What is the “She deserved the scholarship” target trend?

What started as a healthy trend aimed at helping moms quickly turned into a disruptive money grab.

Trends come and go on TikTok. Some of them are fun and cute, others are rage-inducing, and some are downright dangerous.

In recent days, this trend has stood out for its sentimentality and generosity towards parents of young children in difficulty. But of course, someone must have ruined everything.

History

Earlier this month, creator DeNaesha Gonzalez (@denaeshagonzalez) posted a heartbreaking video.

You see, mom Gonzalez was walking around Target when she noticed something strange in the baby aisle.

A single silver purse nestled between baby lotion and baby medicine.

Gonzalez, a mother herself, imagined a cash-strapped mother, giving up the purse she wanted for herself so she could buy the items she needed for her baby.

“She deserved the scholarship,” reads a text overlay on the video.

“To the Mother who chose herself last, you deserve the world tonight and always,” she added in the caption.

Moms react

Now, there is no way to know if the purse was abandoned because of this scenario. It could have been a random person who decided they didn’t need it. But with more than 23 million views, the video struck a chord.

Many moms shared their own stories in the comments section.

“I haven’t had my hair done in years. my nails done for years. my clothes are from Walmart. we can’t afford to keep our children. but my babies have what they need. one day I will have the purse, but not today,” read one top comment.

“I wanted this blouse but she looks so cute in her blue dress,” one person wrote.

“Crying because it’s so much more than a handbag, it’s a representation of all our sacrifices,” added another.

@denaeshagonzalez To the mother who chose herself last, you deserve the world tonight and always.

A new viral trend

In response to Gonzalez’s video, some moms with extra financial means began going to Target and investing money in different baby items, like diapers, formula and health kits.

The intention is that an unsuspecting parent will open their child’s item and be pleasantly surprised by money they weren’t expecting.

The creators of these videos are likely hoping that the money will go to a parent who is constantly making financial sacrifices for their children or who could use a little financial boost.

These videos are having their own viral moment, with one having been viewed 53 million times (more than double the original) and the other having been viewed 6.7 million. As a reminder, if these creators are part of TikTok’s creator fund, they will likely make money.

A good thing wasted

But as we predicted, all good things must come to an inevitable end.

The other day, a mom shopping at Target noticed something strange in the baby section.

Several boxes, ranging from medicine to diapers to baby wipes, were scattered randomly with open containers.

It seems that after seeing this healthy trend, some people (who know if they are parents or not) decided to go on a scavenger hunt at their local Target to see if they could win some money.

“It’s SAD. I know everyone has seen the “she deserved the purse” trend. but let’s not spoil the situation for mothers who actually NEED help!! Taylor Hall says in the video. “Remember, this is for moms who have had to make the decision to choose their children’s needs over their own.”

@tayylorrhalls this is SAD 😞 I know everyone saw the “she deserved the purse” trend. but let’s not ruin this for mothers who actually NEED help!! remember this is for the moms who had to make this decision to choose their children’s needs there 🫶🏼 #shedeservedthepurse #trend #mothers #momsoftiktok #singlemom #fyp #baby #texasmoms #momtok ♬ original sound – 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙤𝙗🇵🇱

Tabitha Swatosh (@tabithaswatosh), the woman behind the video with 53 million views, also says seeing this was “so sad.”

“What did everyone expect,” said one commenter.

“That’s why it shouldn’t have been filmed. If they want to film it for some reason, I saw an influencer filming it herself BUT she actually got gift cards and went to meet the moms in the aisle,” another added.

The Daily Dot reached out to each creator for comment via email, Instagram direct message and/or TikTok direct message.

In an email, Hall said the following: “The ‘she deserved the purse’ trend evolving into people opening baby packages at Target is definitely a sea change in how these viral moments play out . What started as a sweet gesture for struggling parents has now blossomed into people taking advantage of the kindness and generosity of others.

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