A Taylor Swift lookalike has come under fire for causing chaos when she went out in public pretending to be the pop star as part of an internet prank.
Ashley Leechin - who has 1.6m followers on TikTok - sported a white top, blue jeans, accessorised with a red bag, red leather cap, and signature red lipstick in a look reminiscent of Swift's Red era.
With several 'security guards' surrounding her, Leechin turned up to The Grove, a popular shopping mall in Los Angeles where she was swarmed by Swifties who believed they were seeing the Anti-Hero singer in the flesh.
Leechin then showed up at Downtown Disney, the shopping district of Disneyland in Anaheim, California where she repeated the prank and appeared to fool members of the public.
@paolaamarcellaYall think this was taylor? #viral #taylorswift #thegrove #fyp #losangeles
The two instances were part of a prank video by YouTuber Victor Galvan (Vic In The Game) who has posted videos of similar stunts, with his latest video being a "Fake Bad Bunny prank.".
Clips of Leechin being swarmed by fans quickly made rounds of social media, with people criticising her for pretending to be the popular musician out in public, calling the stunt "irresponsible," especially in light of fans recently congregating outside a restaurant where the real Taylor Swift was eating.
One person wrote: "You guys are really irresponsible for doing this given the recent events and the likelihood of security concerns that could arise. Also, this is disgusting!"
"This is such weird behavior," another person said.
Someone else added: "How is this Ashley girl gonna say she did it because other celebrities hire dupes in the past??? Taylor didn’t hire you, you did it for attention."
"Taylor should sue them or get a restraining order against that Ashley," a fourth person commented.
Leechin has since responded to the negative online reaction and took to TikTok where she explained she collaborated with Galvan, so wasn't the one who hired the bodyguards, and described the stunt was a "social experiment."
@noitisashley13Sorry late post. ‘A day in the life of a celebrity’ - only because it was Taylor everyone is blowing this out of proportion. If it were anyone else, it would have had a completely different outcome. This is why celebrities would hire decoys so they can enjoy their private event or quiey evening. Thank you to everyone who was so kind & sweet yesterday. Not going squash any other rumors because that is pointless. Just a friendly reminder, please do not bully any of my friends. You can bully me because it seems to be an okay thing to do in the ‘swiftie’ fandom but please do not bully my friends because they were incredible to work with. #itsjustashley #vicinthegame #taylorswift
"This social experiment was to live a day in the life of a celebrity to see what would happen if I went out looking like Taylor Swift and so from all the videos that you guys have seen [of] fans swarming, this goes to how far a fandom will go," she said.
Leechin also said the stunt was a "positive experience," and added it "was not to be malicious it was not to mock anyone," but admitted the timing was "horrific" referring to Swift recently being swarmed by fans.
"It was not a 'malicious act' by any means & I want everyone to know that words do not affect me," Leechin wrote in a recent Instagram Story.
"Decoys have been hired multiple times by celebrities in the past (many more than just JLo & Ben [Affleck]). The massive amount of positivity I have received outweighs your negativity.
"This really shows how far a fandom will go & the true possessiveness that some fandoms have over a celebrity."
In another story, she added: "Please don’t expect me to turn off my comments, stop making content or disappear for that matter. It is called freedom of speech for a reason and you have as much air as you want to say what you need to say.
"The videos surfacing are taken way out of context & I just want to say to those who have messaged me and have said very kind things, I see you and I thank you. I just hope those who are angry over speculation do not dwell on this and can eventually enjoy their day."
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