- Tay BeepBoop, a prominent DIY and design TikToker, accused a fellow creator of copying several projects.
- The backlash was swift, with commenters spamming his page and a business partner terminating his links.
- Tay later apologized for her “wild and inappropriate” behavior, calling the ordeal a “massive learning moment.”
A simmering feud has imploded TikTok’s DIY community, as one prominent creator showed, Tay BipBoop — known for her surreal and colorful design projects — accused another designer, Kaarin Joy, of repeatedly copying her aesthetic.
This outbreak of violence provoked violent backlash against Tay, who has 1.9 million followers, even if Kaarin (2 million) admitted to having been deeply inspired by her accuser. Commenters criticized the fact that a DIY creator’s entire job is to get viewers to replicate their hacks.
Tay also lost a business relationship for a range of paste and peel wallpapers as part of the fallout. She has since issued a formal apology in which she called her behavior “wild and inappropriate.”
Neither Tay nor Kaarin responded to Insider’s request for comment.
Here’s what happened — and how one TikTok caused a cascade of backlash.
Tay first accused Kaarin of copying her mossy mirror, wavy wall decorations, among other design elements.
It all started last week when Tay made these allegations in a now-deleted video, which has since been republished through other channels.
“I’m about to be so petty and I’ve never done something like this before,” she said, as an on-screen caption claimed Kaarin had been copying her for years – and that this behavior continued two months after Tay asked him. for her to stop.
Tay listed several design projects as evidence: a “mossy mirror” and a green wavy line painted along an artwork-adorned wall. Tay also claimed that Kaarin knocked over her orange sofa and copied her “very abnormal” blue and green color scheme to paint her kitchen appliances.
She also noted that Kaarin had hung one of her self-designed wallpapers, from her Otto Studio line (“which is nice,” Tay said, “anyone can buy. “)
Viewers, however, disagreed with Tay’s grievances. The backlash was swift, with commenters on the uploads criticizing Tay for claiming ownership of what they saw as banal concepts.
“So an influencer is mad that he…*checks notes* influenced someone,” one commenter wrote.
Commenters spammed Tay’s videos, lambasting allegations of copying, leading to serious commercial repercussions.
Viewers viciously spammed Tay’s video channel congratulating Kaarin on reaching 2 million followers. (That’s a bit more than Tay’s 1.9 million subscribers.) They also blasted the copycat allegations.
“Did you ask the sky if you could paint these clouds? we wrote in a video where she was renovating a client’s ceiling.
In a now-deleted statement released WednesdayTay explained that she deleted her original video because she should have handled the situation privately and it wasn’t what she wanted her channel to be “about.”
Nonetheless, she reiterated that she was “passionate about giving credit to designers and creators,” hoping that “this could have been the case here when the issue was first addressed.”
The explanation did little to end the backlash. On Saturday, Otto Studio, a brand that sells its range of paste and peel wallpapers, announced the end of its partnership with Tay. The company, which offers user-friendly options designed in collaboration with artists, said in a statement published on Instagram And Tic Tac that its products “will no longer be available for purchase,” noting that Tay’s now-deleted video “goes against our values and the ethos of the DIY community.”
Otto Studio did not respond to Insider’s request for comment.
The same day, Tay issued an apology, in which she called her behavior “wild and inappropriate.” She said “there’s room for everyone” and noted that she also personally apologized to Kaarin.
Tay said she initially didn’t understand what she had done wrong, but was now “grateful” for the criticism, calling the ordeal a “massive learning moment.” She also said Kaarin had been “gracious and kind” after their private conversation.
Kaarin recognized their “similar styles”, but was saddened by the public’s appeal
Kaarin publicly addressed the controversy on Tuesday, ahead of Tay’s apology, saying she received a lot of “really mean and hateful comments and messages” when she was first called out.
She also pointed out that she didn’t see the allegations directly because Tay blocked her.
She said she was “disappointed” because she admired Tay, who she said encouraged her to express herself, recognizing that the two had “very similar styles.” She also confirmed that Tay asked her not to duplicate any of her DIYs two months ago and she agreed at the time.
That said, it was a pleasant interaction. The public’s appeal was therefore a surprise.
“Publicly shaming someone for taking inspiration from you without them even knowing you have issues is just wrong,” she said. “My intention is not just to copy and rip off this creator.”
Kaarin has yet to publicly respond to Tay’s apology, but celebrated by reaching 2 million followers on Sunday. She also enjoys broad support from viewers who take her side in the feud.
“A big part of art is inspiration,” one commenter wrote under his video. “All artists are inspired by somewhere, something or someone.” Another added: “This breaks my heart for you. Hang in there.”
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