Fury Over Influencer Who Says Women Owe 'Hi Back' To 'Unsettling' Men Like Him In The Woods

A wave of outrage has erupted online after a social-media influencer on TikTok claimed that women owe 'hi back' to men, even strangers who make them uneasy in isolated settings such as wooded areas.

The incendiary remarks have provoked widespread condemnation and reopened painful debates about women's safety, harassment, and the very real fear many feel in public and private spaces.

Influencer's Remarks Spark Public Outcry

According to multiple reposts circulating on TikTok, a male influencer argued that women should respond when men greet them, even if the men themselves make the women feel uncomfortable.

The videos, shared and stitched across the platform, depict the influencer walking through wooded surroundings and making the controversial claim. The content has resurfaced repeatedly as women on social media point out how disturbing the attitude is, describing it as emblematic of why many feel unsafe around men, especially in isolated, natural environments.

In comment threads, numerous women responded angrily, calling the attitude 'absurd' and arguing it encapsulates a root cause of why women often fear encountering men alone in environments like the woods. Some noted this sort of behaviour fuels the persistent sense of being on edge in ostensibly 'safe' or 'neutral' spaces.

Though the influencer's identity remains unconfirmed in publicly accessible legal filings or media coverage, the reaction underscores an increasing intolerance for content that dismisses women's discomfort as trivial or unearned.

'Man or Bear' Debate Reflects Real Fear

This incident has revived interest in a broader phenomenon, the Man or Bear debate. The trend began with a video posted by the TikTok account Screenshot HQ in April 2024, asking random women whether they would rather encounter a bear or a man if stuck alone in the woods. In the original clip, seven out of eight women chose the bear. The video quickly went viral, attracting millions of views and igniting a wave of support and controversy.

For many women, the choice was not about a rational assessment of physical danger, but about trust, predictability, and trauma. As described in the commentary accompanying the trend, one woman wrote, 'A bear might actually stop if I play dead. A man will take it as an open invitation'.

Another pointed out that if a woman survives a bear attack, people are likely to believe her, but if she survives male sexual violence, she may spend her life 'trying to get people to believe me'.

The discussion around 'Man or Bear' has highlighted persistent gendered power imbalances and the everyday fear many women carry. For them, it is not a hypothetical joke; it is a metaphor for real life where walking alone, even in daylight, or enjoying nature, can feel risky.

Women Respond Loudly — and Demand Change

In reaction to the influencer's remarks and the broader 'Man or Bear' trend, many women have used social media to share personal stories about being followed, feeling unsafe on night walks, worrying on wilderness hikes, or hesitating to go out alone.

The viral 'bear-over-man' clip resonated widely precisely because it gave a shared voice to something previously under-spoken, that for too many women, fear around men is real, persistent, and often justified.

While some critics argue the 'bear vs man meme exaggerates the danger posed by ordinary men, advocates point out that it is not about demonising all men, but about acknowledging women's lived realities. As one expert involved with the trend wrote, the question is not about generalising about men, but about highlighting the consistent and pervasive threat of male violence against women.

For many women, the outrage over the influencer's video is not just about one person's bad attitude; it is about demanding a basic right to feel safe, respected, and believed.

The influencer's claim that women 'owe' even a passing greeting to men underscored a deep social fault line. But the massive backlash shows that more and more people recognise that discomfort, fear, and rejection are valid responses, not social debts.

The woods, like public transport or late-night streets, should not be a place where women are told they owe politeness to a stranger.