A 32-year-old from Sydney, Australia, has gained viral attention after opening a wedding speech by taking aim at the gossiping habits of her family and community.
In a video with more than 5 million views on TikTok, Tamanna R was seen taking to the mic during her best friend’s wedding, introducing herself to the audience with a playful jab: “For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Tamanna, but I’m sure most of the aunties and uncles already know me from all the photos they’ve been screenshotting of me and sending around in their little group chats. Feel free to share this speech today, though; at least I’m fully clothed,” she said.
Tamanna and her friends grew up in a conservative Bangladeshi community. In their tight-knit community, older generations are often affectionately as “aunties and uncles,” but Tamanna said that they are also notorious for scrutinizing their lives.
“We’ve all grown up leading double lives,” she told Newsweek. “We keep what we do outside of the house private, but, with social media on the rise, it’s become nearly impossible to hide too much from prying eyes.”
@tamannathelabel/TikTok
For Tamanna, who runs an online fashion brand called Made U Look Label, the situation has been particularly challenging. While modeling her own designs on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, she found herself the subject of gossip, with “salacious” photos being circulated among her parents’ friends—often just snapshots of her attending clubs or wearing fashionable outfits. The rise of her online presence, once a source of pride, became a point of contention with her family.
“When my best friend asked me to do the speech, I thought this would be a fun opening line to wake everyone up,” Tamanna said. “I know how people can zone out during wedding speeches, so I wanted to spice up the room with a joke. I also knew that many of the girls in the audience would relate to my experience.”
The speech quickly became a hit with her circle of friends. “The best man and I were kind of seeing who could outdo each other with their speech,” she added. “When I made the joke, the front row erupted in laughter, and the best man made it even funnier by pointing to the aunties in the audience.”
The video gained some serious attention on TikTok where people shared their thoughts in the comments.
“SHE ATE and left no crumbs,” said viewer jay.e, while Sylvia wrote: “I don’t know the background but good for you for sticking up for yourself!!! I’m sure they are all jealous because you are gorgeous.”
TikTok user Nikki simply said: “Iconic way to start a speech.”
Others, however, were less amused, criticizing Tamanna for allegedly overshadowing the bride’s special day. One commenter, under the handle @littlemiss721, wrote, “Not my wedding, but it’s going to be about ME!”
While Tamanna said that her joke might not have been for everyone, she stood by her decision. “I completely understand that it might seem jarring to someone on the outside looking in,” she said. “But, in our friend group, we love these kinds of wedding roasts.”