experience.
In one of the videos circulated online, Leechin wore a white top with jeans, accessorized with sunglasses, a red leather cap, and a red bag as she "shopped" at L.A.'s The Grove shopping district.
With a couple of guys appearing to be bodyguards flanking her as she exited Nordstrom, Leechin caught the attention of surprised shoppers who were convinced at first glance that Taylor Swift was in their midst.
Here is a clip of the staged sighting.
The same fan frenzy occurred when the lookalike repeated the same prank at Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.
The ruse was a collaborative effort orchestrated in part by TikToker Victor Galvan, a.k.a. @Vic In The Game, who shared some behind-the-scenes footage of him with Leechin prepping for the prank inside their "Getaway Car."
The clips received some backlash online, where users said the prank was "weird behavior," "not cool," and "disgusting."
Some of the fans called for the real Taylor Swift to sue Leechin and Galvan for tricking her dedicated fans and making a mockery of them.
Leechin responded to the negativity on her own TikTok page and claimed the prank was part of a "social experiment" to test the public's reaction to seeing a major celebrity among them.
She said:
"This social experiment was to live a day in the life of a celebrity to see what would happen if I went out looking like Taylor Swift and so from all the videos that you guys have seen [of] fans swarming, this goes to how far a fandom will go."
Leechin continued, saying the prank started as a "positive experience" and that it "was not to be malicious it was not to mock anyone."
"There's a difference between a Taylor Swift fan. You can love her music, you can love her as a person, you can look up to her."
"And then there's Swifties. They are two different groups."
She went on to say how Swifties were more like a click. Leechin said she was never part of any group because she felt like she didn't fit in and was always the outcast.
She also said that trying to fit in with the fandom was difficult because you can easily be rejected if you don't look or talk a certain way.
However, her explanation did little to appease some users or help them clearly understand her intentions.
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Leechin also addressed the backlash on her Instagram story.
"The massive amount of positivity I have received outweighs your negativity."
"This really shows how far a fandom will go & the true possessiveness that some fandoms have over a celebrity."
Leechin doubled down on defending her position.
"Please don’t expect me to turn off my comments, stop making content or disappear for that matter."
"It is called freedom of speech for a reason and you have as much air as you want to say what you need to say."
"The videos surfacing are taken way out of context & I just want to say to those who have messaged me and have said very kind things, I see you and I thank you."
"I just hope those who are angry over speculation do not dwell on this and can eventually enjoy their day."
Others who were Swifities themselves had no major issue with Leechin or the stunt.
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Leechin admitted the timing was not ideal, given a stalking incident involving Swift on August 18.
The singer was ambushed by fans who learned their idol was going to be at a New Jersey restaurant where her music producer Jack Antonoff held a rehearsal dinner ahead of his wedding on Saturday.
Many users online who saw footage of the mayhem called it "barbaric behavior" and the fandom "wildly creepy and psychotic."
Here is a clip of the chaotic scene.
Taylor Swift had recently been in L.A., where she completed the first leg of her enormously popular Eras Tour at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood earlier this month for a six-night sold-out engagement.
She became the first act to perform five and six shows at the SoFi as part of a single tour, her first tour in five years.
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