A teenage TikTok user is going viral for her videos sharing personal safety tips for women.
Ontario-based social media star Spencer Barbosa, 18, shares plenty of advice on her page, from relationship tips to money-saving secrets.
Her series on safety has earned millions of likes, with the teen explaining why women shouldn’t run alone with a ponytail, what to do if you think you’re being followed, and why the trick that women living along can use to keep predators away.
Be careful! Ontario-based social media star Spencer Barbosa, 18, is going viral for her videos sharing personal safety tips for women
‘Seeing as most of my followers are female, I need you to be safe, and I need you to know these things,’ she says
Tips: Spencer tells viewers that more attacks happen in stairwells than elevators at night, and that bear spray can be used where pepper spray is illegal
In her first video on the subject, which she uploaded on October 28, Spencer says the tips could save women’s lives — and it ‘breaks my heart that I even have to make this video.’
‘Seeing as most of my followers are female, I need you to be safe, and I need you to know these things,’ she says.
First, ‘if you are in a situation where you feel as if your safety is in danger — someone is grabbing you, they’re trying to abduct you, or they’re following you — I want you to draw as much attention to yourself as possible,’ she says.
‘Scream. Bark. Bite them. Go absolutely crazy,’ she advises.
In a follow-up clip, she even suggests peeing on the person, telling women to act like a ‘demon’ and ‘be possessed.’
For women who are going on a run alone, Spencer suggests not wearing hair up in a ponytail — which most women do, because it keeps hair off their necks as they sweat.
‘It’s really easy to grab someone if they have a ponytail,’ she says.
Hair up! Spencer suggests not wearing hair up in a ponytail, saying: ‘It’s really easy to grab someone if they have a ponytail’
‘It’s a really good idea to keep your car key on your nightstand. If anything happens at night, you can grab your car key, press the panic button, and your car alone will go off,’ she says
Since it’s illegal to carry pepper spray in Canada, where Spencer lives, she notes that bear spray is OK to carry.
If neither is handy, women can try carrying mini hairspray and ‘spraying the s***’ out of an attacker’s eyes.
In a second video uploaded in January, Spencer tells viewers that more attacks happen in stairwells than elevators at night.
‘Take the elevator,’ she says.
Next, she tells TikTokers to stop keeping their car keys near their front door after entering the house.
‘This is not a good idea,’ she says. ‘Instead, it’s a really good idea to keep your car key on your nightstand. If anything happens at night, you can grab your car key, press the panic button, and your car alarm will go off.
In a lesson that many celebrities have learned the hard way, Spencer warns women not to overshare on social media.
Kim Kardashian was famously tied up and robbed at gunpoint in Paris in 2016, with the thieves knowing where she was — and how much jewelry she had — because of her Instagram posts.
Safety first! In a lesson that many celebrities have learned the hard way, Spencer warns women not to overshare on social media
Horror: Kim Kardashian was famously tied up and robbed at gunpoint in Paris in 2016, with the thieves knowing where she was — and how much jewelry she had — because of her Instagram
‘If you are in a situation where you feel as if your safety is in danger — someone is grabbing you, they’re trying to abduct you, or they’re following you — I want you to draw as much attention to yourself as possible,’ she says
‘I see so many young girls posting their locations, telling people they’re home alone. Don’t!’ she says.
Spencer also says that when women think someone is following them, they should stop, turn around, and make sure the follower sees their face, and make sure that they see the follower’s face.
‘A group of rapists interviewed said that the target becomes less attractive after they’ve seen their face,’ she says.
Finally, in her most recent safety video, Spencer recites: ‘Where there’s light, there is sight.’
‘If you can’t see what’s going on around you, you should not be alone,’ she says.
For women who live without men, she offers up a trick to convince intruders to back off.
‘If you are a girl and you live alone, or you’re a group of girls that live together, go to the thrift store, buy a big, huge pair of work boots that are visibly dirty and visibly used, and leave them outside your front door.
Clever: She suggests leaving dirty men’s work boots outside if you are a woman living alone
‘If you’re walking alone, you should not be texting on your phone,’ Spencer says
‘It will tell the intruder that the big, tough man is at home and they’re less likely to invade the house,’ she says.
When women are out alone, they should keep aware of their surroundings.
‘If you’re walking alone, you should not be texting on your phone,’ Spencer says.
Finally, she concludes: ‘If someone is attacking you, don’t worry about being kind. Your elbow is very strong. Smack them very hard.’
Commenters have been grateful for the advice.
