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Accessibility statementSkip to main content Democracy Dies in Darkness SubscribeSign in Advertisement Democracy Dies in Darkness Inspired Life MOMS NATIONWIDE ARE LEAVING GIFT CARDS IN DIAPER BOXES. HERE’S WHY. A discovery in the Target baby aisle reminded one woman how much mothers sacrifice. She paid it forward, and others followed suit with “she deserved the purse.” 4 min 642 Moms on TikTok are participating in the #shedeservedthepurse inspired by Denaesha Gonzalez's viral video. Women are buying gift cards and placing cash in baby items at Target and Walmart stores. (The Washington Post) By Amber Ferguson September 23, 2024 at 5:37 p.m. EDT Moms across the country are anonymously buying gift cards or leaving cash in baby items at Target and Walmart stores because Denaesha Gonzalez saw a misplaced purse. The Nashville mom was with her 2-year-old son in her local Target this month when she noticed a familiar sight — a silver clutch handbag that retails for $20 misplaced on the shelf of the baby aisle. To the 28-year-old, this meant something deeper: A mom with a young child sacrificed something she wanted to buy something for her baby. Subscribe for unlimited access to The Post You can cancel anytime. Subscribe “I’ve found myself several times wishing I could get something but couldn’t. I’ve gone through seasons of lack where we could only afford just the essential things,” Gonzalez told The Washington Post in a Zoom interview. Story continues below advertisement > She posted a 17-second video with the text: SHE DESERVED THE PURSE with the sound of a woman exhaling, in the hopes that maybe it would resonate with other mothers. Her video has since gone viral with more than 20 million views. It also has inspired people to hide money in diaper boxes and formula containers to allow a mom who is struggling to buy something for herself. Advertisement “I haven’t had my hair done in years. My nails done in years. My clothes come from Walmart. We can’t afford childcare,” one mother wrote under Gonzalez’s video. “But my babies have what they need. One day, I’ll have the purse, just not today.” 😊 Follow Feel-good stories Follow The hashtag#shedeservedthepurse challenge took off last week when mom influencer Cecily Bauchman told her 2 million followers that Gonzalez’s video inspired her. Bauchman then posted a vlog of her buying a $100 Target gift card. On the back of the receipt she wrote, “Hey! You deserve that special ‘you’ thing. You are amazing!” She slipped the gift card and note in a package of Huggies diapers. Story continues below advertisement The overwhelming response in the comments were from moms expressing the same sentiment — that they often neglect themselves. “As a mom who puts stuff back all the time to get stuff for my babies … this made me tear up,” one comment read. “I was a struggling mom of 4. I’m in a better position to pay it forward now. Doing this Thursday on my day off!” another mom wrote. Advertisement There are now nearly 150 TikTok videos of moms, many of them crying, sitting in their cars talking about their experiences and them showing themselves going into stores to “pay it forward.” Katie Beach, a stay-at-home mother of a 2-year-old boy and 2-month-old girl, told The Post the videos affected her deeply. She shared the videos with her group chat of other mom content creators and encouraged them to give back. Last Friday, she went to her Gaithersburg, Md., Target and bought four $50 gift cards, then went to the customer service desk and borrowed tape. She stuck the gift cards, the receipt and a note on different formula containers. Story continues below advertisement > For Beach, this trend emphasizes the supportive network that social media can play for moms. “Social media was always an aspirational place where people weren’t really showing the truth,” Beach said. “I think recently, as we all start to show more of the truth, it makes motherhood feel so much less alone.” Advertisement She says this type of content has created solidarity among mothers of young children and validates their feelings. Beach plans on buying more gift cards and going to Walmart later this week. > Some moms are also directly giving gift cards to other mothers at stores. Danielle Stanley, a 27-year-old mom of two, wanted to give a gift to “the right person.” Story continues below advertisement Early Monday morning, after dropping off her 5-year-old son at school, she sat in a Walmart parking lot and noticed a mom by herself with a car seat in one arm, carrying a newborn with a baby bag. Stanley remembered “what the trenches of the newborn phase” was like and wanted to bring the stranger some joy. After purchasing a $100 gift card, she found the mom in the baby aisle and watched her put items back that she wanted for herself. Stanley told the mom what she was doing and handed the gift card to her. “Seriously? Seriously?” the shocked mom can be heard saying in the video. “Thank you for being an amazing mom,” Stanley told her before the two hugged. “I know that it made her Monday so much better,” Stanley told The Post. “I hope this [trend] empowers moms to keep giving and to the ones receiving, I just hope it sparks enough light and love to give them the strength to keep pushing.” Maham Javaid contributed to this post. Share 642 Comments NewsletterThursdays for 12 weeks Voraciously: Meal Plan of Action Dinner needs a game plan. Menus and meal prep guides for the week ahead — every Thursday for 12 weeks. Sign up Subscribe to comment and get the full experience. 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