A schoolgirl hopes to have sparked greater awareness of domestic abuse after a video she created was viewed more than 1.7 million times online.
Amber Butt, 16, made the clip on social media platform TikTok, lip-syncing to Lily Allen’s Not Fair while applying make-up to simulate bruises.
The video, titled “Your friend is trying to convince you the bruises you spotted aren’t from her boyfriend”, plays on the fact people often use make-up to hide signs of violence.
Amber was inspired to create it after learning that a family friend had suffered domestic violence.She said: “When I found out, I was shocked because I never expected this to happen to her, I thought she would tell me. But she kept quiet.
“So I wanted to understand why she felt she could not talk about it. Now I have a bit more insight.”
Amber, who is from east London and has more than 64,000 followers on TikTok, has been widely praised for the clip by survivors of abuse — as well as by school friends and teachers.
The year 12 student, who is studying photography and a BTec in business, was already known on TikTok for her make-up and special effects skills. The new video, created last week, has been liked by more than 206,000 people.
Amber, who chose the song to contrast lyrics such as “he treats me with respect” with the make-up, hopes that young people who use the video-sharing platform will learn how to spot signs of abuse and encourage victims to get help.
She said: “There are the physical signs but also the way people are acting, like putting yourself down or being scared of how your partner will react to a situation. Or just the feeling that something isn’t right. It’s about spotting if someone is anxious or feels trapped.”
