A Boston woman, known to her followers as Scarlet (@chronicallygirl) on TikTok, is currently grappling with escalated harassment from her family as her wedding approaches. Her story, part of her “womp womp” series, has already garnered over 2 million views and 260,000 likes, shedding light on the harsh realities of being no-contact with an abusive mother.
Scarlet has openly shared her experiences with her mother’s abusive behavior and the complex decision to “go no-contact.” This intense boundary is typically a last resort to protect oneself when family members are unwilling or unable to change. However, as Scarlet’s story shows, that boundary isn’t always respected.
When Scarlet began sharing her upbringing stories online and mentioned her upcoming wedding, many followers suggested she get security for the big day. She admitted it felt a bit “over the top” at the time. Unfortunately, that feeling has changed. As her wedding nears, her family has created fake accounts to lurk on her public TikTok and Instagram, testing the boundaries she has tried to set.
Her story is horrifying
Scarlet is set to have an international destination wedding, but as is required, she first legally married her partner last week. After she posted a video announcing her legal marriage, she was immediately bombarded with messages from various fake accounts, all saying disturbing, “horrible things” about her and her now-husband.
Scarlet didn’t share details because she wants to avoid fueling their “fire and their ego,” but she acknowledges their clear intent: they wanted to strip away the joy of her marriage and leave her feeling “scared and paranoid and not happy.” Thankfully, Scarlet’s legal marriage was genuinely special because her family didn’t know about it until after the fact, and couldn’t ruin that intimate moment.
She had held onto a small hope that perhaps hearing she was married would make them “lay off and leave me alone and just let me be happy.” As we can see, that wasn’t the case. The most chilling part was messages with “creepy AI images” of the couple with lines drawn through their faces.
Scarlet believes this new, more sophisticated form of harassment points to the involvement of her “golden child, baby brother.” Her mother, she explains, wouldn’t have the “tech savvy” to create multiple fake accounts or generate these disturbing AI images.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the decision to go no-contact can offer significant benefits, such as mental and emotional clarity, a sense of empowerment, and stability. It provides space for self-care and healing, and can even help end generational cycles of trauma. However, it also has severe drawbacks, including the risk of retaliation. Scarlet is experiencing this firsthand.
The fact is that toxic people often don’t respect the boundaries set. Cleveland Clinic suggests that those going ‘no contact’ should keep records of any unwanted contact, such as phone calls or online harassment. These records can be crucial if legal action, like a restraining order, becomes necessary.
Over the past few months, Scarlet’s mother’s behavior has been incredibly unsettling, swinging from “angry, threatening” messages like hate comments or threatening voicemails to “sweet messages.” She even described receiving “nice and sweet” packages, only to be followed by threats that her childhood belongings would be thrown away. She has also been told that her mother has been making “crazy, ranting posts” about her on Facebook.
Up until this point, Scarlet felt she could manage the situation by simply blocking and maintaining no contact from her end. However, now with her brother in the mix, her perspective has shifted. Her mother is “trying to really just hurt me” and is now involving her husband in the attacks.
The thought of her mother booking a flight, leaving the country, and “doing something crazy at my wedding” is now becoming “scarier and more realistic.” Scarlet previously considered such an idea “crazy,” given that her wedding would be filled with supportive friends and chosen family. Then again, she realizes that this new escalation is also “crazy.” Which is what is making her reconsider security.
There are many stories out there of people going no contact. Some, in friendships especially, stem from simple dealbreakers. Others stem from abusive behavior from a parental figure. In every case, it is a last, painful resort.
