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Tessica Brown

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Tessica Brown
Born (1980-10-20) October 20, 1980 (age 44)
Violet, Louisiana
Other namesGorilla Glue Girl
OccupationInternet celebrity
Years active2021–present
Known forPutting Gorilla Glue in her hair

Tessica Brown (born October 20, 1980), also known as the Gorilla Glue Girl, is an American Internet celebrity. She is best known for her TikTok videos documenting the aftermath of her putting Gorilla Glue in her hair, which were posted and went viral in 2021.

Personal life

Tessica Brown was born on October 20, 1980[1][2] in Violet in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.[3][4] Prior to February 2021, Brown worked as the owner of a day care center, Tessica's Little Angels, and a dance team, the Dazzling Divaz, and was the mother of five children.[5] Brown got engaged to Dewitt Madison in June 2020 and announced her pregnancy with their first child together and her sixth overall in March 2021.[6] Brown began dating Brymon Brocks in 2021 and the two got engaged in October 2023.[7]

Career

In February 2021, Brown posted a video to her social media accounts, including TikTok and Instagram, where she goes by the username im_d_ollady,[8] explaining that, after running out of Got2b Glued Blasting Freeze hair spray, she sprayed the polyurethane adhesive Gorilla Glue Spray on her hair the month prior, believing it to also be hair spray, and that her hair became stuck to her scalp as a result, despite attempts to wash it out. The video went viral on TikTok, where it received over 24 million views by that month. Asia Milia Ware of Teen Vogue wrote that she had "all of social media invested [in her] hair journey" and Brown became known as the Gorilla Glue Girl online.[8][9] Later that month, she posted a series of photos to her Instagram account of her at the St. Bernard Parish Hospital, where she was taken to the emergency room and a nurse attempted to use nail polish remover wipes and sterile water on her scalp, and a video of her attempting to remove the glue from her hair at home.[2] Though the nurse said that it would be possible to remove but would take over 20 hours, Brown chose to go home and attempt to remove it herself and failed.[8]

Gorilla Glue also tweeted that they were "very sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident that Miss Brown experienced". She soon got a call from Gina Rodriguez, a California-based executive producer and the owner of entertainment company GiToni Productions, who recommended her to Beverly Hills-based plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Obeng. Obeng performed a four-hour-long surgical procedure for free on her and applied a combination of aloe vera, medical-grade adhesive remover, olive oil, and a small amount of acetone, which successfully removed the adhesive from her hair.[10] Rodriguez also became Brown's manager.[5] She also received over $25,000 from crowdfunding on GoFundMe to get the glue removed.[11][12] By mid-February, almost one and a half million posts had been made across social media about Brown. Avani Reyes, another social media user, also went viral later that month for claiming to have accidentally put Gorilla Glue in her hair, and was described by the New York Post as Brown's first copycat.[13][5]

Brown launched Forever Hair, a line of haircare products, such as hair growth oil and hair spray, and merchandise with the slogan "Bonded for Life", in June 2021.[14][15][16] She released her debut single as a rapper, "Ma Hair", in November 2021, which referenced and sampled her original viral video.[17][18] In December 2021, she attempted to dye her hair after it started to grow back, causing it to fall out in clumps.[19][20] She became a contestant on the 25th season, its "Viral Sensations" season, of Food Network's reality competition television series Worst Cooks in America in January 2023.[3]

Saturday Night Live referenced Brown in a sketch about two lawyers, played by Regina King and Kenan Thompson, pursuing a class-action lawsuit against Gorilla Glue due to people using it as a beauty product.[21] Nicki Minaj also mentions Brown on the song "Fractions" from the reissue of her 2009 mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty, released in May 2021.[22]

References

  1. ^ @im_d_ollady (October 20, 2023). "It's my Birthday 🎉". Retrieved January 13, 2024 – via Instagram.
  2. ^ a b Smith, Erica (February 11, 2021). "The Gorilla Glue Hairdo Is No More". The Cut. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Bergeron, Judy (January 10, 2023). "Viral glued hair mishap behind her, Violet woman survives second week on 'Worst Cooks'". The Advocate. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  4. ^ Jones, Abigail (February 24, 2022). "One year later, 'Gorilla Glue Girl' Tessica Brown's life is transformed for the better". KLFY-TV. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Fakuade, Melinda (February 19, 2021). "The 'Gorilla Glue Girl' never wanted her nickname". Vox. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  6. ^ Heller, Corinne (March 27, 2021). "'Gorilla Glue Girl' Tessica Brown Is Pregnant". E!. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  7. ^ Hardge, Falen (October 31, 2023). "Gorilla Glue Girl Tessica Brown Announces She Is Engaged". BET. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Ware, Asia Milia (February 5, 2021). "Gorilla Glue Girl's Story Finally Has an Ending". Teen Vogue. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  9. ^ Elitou, Tweety (December 3, 2021). "Tessica Brown Has Yet Another Hair Disaster That Resulted In Hair Loss: 'I Really Thought My Hair Was Strong Enough'". BET. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  10. ^ D'Zurilla, Christie (February 12, 2021). "'Gorilla Glue Girl' finds her happy ending, with help from a Beverly Hills surgeon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Chatman, Samantha (February 26, 2021). "'Gorilla Glue girl' Tessica Brown has message for Black women about 'hair love' after spray adhesive mistake". ABC7 Chicago. Chicago. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Mazziotta, Julie (February 18, 2021). "Woman Who Used Gorilla Glue in Her Hair Says Her Surgeon Is a 'Miracle Worker'". People. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  13. ^ "There's another Gorilla Glue Girl and we're so tired of this saga". Dazed. February 15, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  14. ^ D'Zurilla, Christie (June 16, 2021). "'Gorilla Glue Girl' has a new haircare line, and guess what it doesn't include". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Elan, Priya (June 21, 2021). "'Gorilla Glue Girl' launches haircare products". The Guardian. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  16. ^ Elassar, Alaa (June 19, 2021). "Tessica Brown, also known as 'Gorilla Glue Girl,' has launched her own hair care line". CNN. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  17. ^ Press-Reynolds, Kieran (November 22, 2021). "The woman known as the 'Gorilla Glue girl' released a rap song 9 months after going viral for gluing her hair to her head". Business Insider. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  18. ^ Clark, Kevin L. (December 17, 2021). "'Gorilla Glue Girl' Tessica Brown To Release 'Ma Hair' Music Video". Essence. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  19. ^ Frey, Kaitlyn (December 3, 2021). "Tessica Brown Shares New Hair Trauma After Gorilla Glue Ordeal Earlier This Year". People. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  20. ^ Jones, Marchaund (December 4, 2021). "Oh no! 'Gorilla Glue girl' Tessica Brown has another hair malfunction". Fox 8. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  21. ^ Alter, Rebecca (February 14, 2021). "Regina King on SNL Wants Compensation for the Gorilla Glue Girl". Vulture. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  22. ^ Mahadevan, Tara (May 14, 2021). "Woman Who Used Gorilla Glue on Hair Is Flattered by Nicki Minaj's Shout-Out on "Fractions"". Complex. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
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