Every product she touches turns to gold: investigating the Alix Earle effect
And the ghosts of TikTokers past just like her.
There’s one name on everyone’s lips these days, and it’s Alix Earle.
Unless you live under a rock (or simply aren’t addicted to TikTok like myself), Alix Earle has consumed your “For You Page” for the last few months. Whether it’s a get-ready-with-me style video, her and her friends dancing before a tailgate, or other users stitching her videos to explain why they love her so much, it’s nearly impossible to use the app and not know who she is.
Before gaining 2 million followers in the span of two months, she was just a student at the University of Miami who became a social media superstar, attending events like Drake’s birthday party back in October to most recently Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Beauty party in LA. (and being styled by her stylist). What started out as a mere Amazon Storefront has turned into the holy grail of products that thousands of girls around the country are buying—only because Alix says so.
Her breakup with baseball player Tyler Wade because he wouldn’t post her on Instagram was even mentioned on ESPN, proving her social magnitude has reached higher heights than just the TikTok girlies.
The power she holds in her hands (and gained so rapidly) has left a lot of people questioning why? Why is it that the internet has fallen in love with Alix Earle so hard?
The fact of the matter is that the Alix Earle phenomenon isn’t new to us. This isn’t the first time that the internet has become completely entranced by someone, giving them hundreds of thousands (and even millions) of followers overnight.
Join me in A Christmas Carol-style haunting of the ghosts of TikTok-it-girl’s past.
1. Kylan Darnell (Alabama Rush phenomenon)
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I would be absolutely remiss if I didn’t mention sweet Kylan Darnell. After going viral with her daily rush OOTD videos at the University of Alabama, Kylan was invited to New York Fashion Week, threw the first pitch at the Cincinnati Reds game, and got brand deals from places like Fashion Nova and Kendra Scott.
Her fame unfortunately fizzled into the TikTok abyss shortly after rush concluded, her affinity for tacky luxury goods and no longer being in the process of picking a sorority not helping her case. Alas, I will always remember waiting anxiously on Instagram live to see what house she picked back in August, along with the rest of the world (or so it felt).
As the girl that paved the way for them all, Charli D’Amelio ruled the scene for nearly all of Covid quarantine, emerging as one of the brightest stars in the social media sky. From clothing lines to Dancing With The Stars championships, to a Hulu reality show, now being Kardashian adjacent and the face of Prada, Charli was really the first person to prove that investing in influencers who use TikTok is a power move.
Charli is almost too big to even deem a “TikTok” influencer now. Nothing about her life is relatable, and she’s completely closed off her life from the type of content that gives us any sort of glimpse into who she really is. Perhaps this is the price of unimaginable influencer fame—one day you’re drinking Dunkin’ Donuts in southern Connecticut, the next, you’re dating Landon Barker, have a mirrorball trophy, a fragrance, a Hulu show—and over 100 million followers.
3. Baby Ariel (AKA Ariel Martin)
I had first heard of Baby Ariel back in high school when Musical.ly was what reigned supreme. She also had a Sims 4 collaboration (which, to me, is the highest level of success imaginable), where you could play, befriend, and eventually rise to fame alongside Baby Ariel’s Sim.
She went on to sign Disney and Nickelodeon deals, which could be considered a kiss of death for any sort of influencing career. Now, I’m not even sure she would be considered an influencer, merely just someone who once captured the attention of millions, only for a blip on the radar.
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I was first introduced to Victoria Paris back when she lived in the apartment above, putting on insane, controversial outfit combinations to run errands in New York City. Love her or hate her, she caused a lot of discourse online with her abrasive personality, cocky attitude, and green cabinets…?
While living in New York, Victoria worked with brands like Urban Outfitters and LoveShackFancy, was featured in publications like People and Business Insider, and even went to New York Fashion Week one season. Now, after uprooting her life and getting out of the city, Victoria has moved to L.A. and is living her authentic life, still online, but seemingly much happier.
While some of these have a bigger influence than others, this begs the question—will Alix rise to Charli-adjacent stardom? Or will she slap on some Mickey ears alongside Baby Ariel?
My prediction is that she probably will join the Addison’s and and Charli’s of the world, gaining brand deal after brand deal faster than we can even follow a Dyson Airwrap tutorial from Alix. But, who truly knows? The concept of rallying behind someone and deeming them worth of such power and influence is so interesting to me, it keeps me awake at night.
What’s even scarier is how fast it can all just…go away.
Send this to a friend who doesn’t know who Alix Earle is!