The Endless Cycle of TikTok’s It Girl

Image Courtesy: Strike Magazine Tallahassee

We are met with the newest face of social media every couple of months. It is the most predictable cycle that exists in modern-day social media: discovery, obsession, boredom, and resentment. It’s almost funny how oblivious most of us are to this cycle, even though we are participating in the rise and fall of TikTok influencers. With our latest sensation, it is terrifying to predict Alix Earle's future as she stands at the threshold of becoming obsolete.

Image Courtesy: Aaron Davidson - NBC

Alix Earle, the most renowned “it girl” of 2023, has every living being in a blonde extension choke hold. She has risen to fame through the Youtube-esque lens of “get ready with me” makeup tutorial videos. But what supposedly sets Alix apart from other known influencers is her transparency with followers. She has publicly shared her struggles with acne and Accutane, experiences with breast implants, and messy hangover mornings. Fans have found this openness on the TikTok platform a breath of fresh air. The circumstances are reminiscent of MyLifeAsEva’s “Literally My Life” lyrics; the perfectly imperfect life of a 20-something-year-old just being herself. It’s as though every other “it girl” influencer is a replica of this exact persona.

Image Courtesy: @LifeAsEva on Twitter

Let's rewind to 2020 when Sienna Mae danced in low-waisted sweatpants and displayed her post-dinner body to her 7 million followers. In the name of body positivity, Sienna became an overnight sensation at the height of the pandemic. She was a beacon of hope for young girls who struggled with body image, an almost identical image to Alix Earle’s stardom. Gaining over 13 million followers in less than three months, she was the “it girl” of social media. Then her videos appeared less and less on TikTok’s “For You” page, and we slowly started to forget Sienna Mae, until resentment hit the world hard after a sexual assault allegation by a close friend. It was the perfect scapegoat to find the new Sienna. The cycle was complete and social media was ready for its next obsession.

Charli D’Amelio, Tana Mongeau, Victoria Paris, Addison Rae, Loren Gray, Bethany Mota. You know these names all too well but probably wonder from time to time, “Where are they now?” We, as media consumers, are always searching for someone to put our time and energy into, but once we are satisfied with them, we toss them into an old storage cabinet marked “TikTok history.”

Image Courtesy: Flaunt Magazine

Most recent TikTok posts already display and expose Alix Earle’s $70,000 brand deals. While she spends her time on private jets and boat parties, her followers become cynical. We put these “it girls” on a pedestal by feeding them views, likes, attention, and admiration. But when we feel they don't deserve what we created, we take it away through what’s most widely known as cancel culture. As Alix Earle’s hype begins to fade and more grow to resent her wealth and fame, she will, unfortunately, become just like the others—forgotten with time.

The endless cycle of TikTok’s “it girl” is inevitable in nature, and as a media-obsessed culture, we will always be searching for the next “it girl” to consume our lives.

Strike Out,

Writer: Sophia Yunaev

Editor: Noelle Knowlton

Graphic Designer: Sydney Baksa

Tallahassee