McKenzie Lynn Tozan has been a part of the George Takei family since 2019 when she wrote some of her favorite early pieces: Sesame Street introducing its first character who lived in foster care and Bruce Willis delivering a not-so-Die-Hard opening pitch at a Phillies game. She's gone on to write nearly 3,000 viral and trending stories for George Takei, Comic Sands, Percolately, and ÜberFacts. With an unstoppable love for the written word, she's also an avid reader, poet, and indie novelist.
Commenting on people's changing bodies -- and then not believing the person's explanation for that change -- seems to be a growing issue in online spaces.
Former Dancing with the Stars pro Cheryl Burke is experiencing this right now on TikTok, as some viewers recently started commenting that she looked dramatically different than she used to.
Pointing out her allegedly higher eyebrows, more eyelid space, and more prominent cheeks, some have even argued that they wouldn't recognize her if they didn't see her name displayed.
Burke first tried to address these comments with a video of her applying her makeup and pointing out how people will assume they know a person based on a 30-second video. But the feedback she got was not what she was hoping for.
Some were happy for her and thought she looked great.
Others immediately clocked Burke's transformation and assumed she was using a weight loss supplement.
The former DWTS pro soon tired of speculations about her "new face," her alleged use of Ozempic or a similar weight loss supplement, and all of the theories about Botox, facelifts, and buccal fat removal.
While removing her makeup for the day, Burke spoke out against the comments.
"Let's address the elephant in the comments section: I'm not on Ozempic. I'm not sick. I didn't get a face transplant, and no, I didn't get a brow lift."
"The level of projection that is happening and that I'm witnessing is wild."
"The way some of you guys talk about me, it's like you think I'm a headline or a filter, not a person."
"But here's the part that really gets me: 'We miss the old Cheryl.'"
"'Suite Life of Zack and Cody' Cheryl. Back in 2006 'Dancing with the Stars' season 2, when I was 21 years old, or three years ago Cheryl, where I was going through a divorce."
"I hate to break it to you, but that Cheryl doesn't exist anymore."
"The assumptions are just exhausting as h**l. The accusations are completely cruel, and the fact that so many of them are actually coming from women, that's what is so shocking and hurtful to be quite honest."
Some fans simply didn't believe what Burke was saying about all of this happening naturally, and others pointed out that their comments were not coming from a place of criticism, but rather a place of concern, because of her drastic transformation.
While some commenters insisted they were commenting from a place of love and concern, their comments clearly are not welcome on Burke's TikTok page -- which is a boundary they'll have to learn to respect.