About

Alana O'Brien, known online by the usernames Alana.28__ and Alana.28, or by the nicknames Renaissance Girl or Medieval Girl, is a TikTok and Instagram influencer, known for cosplay and makeup videos in which she dresses like a princess from the Renaissance era. O'Brien is notably white and is often seen with rosy cheeks. She began posting videos in 2021 and amassed a large following heading into the mid-2020s, particularly in 2025. Her videos were frequently reposted across social media platforms like Twitter / X, where users harped on her Renaissance aesthetic.

Alana.28 also amassed controversy online following her virality in 2025, notably after she posted a video of herself dressed as the Queen of Crows in October 2025, which involved black face paint, red lipstick and red contact lenses. Many believed that she was doing a racist "blackface" and the allegations and discourse spread to X in December 2025.

Many online also spread accusations that Alana O'Brien had white nationalist, Zionist, racist and xenophobic beliefs. The allegations stemmed from screenshots shared online, which alleged that O'Brien had liked posts and comments on Instagram that promoted the aforementioned beliefs.

Online History

Alana O'Brien shared her first video on TikTok^[1] on September 14th, 2021, on her account @alana.28__, showing herself running through a field of flowers. Over four years, the video received over 230 likes.

She continued posting on the app in the following years, but she didn't go viral until July 8th, 2025, when she posted a TikTok^[2] video in Renaissance garb, seen lip dubbing the song "Jolene" by Dolly Parton. Over five months, the video received over 26,000 likes.

On August 31st, O'Brien shared a TikTok^[3] of herself cosplaying the medieval Queen of England, Anne of Cleves, tagged, "#princesscore #renaissance #medieval," in the video's description. Over four months, the video received over 2.8 million likes.

On October 3rd, 2025, she shared a TikTok^[4] that became her most viral from that year, again showing herself cosplaying as Anne of Cleves. Over two months, the video received over 4.8 million likes.

By December 15th, O'Brien had amassed over 1 million followers on TikTok^[5] and over 374,000 followers on her Instagram^[6] account, @alana.28.

Controversies

Alleged Blackface Video

Ahead of October 31st, 2025, Alana O'Brien shared a video, which has since been deleted, of herself dressed as the Queen of Crows for Halloween. The video immediately received backlash, as many believed that O'Brien was in blackface, given her black face paint and red lipstick.^[10]

The since-deleted video was stitched by TikToker^[11] @darkemperordavid on October 31st, who expressed criticism of O'Brien. Over two months, the stitch received over 1,900 likes.

Meta AI Collab

On November 7th, 2025, the Facebook^[7] account of Meta AI shared a post featuring Alana O'Brien, which advertised the Meta AI app, showing it turning O'Brien into a Renaissance painting. In a month, the post received over 4,400 reactions on Facebook.

The advertisement was also posted on Instagram by Meta AI as a collaboration post with O'Brien's account, @alana.28. The post has since been deleted, but screen recordings shared on TikTok^[8] and Instagram^[9] show its existence.

The collaboration received backlash online, much of it levied by anti-AI art artists. For instance, on November 9th, TikToker^[8] @ranuncoolus shared a video in which she stated, "As an artist who drew her, I feel so disrespected." Over one month, the video received over 154,100 likes.

White Nationalism, Racism, Xenophobia And Zionism Allegations

Sometime on or before November 14th, 2025, per screenshots shared on that day in the /r/Tudorhistory^[18] subreddit, a currently unknown Instagram user shared a four-part story, compiling screenshots that allegedly showed Alana.28 liking posts and comments that promoted problematic beliefs like white nationalism, racism and xenophobia against immigrants of color and Palestinian refugees.

Among the screenshots, there was a comment on one of Alana.28's posts that said, "White girls will always be better looking," which was allegedly liked by Alana.28.

Another showed alleged direct messages (DMs) sent between Alana.28 and an Instagram user, concerning Alana.28's alleged views on the 2023-2025 Hamas-Israel Conflict and illegal immigrants.

The accusations levied in the screenshots are currently unconfirmed. However, they've spread en masse in viral posts on X^[14] in late 2025.

Alana.28's Response

On November 20th, 2025, Alana O'Brien shared a photo slideshow on Instagram^[12] in which she addressed some of her controversies, including the blackface video and the Meta AI collab. She also addressed accusations that she was a Zionist and a white supremacist. Over one month, the post received over 12,300 likes.

Online Presence

On December 11th, 2025, X^[13] user @Hoang_HQ reposted one of Alana O'Brien's videos, captioning it, "I've never seen a face this Renaissance until now." Over four days, the post received over 91.4 million views and 51,000 likes.

On December 12th, X^[14] user @93nih quote-tweeted the abovementioned post, writing, "She's a terrible person BTW," and attached the four Instagram Story screenshots related to Alana.28's allegations. Over three days, the post gained over 24,000 likes.

That same day, X^[15] user @Vessyteena also quote-tweeted the post, writing, "'A face this Renaissance' and she looks inbred 😭," gaining over 256,000 likes in three days.

Also on December 12th, 2025, X^[16] user @basedandbougie tweeted one of Alana O'Brien's videos, writing, "The internet has given people way too much confidence to be nasty. This woman is strikingly beautiful and looks like she came straight out of a Renaissance painting. Not everyone wants to look like a botched filler face Kardashian." Over three days, the post received over 48,000 likes.

Later on December 12th, 2025, X^[17] user @44girlsss quote-tweeted the abovementioned post and wrote that "looksmaxxers" were "lowkey right," further noting that people began attacking Alana.28's appearance only after her white nationalist allegations and controversies. Over three days, the post received over 33,000 likes.

Search Interest

External References