A tick tock Star who was slammed for offering flowers in a to a buyer Melbourne The mall initially thought this shopper was “really grateful.”
Harrison Pawluk was forced to apologize last week after this woman, “Maree,” complained that the viral video – which has now been viewed 64 million times – “dehumanized” her.
Before this backlash, the 22-year-old social media influencer told the American broadcaster CBS News that the woman was initially very happy about the bouquet and cried.
“When I was shooting the viral video of me giving the lady flowers I actually had no idea what her reaction was but then when I saw her reaction and she actually cried I was like wow, it really kinda made me feel ,’ he said.
“I remember actually going up to her after that and she was really grateful and just so happy and I know she will really remember it for the rest of her life.
“It just makes my heart full and happy to give back, it’s always been something that made me smile.”
Pavluk was wrong. Weeks later, Maree admitted she was far from grateful. Last week, ABC Melbourne broadcaster Virginia Trioli’s wife said she was offended by the stunt.
Pawluk interrupted Maree as she sipped a cup of coffee to go in the Emporium Melbourne Mall, and asked her to hold the bouquet of flowers from the June 21 video.
“Sorry to interrupt, is it ok if you can just hold these?” he asked.
Pawluk then put his backpack on the ground and pulled out a black parka before walking away, leaving Maree with the flowers.
“Have a nice day,” he said, as a friend filmed Maree watching him walk away in amusement before her expression changed to one that was mistakenly interpreted as sadness.
Maree said: “First it was just a little joke for me and then I felt kind of dehumanized.
“It really doesn’t even look like me now, it’s just that person, it’s just not really me, I don’t even take it personally anymore, but I just think that other women, especially older women, are themselves.” should be aware that it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.
“I suppose I’m a little offended, to tell you the truth.”
Pawluk’s manager Taylor Reilly apologized to Maree and said Pawluk was ready to remove the video, which still remains on his @lifeofharrison TikTok account with 64.1million views and 12million likes.
“He sincerely apologizes to Maree if she was offended by what he has done and urges her to contact him privately so he can apologize personally,” he said in a statement.
“If she asks him to remove the video, he will do it.
“He wouldn’t want anything meant to spread love and compassion to worry anyone.”
Pawluk, a university business administration student who works in retail, regularly offers random gestures of kindness in his TikTok videos, from buying flowers to paying for groceries to unsuspecting customers.
Maree, who doesn’t use social media, said TikTok’s portrayal of the incident as a random act of kindness was wrong.
“These artificial things really aren’t random acts of kindness,” she said.
“It’s really not about me anymore, I just think that whole idea of this being a random act of kindness should be challenged.”
Harrison Pawluk, 22, interrupted Maree as she was having a cup of takeaway coffee at the Emporium Melbourne shopping center and asked her to hold the bouquet – before leaving it with her and wishing her a nice day
Before this backlash, the 22-year-old social media influencer told the American broadcaster CBS News that the woman was initially very happy about the bouquet and cried
Maree said she noticed another young man filmed the interaction.
“I said, ‘Did you film that? They said: ‘No, no’.
Maree said she didn’t even like the flowers.
“They just looked at me like that, and I even said to them — it was a friendly discussion — ‘do you want these flowers, I don’t really want them,’ and I didn’t want to carry them home on a tram really, um to be honest.
“They really weren’t to my liking.
“They didn’t want them, but the person — who I now know as Harrison — came over at that point and said something about, ‘I hope you enjoy the flowers,’ and they left and that was it.”
Maree said she felt worse after articles were written about the video, including from this imprint.
Maree (pictured), who starred in the viral TikTok video receiving flowers from a young stranger, said she felt “dehumanized” by the experience.
The influencer told Daily Mail Australia that a recent trip to Los Angeles (pictured) where he witnessed poverty inspired him to start making videos of acts of kindness
Pawluk’s 21-year-old manager Taylor Reilly (pictured), who is negotiating sponsorship, told Daily Mail Australia his videos of acts of kindness have usually been well received
“There I was, this pathetic old woman drinking her cup out of a paper cup — it was late in the day and they weren’t giving out proper glasses,” she said.
“It’s all part of the meanness of social media, isn’t it?”
Pawluk, who has three million social media followers, told Daily Mail Australia last month he was inspired when he witnessed homelessness during a recent trip to LA.
“I’ve recently been inspired to change the nature of my content and use my platform to do good and spread kindness,” he said.
“Not enough creators are using their platforms forever.
“I hope to use mine as a vessel to spread good and hopefully inspire a few people along the way.”
Pawluk’s TikTok and YouTube videos make him around $10,000-$15,000 a month through brand partnerships and sponsored posts.
“My new goal is to find like-minded companies who also want to spread kindness to work with me,” he said.
