TikTok exposes us to an endless variety of people from backgrounds that we may know nothing about. It can be very educational and wholesome in that sense, allowing people to share their lives, ask each other questions, and learn from one another. TikTok creator Sarah Joy is one of many people who have opened their unique lives up to the internet.
Sarah Joy first went viral to share the struggles and differences of a person who may be a part of a “plain” community, which may refer to Amish, Mennonite, Conservative Quaker, or other communities who eschew modern dress, makeup, and some technology, often including social media, on religious grounds.
Understandably, fans are wildly speculating as to why the creator has chosen to leave the app. Some people think that authorities in her community may have found out about her use of the app and she got in trouble for posting. Many are worried about her safety and well-being amidst her abrupt departure from the internet.
Some have even pleaded with the community to allow her to come back, saying that they respect the culture, Sarah Joy isn’t harming anyone, and they think most recent videos of hers have someone else behind them.
Others did some internet digging and have been posting photos and videos seemingly proving that Sarah Joy is not actually from an Amish, Mennonite or other plain community, and is faking it for likes and views. These people chalk her disappearance up to being discovered as a poser, and have posted pictures of her in makeup and modern clothing that they found online. They even claim to have found photos of her family at the church where her father is the pastor.
TikToker and comedian Heather Shaw even hopped online to say that Sarah Joy had followed her back after announcing her departure from the app.
Sarah Joy hopped back on the app to address rumors that she was faking her lifestyle for views, saying that converted later in life and made the choice to join the plain community and people are, well, confused.
However, due to the controversy, Sarah Joy has taken down her account entirely, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation. People are obsessed with figuring out whether or not she’s telling the truth, why she would be faking it, and where she has gone now.
Unfortunately, as long as Sarah Joy is off the internet there may not be definitive answers, especially if she’s committed to painting that she is in fact a member of am Amish, Mennonite or other similar religious community who adhere to plain dress and simple living. As it goes on the internet, even if she is telling the truth, people aren’t apt to believe her.
