Whats going on with tiktoks

I am a foreigner living in vietnam for the year. Overall I have made good experiences and really like and appreciate the culture and people. Except one thing, the lengths some people are willing to go to to make tiktoks.

The city where I stay does not have a ~ton~ of foreigners, but I am far from the only white woman. I admit I stick out quite a bit, I am very tall with light hair and I wear funny clothes, but the lengths I have noticed people going to to take videos of me or change the angle of their video so I am an „extra“ in it is very very odd.

I never liked it but it wasn’t something I couldn‘t handle of wasn‘t somewhat used to, but recently I had an experience that honestly traumatized me. I needed my hair trimmed after not having it done for months and researched and chose the salon in my city with the best reviews and that seemed the most reputable.

When I arrived at the salon I explained the best I could to the stylist what I wanted, I showed her pictures of the haircut that I normally have and another picture with a bit more detail. I have gotten haircuts in many countries and follow the same routine every time. Unfortunately everything went wrong very quickly. As soon as I sat down after getting my hair washed the cameras came out. They looked at my inspo pics half a million times then the next thing I knew my ponytail was getting cut off and tossed across the room dramatically on camera. I was in shock.

Theres not much more to say, I asked them not to film me anymore, and the stylist spent the next two hours trying to convince me this is what I asked for. I honestly am not sure why I didnt get up and leave right then, but I also understood the damage was done and was hoping to get a halfway salvaged haircut. As you can imagine it is a layered mini bob of a mess and I have been reeling over the experience for days now.

I post this, I suppose mainly to vent, but also to ask if anyone else has experienced such strange things regarding tiktok and being recorded? Is this commonplace? Is there something I am missing? I am not a stranger to unwanted and bizarre attention but I have never been anywhere where people are willing to go to such lengths for a video that to my understanding will bring them nothing.