A woman’s quiet visit to a nail salon turned into a viral moment after she used Google Translate to expose what she says were derogatory remarks made about her, right in front of her face.
In a now widely circulated video posted to Instagram, the woman remains silent as her phone sits in view, translating a steady stream of comments spoken in Chinese by the salon workers tending to her feet. She doesn’t respond or react. Instead, she leaves it to social media users to read and decide for themselves.
Two of the most shocking translated phrases caught on camera read:
- 她的男朋友进了监狱，她买不起凝胶
Tā de nán péngyǒu jìnle jiānyù, tā mǎi bù qǐ níngjiāo
Translation:
“Her boyfriend went to jail, she can’t afford gel.”
- 她的食品券卡从钱包里掉出来了
Tā de shípǐn quàn kǎ cóng qiánbāo lǐ diào chū lái le
Translation:
“Her food stamp card fell out of her wallet.”
Both translations were verified by ShineMyCrown.com, which consulted ChatGPT for language confirmation. The messages, originally written in Simplified Chinese with Pinyin romanization, appear to be real-time translations captured by the woman’s phone as the salon visit unfolded.
The incident has ignited debate on social media.
One Instagram user commented, “Smart. Good for her. They be laughing and talking about us in our faces and we don’t even know it.” Another added, “This is why I book with my Black nail tech!!! She’s punctual, professional & talented!!!”
Others raised questions about logistics, wondering how the woman managed to discreetly film the conversation. But most were focused on the bigger issue: a sense of disrespect and cultural division that some Black women say they’ve long experienced in nail salons that aren’t Black-owned.
While the woman in the video hasn’t publicly commented, the video speaks volumes.
Her decision to stay silent and let the translated words scroll across her screen is being hailed as a powerful and pointed response to everyday discrimination in beauty spaces.
As one commenter put it: “She didn’t have to say a word. Her phone said it all.”
