Is Amanda Bynes Mentally Ill? Her Disturbing Week in New York
The last 24 hours of Amanda Bynes' life, if the tabloids are to be believed, have been... troubling. Yesterday, In Touch reported that she believes there is a microchip in her head (Bynes denies having said this). Elsewhere things have not been any less bizarre.
She accidentally stole clothes twice
Twice yesterday Bynes left clothing stores in New York without paying for items, though it would be inaccurate to say that she was stealing.
Yesterday afternoon at Barneys she walked out of the store wearing a $200 hat, which triggered a call to the NYPD. According to Bynes, she planned on buying the hat but left her wallet with her driver. She says that she then walked outside to find her driver, and also became flustered when she says someone attempted to take photos of her.
Earlier in the day she attempted to exit a Manhattan boutique called Pookie & Sebastian carrying a shirt. When confronted by store employees she is alleged to have asked "Do I really have to buy this?" at which point she paid for the shirt using a credit card.
Here is how TMZ says witnesses described her behavior:
We're told they didn't recognize it was Amanda, and just thought she was a "half-naked, homeless crackhead."
Customers tell us Bynes was dancing and muttering about plastic surgery — but eventually she tried to bolt with a shirt stuffed between her arms.
She apparently undressed on the street
Before the Barneys incident, Bynes was spotted by paparazzi fidgeting with herself on the street. Eventually she appeared to remove her bra while standing on the sidewalk. This one seems perfectly reasonable, actually—maybe the bra was uncomfortable.
The Daily Mail reports that it wasn't the only trouble she was having with her (own) clothes that day:
Inside [Barneys], Bynes looked at jewelry by herself, while adjusting the neck of her shirt repeatedly and protecting her eyes from the harsh glare of retail store lighting
She allegedly clawed someone
On Monday night Bynes allegedly clawed a "fan" at Gilded Lily in Chelsea. Per TMZ:
We're told she was dancing alone, wearing sunglasses and keeping to herself ... until random people started taking photos.
At first, Amanda was just yelling at the fans ... but we're told she finally snapped on one woman who claims Bynes spun toward her violently, scratching her neck and arms.
She reportedly stumbled around Bloomingdales
In that same story, TMZ reported that Bynes spent hours inside a Bloomingdales on Tuesday doing... this:
Several Bloomingdale's shoppers tell us Amanda was limping around the department store for hours with just one shoe while mumbling incoherently.
She followed Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton on Twitter
Prior to resurfacing in New York this week, Bynes had more or less disappeared from social media for most of 2014. But she has been active on Twitter again, tweeting about the press and altering her follow list. It is now down to 11 from 13—sorry, Mac Miller—but her most recent follows are the most interesting: Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton.
Both, of course, are famous for having been hounded by the paparazzi for years. Lohan—whose own personal troubles have been cataloged extensively—seems like an especially poignant follow.
She is favoriting tweets by Sam Lufti
Prior to last week, Bynes hadn't favorited a single tweet since April 3. But since Sept. 30 she's starred three tweets by Sam Lufti. You may (or may not) remember Britney Spears' "manager" during her darkest public period. He was eventually accused—in a motion for a restraining order—by Spears' parents of drugging her. It was not the first time that Lufti had restraining order papers filed against him.
It seems as if Lufti has a habit of worming his way into the lives of troubled female celebrities: In July of 2013, it was reported that Lufti purchased Bynes a plane ticket back to Los Angeles after she threw a bong out of a hotel window.
Here are the three Lufti tweets Bynes has favorited:
Mental illness is nothing to poke fun at
— Sam Lutfi (@SamLutfi) September 30, 2014
@amandabynes amen!
— Sam Lutfi (@SamLutfi) October 7, 2014
@PerezHilton @bratz94_ @amandabynes why do u feel the need to discuss that publicly? Always about quenching your narcissistic thirst Mario
— Sam Lutfi (@SamLutfi) October 9, 2014
She says she's going to be on the cover of People
I am getting married and my boyfriend and I are going to be on the cover People magazine .
— amanda bynes (@amandabynes) October 9, 2014
I'm sure they'd be happy to have her.