Recently, Annie Bonelli has been going viral on TikTok for a mystery that has left the internet divided. A scar on the side of Bonelli’s face was first revealed in a TikTok she posted in March of 2021, where it looks nearly healed. At first glance, users might see that her scar seems to change in color a little over time. Then suddenly, in September 2022, the faint scar turned into a thick, brown mark, which sent the internet spiraling.
Bonelli’s story about the scar has remained consistent throughout the whole debacle. The general gist is when she was 14, she endured a series of events that have not been specified, and though it is not clear when the events ended, she somehow got the scar from the said events. She also said in another TikTok that the reason her scar changed so drastically was due to a reaction to the topical ointment she was using to fade her original scar, creating a new one. Furthermore, she started a treatment that would make her scar “worse, then better.”
However, the internet still was not satisfied and decided to do some digging on her main account @wtmab. She first revealed the supposed scar on March 18, 2021, where it goes from right under the middle of her eye to just under her cheekbone, and looks light in color, nearly healed. Just a few days later on March 20, 2021, her scar seems to have somehow opened again, looking freshly scabbed, but still in the same place. Nearly two years later, the scar has changed completely, and not just in color: it has moved from the middle of her eye to the outer corner of her eye, and has changed from straight and diagonal, to curved and nearly vertical, reaching to her jaw instead of her cheekbone.
Bonelli has not confirmed the origin of the original scar, but viewers speculate that she received the scar due to an abusive relationship, as Bonelli has been a strong advocate and voice against domestic violence. Faking a scar in general is questionable, but these speculations have people questioning her morality. On one hand, raising awareness for domestic violence is empowering and needed; on the other hand, this implies that she might be lying about an experience that traumatizes and causes mental and emotional damage to people every single day.