CHENNAI: A two-second selfie video posted by Chennai-based creator has travelled an extraordinary arc online, from a casual autorickshaw clip to one of the most-viewed posts on X this year, followed by intense scrutiny, memeification, harassment and finally a donation that has earned wide praise.
The video, posted on 2 November with the caption “Makeup ate today”, showed her adjusting a bandana while riding in an auto. What began as an everyday post exploded into a cultural moment: the clip crossed more than 110 million views within days and quickly became a meme template. Creators, small businesses and recruiters used the viral tweet to quote-tweet themselves, plug services and participate in the trend. Several posts recreated the frame, mimicked her caption, or used the video’s momentum to promote job openings, campaigns or light-hearted brand content.
But the sudden fame also triggered a darker wave. As the clip spread, Priyanga faced harassment and privacy breaches. Her photos were lifted and fed into AI tools, producing manipulated, sexualised and fabricated images that circulated widely. Some users attempted to doxx her, while others reached out to people associated with her offline life. The creator publicly urged people to stop uploading her images into AI platforms and eventually locked her account to shield herself from the volume of unwanted attention.
Amid the noise, the story took an unexpected, positive turn. After becoming eligible for X’s creator payout, Priyanga announced that she had donated most of her earnings to Swabhimaan Trust, a Chennai-based organisation working with young people on the autism spectrum. She shared transaction screenshots and a scanned receipt, explaining that she had earlier collaborated with the NGO during a college project and wanted to support its work. Her decision drew widespread appreciation online, reframing the narrative around the viral clip.
From a spontaneous two-second video to a massive internet trend, and from harassment to an act of generosity, the “bandana girl” episode has become a sharp illustration of the volatile nature of digital virality. It captures the internet’s extremes: its ability to amplify harmless moments into global phenomena, expose creators to exploitation, and yet also channel sudden visibility into meaningful impact.
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