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Internet users have accused makeup and beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira of faking her recognisable accent after an old video of her resurfaced online.
The clip, filmed when Mikayla was in university, has prompted a lot of confusion:
Mikayla, from Boston, Massachusetts, began posting in her current format three years ago and has since gone on to amass 2.5 million followers on her dedicated makeup Instagram page, and more than 14 million followers on TikTok.
She shows off impressive contouring, perfectly styled hair and fashion tips, and her candour and openness with followers prompted Glamour last year to describe Mikayla as the 'realest influencer on TikTok'.
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Some fans are attempting to poke holes in that title now though, in the wake of a video filmed when Mikayla was at university at Rhode Island’s Bryant College.
Rather than the signature Boston accent fans are familiar with today, Mikayla has a more neutral accent as she introduces herself and explains: “I actually work here at the information centre, so I’m sure you’ll be seeing me around."
The clip has racked up millions of views as well as mixed responses from people online, with many convinced the video is evidence that Mikayla has been faking her accent all along.
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To get a better sense of why fans are so confused, here's what Mikayla sounds like now:
"Who is [that] sounds like a whole different person," one viewer wrote.
Another added: "There are times when she slips and sounds like this in her videos. Can't unhear it after watching this."
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Not everyone has been so quick to judge, though, with some of Mikayla's supporters arguing that the old video shows her using a 'customer service voice', while other people with strong accents have described trying to 'hide it', implying that's what Mikayla might have been doing in the clip.
Fellow TikToker Rachel Leigh also stuck up for the makeup influencer, writing: "We need to start seeing these influencers as entertainers, almost actresses and actors because at this point with their millions of followers this has become their job."
Mikayla has posted content on her TikTok page since the video went viral, but she's not addressed the accusations about her changing accent.
However, she did speak about her Boston accent in a TikTok livestream earlier this month, where she said she had been mocked her 'entire life' over the way she spoke, adding: “It’s not a f**king Boston accent, I’ve already said that.
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“It’s a f**king redneck accent from where I’m from.”
Tyla has reached out to representatives for Mikayla for comment.
Emily Brown