Morning Coffee with the Only Girl in NYC: Victoria Paris

It's Tuesday morning, and I'm hanging on to the week by a thread. The only thing holding me together is the fact that Victoria Paris (otherwise known as @victoriaparisf to her cult following of over half a million) is in my Zoom waiting room. We’ve already agreed on today's dress code (pajamas and caffeine of choice). Still, I jumped up last minute to brush my hair and throw it into a laid-back, effortless high pony (this was going to be a conversation with the coolest b*tch on the internet after all).

I am instantly greeted with the warmest good morning by the queen and cult leader Victoria herself, who jumps to show me her iced coffee and acai berry caffeine drink. This conversation is going exactly how I expected. At this moment, I realized that when it comes to Victoria, what you see is what you get. She's confident, collected, and, more notably, sans filter.

Her hobbies, you might ask? Vegan food reviews, hitting the gym, and casually holding athleisure brands hostage on social media. In less than four months, Victoria has proven that all it takes to make it big in the industry is an authentic voice, a genuine craving for intimate connection, and a willingness to have real conversations. What sets her apart from other influencers is the level of honesty, openness, and transparency that she provides on her platform, which has become one big group chat or private story. Her energy is magnetic, and her content is real.

How she got here is not a straight line. After ending a relationship, losing her job, and moving back to New York City mid pandemic, Victoria decided to start TikTok on a whim to drive traffic to her Depop store. After trying it out for some time, she realized that she had found her voice and passion and decided to ditch everything else and make videos for fun. A typical day for the emerging TikTok star now consists of posting 30-50 videos. Whether it’s a rant on sustainable fashion or an advice session on how to build a positive relationship with food, no topics are off-limits. As Victoria's platform continues to grow, her values remain intact. "I've always hated the word influencer, and I guess I never really understood that world. I had always been a lowkey person when it came to social media, and it all just seemed fake to me," she shares, "I still think it's fake, honestly. Most of these influencers don't reply to comments and are out of touch with how they're resonating, and don't understand their audiences. I think that's why it's so important to me to make people feel seen and make room for discussion and genuine connection."

Over 600,000 followers and a few comment bans later, Victoria has remained consistent with interacting with every individual on her page. She has also made an effort to take accountability for her actions and has vowed to always be transparent and honest about what it's like to be an influencer, even if it pisses off a couple of bikini brands here and there (shoutout 437 Bikinis, we love you in this house). "Some people get a lot of followers, and all of a sudden nobody can touch them or talk to them and put them in their place, and I think it's important to recognize that you can still be in the wrong," Victoria says, "you can still apologize and make mistakes and owning that from the start is important to me and also just trying my best to use my platform to be that person that someone can talk to. Why not try as hard as I can to keep up with replying to everyone and being that person for people?"

Melania Zilo: Replying to every comment means consuming a plethora of thoughts and opinions all at once. How have you managed to gain that confidence and push past the inevitable criticism?

Victoria Paris:  "Honestly, I thought it would be so much worse. There is no shame in my game, and I've never met a person in my life where I feel like we can't find a point of agreement. I reply to hate comments, and more often than not, we make up. People's opinions can change after an open discussion. I'm also not perfect, and I know I make mistakes. It's kind of like an analogy of tripping and falling on a busy sidewalk. I can get up, laugh it off, and move on from it. It's really not about confidence but more about the willingness to grow and learn. TikTok has really allowed me to become more confident through the good and bad. If you go back and watch my videos from a few months ago, it's crazy because I sound like a completely different person."

MZ: Do you think TikTok has changed your perspective on the world?

VP: "I think there is a lot more good to be done. I thought we were a lost cause, and I slowly realize that we're not. There are so many formative conversations to be had, and I believe that we can actually make a difference. Like the other day on Tiktok, we held Bandier hostage, and yeah, maybe it was an unusual circumstance, but to see people mobilizing around a cause proves that we can collectively make a difference. We do have the power to come together and do the right thing."

MZ: What's something people should be talking about more today?

VP: "Mental health, physical health, sexual health, the list goes on and on. I think the conversations happening on my page need to stop being so broad. It's important to explain to people exactly what I'm doing when it comes to things like eating sustainably or shopping ethically."

We see people on TikTok specifically having big conversations on complex subjects while using such jargonistic language that is impossible to break down. It begs the question. Are individuals really trying to have a conversation, or is this a lame attempt to seem intellectual and above others for 60 seconds? "I think people need to break down some of the abstract language to make information accessible to the public," Victoria shares. "This behavior is dangerous and stops people from articulating and advocating for their best interests. It reminds me of how politicians speak in a way that is literally unintelligible to the average person. They say stuff that sounds appealing to a lot of people, but their meanings and intentions actually work against them."

MZ: How has the industry been treating you lately?

VP: "So I know earlier in our conversation I was bashing on influencers and begging you not to go on a date with someone with more than 10K on Instagram, but I have to say that other influencers have been nothing but kind to me throughout this entire process. If there has been any beef, it's been because I have started it."

Victoria also explained the sort of symbiotic relationship that we see in this specific industry. She says, "It's interesting because there is no 'minimum wage' for influencing. There is no 'Glassdoor' to see how much you should be getting paid. There's no rubric. It's incredible to see influencers in the industry connecting and helping each other out because guess what? If someone accepts less pay than what they're worth, it brings all of us down. People don't really understand that it's culty as F*CK, but it seems like a lot of people are looking out for each other and constantly pushing each other's work." She recalls that when Emma Chamberlain first started following her, she truly lost her sh*t and began to question what all of the newfound fame meant. "You eventually come to realize that we are all human beings that recognize each other's worth and talent. It's awesome," Victoria says.

A woman-dominated field comes with its own set of struggles. "I've realized that a lot of women do not recognize their worth. TikTok has taught me that I can hold brands accountable and ask for what I deserve and still know my worth at the end of the day," Victoria says, exuding confidence with every syllable. She has the words "I'm just doing me, and you're welcome to come along for the ride" written all over her.

MZ: What needs to change in the industry?

VP: "More people need to apologize. If I make the wrong move by partnering with a brand that doesn't represent my values or my followers' values, and over half a million people see it, it's my job to take responsibility for that. If you fail, accept and acknowledge it, move on, and do better next time.

The influencer also spoke out on how hard it is to properly vet the brands she works with and how as a consumer, it can seem that you're driving yourself crazy trying to figure out if everything you buy was made ethically, "it really shouldn't be our job" she says. "Companies need to be more upfront when it comes to ethical production and operations."

We also discussed the nature of media culture and how since the beginning of technology and social media, there's been a heavy emphasis on consuming and not creating. Victoria's solution? "I think there needs to be a saturation of content so that there is no judgment or perception. The fact that there are troves of TikTok accounts with 0 content is the scariest thing to me, and I would really just love to see my followers creating more and putting themselves out there just for the fun of it."

We ended our conversation rambling about our random to-do lists for the day and the weird yet gratifying feeling of hustle culture.  Even though it can be chaotic and difficult to navigate at times, Victoria stressed the importance of trying everything and exploring all her options before graduating from The New School this semester.  She shares, “I was a personal trainer, I worked at a finance startup, I worked for a celebrity stylist, I was a nanny, I did all these random wack-ass jobs and even after all that I realized I still had no idea what I wanted to do or pursue.  I think it’s important to remind yourself that it’s ok to not have it all figured out.  It’s okay to change majors 7 times, work while you’re in school, pursue your passions on the side.  We’re still so young and truly have nothing to lose.”

Melania: Finally, what is it you want to be known for?

Victoria: "Doing more good than bad."

Strike Out,

Melania Zilo

Boca Raton