A WOMAN is going viral on TikTok because of her unusually large eyes, with some trolls likening her to Lord of the Ring’s Gollum.
Samantha McNab, 21, from New York has always had attention focused on her beautiful big eyes, but the app provided them with a new kind of fame.
The student has a trademark pose of a wide-eyed, blank stare at the camera, which leaves online users stunned and rakes up millions of views per video.
“There’s almost nothing I haven’t heard before,” McNab told NeedToKnow.online.
“People say all kinds of crazy things about who or what I look like – I’ve gotten everything from Tim Burton characters, bugs, Nicole Richie, Mr Bean, Gollum, cartoon characters.”
She continued: “A lot of my comments are usually people thinking that I have thyroid problems or Grave’s disease – which I don’t.
“I’ve gotten tested in the past, big eyes are just in my genes and run in my family.”
The 21-year-old often finds the fun in her unique facial feature, captioning TikToks with lines like: “Is my side-eye noticeable?” and “the last one is terrifying”.
Her most popular video is a series of short clips of her staring at the camera, which has been seen 22 million times with 2.4 million likes.
A user commented: “This is how my mom used to look at me when I’d act up in public.”
“Ok hear me out: Mr. Bean’s cute daughter,” one said.
A third joked: “‘The last one if terrifying’ girl all of them are gonna haunt me,” a third joked.
“Please don’t hurt me,” another responded.
McNab explained that: “I find a lot of comments pretty funny. I mean even I think the things that I can do with my eyes and the way I look can be weird and kind of scary, but people love it.”
The TikTok star now receives messages from other women and girls who are insecure about the size of their eyes and have been bullied or made fun of for it.
But McNab is often told that her “videos help give them the confidence they need.”
“That to me is the most rewarding,” she said.
“I tell them that I love having this unique thing about me that allows me to stand out from other people in a good way – so why not embrace it?”
