Young Women Confront Man Who Took Photos Of Them At The Pool, But Not Everyone Supports How They Handled Things

On June 18, 2021, TikToker Mai Pham shared a video of an experience that she and her friend had with an older man at the pool. The women discovered that the man had been taking photos of the two of them in their bikinis.

So, they decided to walk over to him and demand that they be deleted. Some praised the girls for what they did, some joked about it, but others thought that they were hypocrites for recording him without his consent and posting it for millions to see. Read on to find out more!

Let's Talk About Consent

person scrolling through iphone photos
Photo Credit: cottonbro / Pexels
Photo Credit: cottonbro / Pexels

In this day and age, nearly everyone has a smartphone on them at all times. People can use their phones to snap photos of anything when out and about—which isn't always a good thing.

It's important to always be wary of your surroundings because people may be taking pics of you without your consent. These two girls decided to stand up for themselves when they knew something wasn't right.

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Mai's Video Went Viral

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Mai Pham smiling
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
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Recently, Mai Pham (known as @maiphammy on TikTok) and her friend confronted a man who was taking pictures of them without their consent.

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The video blew up, and it now has nearly 8 million views and over a million likes.

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She Brought Awareness To An Important Issue

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@maiphammy

stay safe out there ladies. decided to confront a creep taking pics of us when we were just trying to hang by the pool. HE TRIED DENYING IT.

♬ original sound - maiphammy
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Eighteen-year-old Mai took the video above and captioned it: "stay safe out there ladies. decided to confront a creep taking pics of us when we were just trying to hang by the pool. HE TRIED DENYING IT."

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And even though lots of people supported the girls for confronting him, not everyone was in support of their decision.

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He Tried To Deny It

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Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
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So, let's go through this video real quick. The man explains that they are in the same situation, as they are now recording him. "Excuse me," one of the women says. “I'd really appreciate it if you deleted the photos of us off your phone.” He tries to deny the allegations at first, and it's obvious that he's nervous, as his hands are shaking.

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He tries to trick them by going through his favorites folder, but the girls are able to see the pics he took of them when he returns to his "Recents" folder.

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The Man Became Upset With Them

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Photo Credit: ATC Comm Photo / Pexels
Photo Credit: ATC Comm Photo / Pexels
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And although the man tries to tell them that he would rather delete them later, the girls insist on watching him delete them face to face. The man tells the girls to back up because he finds it intimidating. The video ends, and it seems like he has deleted the pics.

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But he wouldn't even be in the situation in the first place if he hadn't have taken the photos, right?

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A Different Perspective

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TikTok comments:
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
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Some people, such as the commenters above, claimed that the man was well within his rights to take pictures since they were in a public place.

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So, therefore, people thought that Mai and her friend were guilty of doing the "same thing" (but worse) since they recorded him without his consent too.

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Lots Of People Supported The Girls For Doing What They Did

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TikTok comments:
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
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Mai's comments were filled with people congratulating her and her friend for having the courage to go up to the man and demand the photos be deleted.

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It can be nervewracking to do this sort of thing—and it takes a lot of guts, there's no doubt about it.

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Some Joked About The Situation

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TikTok comments:
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
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Some people in the comments joked around about the situation, mostly because of how nervous the guy seemed and how embarrassing the whole thing was.

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But perhaps this is not the right situation to make a joke of...

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Some Food For Thought

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TikTok comments:
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
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If you watch the video, you can't help but notice the way that the man's hands were shaking uncontrollably when the girls approached him.

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Either he knew deep-down that what he did was gross and unacceptable, or he had worse things on there that he was afraid they would see.

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"Why Did They Record Him?"

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Screenshot from tiktok of woman approaching man at pool
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
Photo Credit: @maiphammy / TikTok
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One popular comment wondered why the girls didn't just go up to him with a security or management person beside them just to be safe, which is a good point.

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Even if there was a "better" way to confront him, those photos should not have been taken in the first place. Bravo to these girls for bringing attention to such a real issue.