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Victoria’s Secret Launches An Investigation Into The Viral Karen Video Taken In Their Store

Roommates, looks like officials at Victoria’s Secret caught wind of the viral Karen video taken in their store last weekend. A white woman was seen crying after seemingly attacking a Black woman. The white woman accuses the Black woman of being the aggressor, but was recorded charging at and then chasing the Black woman throughout the store. In response to the incident, Victoria’s Secret issued a statement on Tuesday calling for a full investigation of the “unsettling” video.

“Associate and customer safety is our top priority, and we are committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all,” the statement said. “The video taken in our store is unsettling and we have initiated a full investigation.”

To give more context, both women appear to be shopping at the undergarment retailer in a New Jersey mall. The Black woman, named Ijeoma Ukenta according to BET reports, revealed in the video that she was in Victoria’s Secret to take advantage of a free panty coupon. Well, she got quite the opposite after encountering the blond woman in the store. The clip begins with the white woman approaching Ijeoma and swinging her hand, seemingly hitting Ijeoma’s cell phone. After realizing she’s being recorded and watched by shoppers and employees, the white woman puts on a whole scenario.

She backs up slowly and brings her hand to her chest in a shocked expression. She also adopts a whiny, almost-crying voice and begins complaining to the employees. After Ijeoma expresses her disbelief at the energy switch-up, the woman begins covering her face, crying loudly and slips to the ground. At one point, she even allegedly faints. Yet, even as the unidentified woman screams “get away from me,” she inches closer to Ijeoma in an attempt to get her to stop recording and later on chases her around the store.

Despite what seems to be minimal attempts to remove the aggressor, Victoria’s Secret praised their employees for following store protocols and contacting their Emergency Operations Center and mall security.

According to BET, Ijeoma has raised over $105,000 via a GoFundMe account in response to the incident.

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Cassandra Santiago

Cassandra Santiago is a multimedia journalist, editor, and editorial strategist with over a decade of experience shaping conversations across arts, entertainment, culture, and global news. A graduate of the University of Iowa, she has built a cross-platform career spanning newspapers, magazines, radio, and digital media. She joined The Shade Room five years ago and currently serves as a Senior Editor, where she leads editorial direction, oversees exclusive coverage, and trains and edits a team of writers. Cassandra has played a key role in developing high-impact content and editorial strategies for an audience of more than 30 million, contributing to platform growth, engagement, and monetization across multiple channels. In addition to her leadership role, she remains a daily contributor, with her articles generating more than 41 million views since 2023. Beyond The Shade Room, Cassandra offers freelance social media strategy services, speaks on the influence and impact of Black media at public panels, and owns Did It For You, an event design company in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. She is Poynter Institute–certified and was named to the DMV’s 35 Under 35 list in 2024.

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