Its Official: Alix Earle Certified as the Internets It Girl
Difficult as it is to determine what’s popular among U.S. adolescents, the annual “Taking Stock With Teens” survey from investment bank Piper Sandler is about as authoritative as it gets, gauging favorite brands of everything from orthodontics to footwear among thousands of high schoolers for the past 22 years.
So when the survey ranked Gen Z social media personalities last week, imagine the collective surprise when the name atop the list — above the likes of Mr. Beast and Taylor Swift — was someone not even in the top 10 last fall: Alix Earle.
So how did the internet get a new It girl suddenly out of nowhere?
The 22-year-old University of Miami grad began posting on TikTok in 2020, not coining but transcending “Get ready with me”-style videos that take viewers through the steps of her many makeup routines while chatting about her everyday life like she’s catching up with a friend on a video call. She achieved virality in 2022 after opening up about her struggles with cystic acne.
Earle’s massive combined audience of over 8.9 million followers across TikTok and Instagram translated to a berth on “Call Her Daddy” podcast mogul Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network with the launch last month of “Hot Mess With Alix Earle.”
Sharing her personal life from the comfort of her bed with a cult-like fan base proved popular enough to briefly overthrow “The Joe Rogan Experience” from the top spot on Spotify’s podcast charts after a two-year stretch.
Born in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Earle comes from an affluent family. Her father, Thomas “T.J.” Earle, was caught up in a tabloid controversy after he had an affair with Ashley Dupré, the woman entangled in former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s infamous sex scandal.
She has been open about her father’s affair across various social platforms, which is why followers are enthralled — they feel like they’re best friends with her. The parasocial relationship Earle has built with fans has sparked a new wave of social media fame creators can learn from.
And while she may have topped Swift in Piper Sandler’s ranking, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t learned a few of the pop star’s tricks: Just like Swift’s headline-generating romance with NFL star Travis Kelce, Earle has a click-friendly relationship going with Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios. Every little bit helps when you’re an influencer.
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV%2BrtrF7wKWgsWWVlr%2BtsYytpqllpJ64tbvKZqCnnpyqsq%2BvxKtksKGeqHq4tdOhZK2dlaPAbn2RbGxwbmBrfnp7