A TikTok family channel has sparked controversy and concerns after a video went viral in which the father, Patrick Getchell, "proposed" to his 20-year-old daughter, Sarah, with a purity ring. The Getchell family has numerous TikTok and YouTube channels, including th3.dr3am.t3am.81, Just A Dad & His Ladybug, and Getchell Family Gaming. All of their channels had a modest following, making them fairly obscure social media influencers. However, recently, the family gained significant attention when a video from Just A Dad & His Ladybug included a proposal that many found very unsettling.
The Getchell Family purity ring controversy
While the Getchell family includes Patrick's wife, Theresa, and a minor son, Just A Dad & His Ladybug is an account primarily dedicated to Patrick and Sarah. The pair often participate in TikTok trends and dance videos and share snippets of their life. Soon, they gained widespread attention over the purity ring video. Although the video has since been deleted and the account made private, it has continued circulating online. In the video, Patrick excitedly tells the camera that he has a surprise for Sarah: a purity ring.
Purity rings are fairly standard among religious communities. They symbolize a woman or man's promise to remain celibate until marriage. The rings are a tradition that hearkens back to the Purity Movement, which began in the 1990s. This movement within the Christian faith emphasized sexual abstinence through things like abstinence pledges, purity balls, and purity rings. Although the movement largely faded, many Christian communities still utilize purity rings to promote virginity.
As a result, Patrick decided to give his 20-year-old daughter such a ring. However, the way he did it left viewers perplexed. He revealed he would present it to her by pretending to propose. He walks into her bedroom with the camera and instructs her to get up. When she stands, he drops down onto one knee. Sarah stands with her arms crossed, laughing nervously and looking uncomfortable. Patrick tells her:
First of all, you're 20 years old, and most kids your age are not pure. Well, I want to thank you for being here and give you something. Sarah, will you wear this ring as a sign and a promise to God and to me to remain pure until the day you're married?
Sarah accepts the ring, puts it on her engagement finger, and expresses excitement at how pretty it is. The video soon went viral, with most viewers labeling it "creepy" and "weird." Many described it as giving them the "ick" and making them genuinely concerned for Sarah. After all, just the act of gifting an adult child a purity ring is a bit strange. Isn't an abstinence pledge something that 20-year-olds should make for themselves instead of having the pledge pushed upon them? Is it not weird for an almost 21-year-old's parents to be invested in their sexual life and make them promise to remain a virgin until marriage?
Then, there's the proposal matter, which wouldn't be appropriate at any age. While it's perfectly acceptable for dads and daughters to have close relationships and daddy-daughter dates and dances, there is never a situation that should call for a dad pretending to propose to his daughter. He's her father and should never want to insert himself in a role, gesture, or ritual strictly for a romantic partner. Although it would be strange at any age, it's hard to imagine how embarrassing and uncomfortable it is for an adult to suddenly be blindsided by their parent "proposing" to them.
Meanwhile, the heightened attention the family received over the purity ring led many to dig deeper into their content, which only led to more questionable videos and gestures surfacing.
What's going on with the Getchell family?
Many have been concerned about Sarah and Patrick's relationship, as they don't appear to have many boundaries despite Sarah being an adult. Numerous questionable videos have resurfaced since the purity ring incident. The videos include the pair using TikTok sounds and dance trends often used by couples.
Additionally, the pair constantly have their arms around each other, hugging, holding hands, or kissing each other on the forehead, cheeks, or arms. In one video, Sarah shared dresses that her father bought her for their daddy-daughter dates, including a red one that resembled lingerie.
In another video, Patrick reveals he wrote an entire song for his daughter, which he sings for her while holding her to his chest or holding her hands, gazing into her eyes.
Patrick also came under fire after a video surfaced of him shouting a racial slur. At first, the pair tried to fight the backlash, releasing a 20-minute-long video addressing it and trying to defend their actions. However, eventually, they privatized their two main family accounts, claiming Patrick was stepping away from social media due to the backlash. It's unclear if they're wholly off the platform or ever actually left TikTok in the first place, though, as the family is known to have tons of accounts and frequently deletes and creates new channels, which has also raised suspicion. On Reddit, some users claim they've found as many as nine accounts seemingly belonging to the family.
On her personal TikTok account, @future_seaworld_trainer_, Sarah confirmed that her father was no longer on social media due to the backlash. However, she has continued to feature her father in her TikToks and defended him against the haters. Sarah also had a message for concerned viewers: "I'm fine. I'm enjoying my life, and I've never been happier."
Meanwhile, the family has come under scrutiny even before the purity ring incident. The Reddit forum DadAndDaughterSnark has been active for months, and the family previously has had to temporarily leave TikTok due to backlash before returning. Hence, many expect to still see more from them in the future.
While the dynamic is undoubtedly weird, there is no proof that anything illegal is going on. However, internet users have found that Patrick may have a family member who is a registered sex offender. David J. Getchell is listed in the sex offender registry due to felonious sexual assault of a victim under age 16. Patrick is also Facebook friends with a David Getchell, who matches the appearance of the sex offender. Many on TikTok suggest he is Patrick's brother, though this remains unconfirmed. Additionally, TikTok users who did some digging alleged that one of David's past residences matched one of the Getchell family's past residences and were concerned that he may have lived in the same home as Sarah and her younger brother, though this is also not confirmed.
If Patrick truly is remaining in contact with a family member who is a registered sex offender, it certainly raises concerns for his children's safety. The family's financial situation and the fact that they were living out of a hotel room have also raised concerns about whether the children are in a safe environment. On top of that, his dynamic with Sarah is very strange. At the very least, he is very controlling of her and trying to normalize being involved in deeply personal aspects of her life while feigning it's just a close daughter-father bond.
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