When you think of get ready with me videos, some people may think of influencers like James Charles or Mikayla Nogueira. But there is one that stands out, Alix Earle, who has grown a following from her iconic get ready with me videos, college story times, relationship updates, and chaotic nights out on TikTok. Viewers love watching because her videos feel like being on facetime with a friend.
Well, that friend is now taking over Netflix.
Earle Meets World officially premiered on Netflix on Sept. 4, bringing Alix Earle’s life from our TikTok For You pages onto our television. The eight-episode series centers on Alix, her sister Ashtin, their friends and their blended family, providing viewers with a much more in-depth look at the moments which don’t usually appear on social media.
Alix Earle gained a reputation for the straightforward and honest way in which she used social media. Rather than following the excessively polished kind of content that had previously filled our feeds, she established her audience by posting things such as her struggles with acne, the process of getting ready for a night out, and her experiences with relationships and life after college.
It is this honesty that causes Earle Meets World to seem like the natural next step in her career. Followers have already been able to see various aspects of her life, but reality television provides viewers with a completely different view. Rather than showing only a few minutes of carefully chosen material, the show depicts the people surrounding her and the situations that take place behind the scenes. Netflix presents the series as a genuine insight into her life and family, highlighting the fun, messy, emotional, and chaotic aspects which do not always show up online.
Even though Alix might be the reason why many viewers first start watching the show, Earle Meets World soon turns into a show about her whole life. Ashtin, her long-time best friend Sally and the rest of the Earle family all have a significant role in the series, as it examines the blended family relationships and the difficulties that result from having so much of one’s life in the public eye.
The viewers also get the opportunity to watch Alix cope with major changes in both her personal and professional life, with the show covering her breakup with NFL player Braxton Berrios, the drama involving her previous professional relationship with Alex Cooper, and the pressure that results from being one of the most influential people of our generation.
Alix Earle is by no means the first influencer to move from social media to television, and she certainly won’t be the last. For many years reality television stars have used Instagram and TikTok to establish their personal brands outside of television, but it now appears that the situation has reversed. Instead, influencers are taking the online audiences that they have already built straight to streaming platforms. And it makes sense; influencers have long been able to achieve something reality television craves, giving the audience the feeling that they have a personal connection with the people on the screen. Millions of people have seen Alix getting ready in her bathroom, discussing her relationships, moving homes, travelling with her friends, and sharing various aspects of herself.
When Earle Meets World first aired, many viewers had already come to know her. The point is that at present we are able to see the parts of the story which don’t lend themselves to being posted on TikTok. Earle Meets World raises an interesting question concerning the future of entertainment of whether influencers are going to become the next generation of reality TV stars. In the old days, reality television gave audiences the opportunity to meet entirely new personalities. Nowadays, however, streaming platforms can select creators who already have millions of devoted followers eager to watch them. When Alix entered the world of reality television, she already had a built-in audience, a well-known personal brand, and several years of experience in sharing her life online; nevertheless, the series shows that there is still a difference between watching someone on TikTok and watching their life take place on television.
Although social media has probably first brought us into contact with Alix Earle, the show at Earle Meets World allows viewers to get a broader view. If you’re already a fan of Alix Earle or merely interested in the way influencers move into reality television, there’s one thing that’s obvious—that’s likely not the final time we’ll see a creator swap their ring light for a reality TV camera. If Earle Meets World is a sign of things to come, our For You Pages could soon be turning into the new kind of casting call for reality television.