I always thought my dog Neil would be famous long before I was (he's my pride and joy, hence my username, @NeilsMom). But after harnessing my 2020 quarantine boredom into TikTok videos about my houseplants, my thoughts on the cultural discourse du jour, and most virally my movie reviews, I quickly found myself with tens of thousands of followers. The number now sits just over 127,000.
My content has been described (by a reliable source, my twin brother's best friend) as "extremely niche, borderline arcane, and completely unapologetic." They're right that I'm confident in my opinions (here's one: the new Dune is so boring, I had to go to the bathroom during it just to have something to do). And as a film critic by trade, I have the institutional prestige to back them up. I'm guessing it's this odd concoction of professional clout and accessible megaphone that's catapulted me into the internet's new fame frontier: microcelebrity.
I want to underscore the "micro" here, because my follower count pales in comparison to the hundreds of millions who follow TikTok's most popular people. Although 127,000 is about 11,000 more than the entire population of my hometown of Clearwater, Florida. I mean, I'm hardly a household name, but if someone mentions "that lesbian film critic on TikTok," there's a good chance they're talking about me.
Recently, a company asked me to make sponsored content for HBO Max. Some guy over at Cameo keeps trying to get me to sell personalized videos of myself. I haven't taken either offer, but still I have influence. And that's kind of great. A couple of times a month, I get to feel like I'm the king of my phone screen. I recently cleaned my apartment, and a few thousand people affirmed that labor with a Like.
This story is from the Issue 04, 2022 edition of Cosmopolitan US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 04, 2022 edition of Cosmopolitan US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
DREAM-SCROLLING FOR DINNER
With young people in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis, TikTok creators are turning grocery runs into rich-girl-coded productions - and followers are eating it up. Krista Diamond digs into what happens when a cart full of staple goods becomes a clout metric.
Young Love in Atlanta
WE TOOK OUR COUPLE SPOTTING SERIES DOWN SOUTH.
THE NEW C-SUITE 2024
Progress. It’s a word that, in 2024, gets thrown around a lot. Especially when it comes to representation across all sorts of roles at all sorts of companies, including, crucially, at start-ups. Yet...people of color—and specifically women of color—still don’t often get the chance to even enter the conversation. Over the past few years, less than 1 percent of venture capital funding in this country has gone toward women of color entrepreneurs. (Making matters worse, funds that are geared toward supporting these women have become targets of anti-affirmative-action groups, forcing at least one to shut down entirely.)
Revenge Dressing
Model and content creator Olivia Ponton is giving you permission to bring everyone who's ever wronged you to their knees with these simple yet very effective styles.
HOTTER Than DRAGON FIRE
It’s very likely that no matter where you are right now, there’s a copy of Fourth Wing nearby. Probably one of Iron Flame too. Both books, by romantasy queen Rebecca Yarros, topped every bestseller list—and absolutely ignited BookTok, spawning a rabid fandom that cannot get enough of badass heroine Violet Sorrengail and her relationship with fellow dragon-rider Xaden Riorson. Honestly, what’s not to love? There’s extreme adventure. Absurdly high stakes. Wildly hot sex. And the promise of a lot more, starting right here, with this exclusive first excerpt of the series’ third book, Onyx Storm. Friends, get your daggers ready. (IYKYK. If you don’t, prepare to get obsessed.)
RACHEL ZEGLER
She won a Golden Globe for her first major film role, in West Side Story. She took on a beloved franchise and made the newest Hunger Games a hit. She became a bona fide Disney princess with 2025's Snow White. And now the 23-year-old is checking a new career milestone off her bucket list: Broadway. Here, she chats with her Romeo + Juliet collaborator Jack Antonoff about it all.
Your Holiday Brunch Requires a Panful of These Treats
A gooey, coconutty gift to you and yours from Tik Tok-viral chef Tuệ Nguyễn.
We Need to Talk About ADHD in Young Women
We've been excluded from this conversation for a long time...and we're suffering because of it.
Go Ahead - Plan a Trip Around the Northern Lights
Because we're in the midst of a solar maximum (yup, we had to google it too) that's expected to end soon and this is the most intense and most accessible the aurora borealis will be for years. These stunning under-the-radar spots will grant you the best, least crowded views.
I Got My Tubes Removed and It Was the Most Liberating Experience
With reproductive health care ever at risk in this country, could this be the future of birth control?
