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Ameigh Worley, an OB/GYN based in Orlando, Florida, recently came under fire for sharing a supposed racist video on TikTok. The original video is now deleted, but an MD, Shannon M. Clark, brought the matter to attention on May 23.
According to Shannon, the video was uploaded on March 25 by Alliance Obstetrics & Gynecology Group, LLC in Florida, where Dr. Worley is a Medical Provider. But after receiving some backlash, the account took down the video.
Dr. Shannon explained in her video that the clip by Alliance OB/GYN filmed a woman of color in a compromising position on an operating table while she was being prepped for some medical procedure. The video demonstrated that the patient required 27 Q tips to clean her belly button.
After Shannon shared the video, it was also reposted on Twitter by Savannah Sparks, prompting further criticism. Savannah then claimed that this video by Alliance "perpetuated the racist trope that women of color, namely Black women, are dirty."
Ameigh Worley shares an apology video on TikTok
As per Dr. Ameigh Worley’s profile on Advent Health, she is a Boarrd-Certified OB/GYN who serves women of all ages. She is described to be a compassionate and highly skilled physician. Dr. Worley received extensive training in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, high-risk obstetrics, and infertility.
Dr. Worley has her focused practice designation in Adolescent Gynecology and Pediatrics. She also shelves as an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at three major medical universities. Worley has also worked as a Residency Site Director and gained experience in resident and medical student education.
She is involved in quality improvement initiatives and simulation training and is an experienced lecturer, community volunteer, and dedicated researcher. According to Ameigh Worley’s LinkedIn profile, she joined Alliance Obstetrics & Gynecology Group in September 2019, where she serves as an OB/GYN physician.
After the supposed racist video shared by Alliance OB/GYN was brought to the spotlight on Tuesday, May 23, Dr. Worley took to TikTok to clarify the situation. She claimed the video was a parody of how one should not leave their house without clean underwear and a clean belly button.
However, the clinic did not realize that the parody would be misinterpreted as body-shaming or degradation of persons of color. Dr. Worley then said that she had taken a medical colleague into surgery a while ago. Before surgery, all patients are usually given a special anti-bacterial cleanser to reduce the amount of germs and particles on the skin.
Ameigh Worley said it is especially important in laparoscopic biology to thoroughly clean one’s belly button to prevent infection. At the hospital, the steps are repeated by the operating team. The MD said that the video where she was holding too many swabs was meant to convey that the belly button can never be too clean.
Ameigh Worley said the video was meant for humor and was posted with her colleague’s consent. She clarified that they never intended to degrade women of color through the video and apologized to people for whom the video might have come across as racist. They removed the video from their account and personally responded to people who had contacted them regarding the clip.
Dr. Worley also mentioned that the colleague in the video was not Black. The video was posted with her knowledge and consent and did not show any compromising body parts except for her abdomen. She explained that without knowing the background of the video or the fact that it was a parody, it might have come off as inappropriate, for which the MD apologized once more.
Netizens react to Dr. Ameigh Worley's video
Before Ameigh Worley posted the apology video and provided clarification for what their video conveyed, the internet expressed their outrage at the physician and the clinic for upholding a racist mindset.
Many said that this is why people are so scared to go to OB/GYNs and have so much distrust in them.
Dr. Shannon M. Clark, who originally brought this video to everyone's attention, said in her video that given the history that the field of OB/GYN has with black patients and other patients of color, this was not a good look for Alliance OB/GYN.
Shannon further claimed that no physician would ever ask a patient to do that, nor would they ever post anything like that of a patient in such a compromising position in the operating room. She called this act highly irregular, unethical, and extremely damaging.
