Unless you live under a rock, you most likely know who the D’Amelio family is. What started off as a fun TikTok video turned Charli D’Amelio’s world upside down. While I have never been a fan of Charli or her sister, Dixie, their new show on Hulu, The D’Amelio Show may have changed my perspective on them.
I must say, neither Charli nor Dixie have ever came up on my For You Page before, but I am guilty of doing a little social media creep on them every now and again. While conducting my creep sessions, the comments are usually the place I end up. I mean, sometimes they’re more entertaining than the videos. Although, there are a lot of comments I see that can be a bit too harsh, that’s what you get for putting yourself in the spotlight, right? Maybe not.
If you haven’t seen The D’Amelio Show, it essentially follows the family around and gives everyone a look into what their life is like behind the TikTok camera. The girls discuss mental health issues, thoughts of suicide and therapy sessions. There were moments where I found myself really relating to the D’Amelio girls. Charli often spoke about her extreme social anxiety and the feeling of not ever wanting to leave the house. She also mentions that she’s had a lot of trouble finding real friends she can trust, especially now that she’s living in L.A. Being in the spotlight exemplifies these feelings by thousands. I have always been an anxious person myself in social situations or even when thinking about social situations, so I couldn’t even begin to imagine the struggles of social anxiety while constantly being in the spotlight. On TikTok, she seems bubbly and like she’s always having fun with friends, but it is often quite the opposite. It takes Charli a lot of courage to hang out with friends, attend work events and even just go out shopping or for dinner with her family. Social media is not always what it seems.
A problem both Dixie and Charli struggle with is, to no surprise, all the hate comments and expectations of them. If they do one thing they get hate, but if they do the other they still get hate. Being in the spotlight is like always being in a lose-lose situation. You have fans who expect so much of you, and then you have haters who despise everything you do. It is tiring to try and please everyone and constantly be worried about if you’re doing enough or too much. What about worrying about if you’re doing what is best for… you? Sometimes, this is not really an option the D’Amelio girls get.
Another surprise to me while watching was that all the awards the girls receive or get nominated for, they don’t necessarily want, but for good reason. They are very self aware, even at 16 years old. For instance, Charli did not want to make a thank you video after being listed in Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 list for 2020. Others on the list included researchers and healthcare workers helping the fight against the Covid-19 virus: those working on vaccines, keeping others safe and healthy, etc. She felt that she didn’t deserve to be on the list because all she does is dance on the internet. No one wants to say she isn’t deserving, but when you put her next to doctors working on vaccines, it makes her appear that she feels she is on the same level as them, and I’m sure many thought that once they saw the list.
I think the toughest part the girls endure is that they don’t get to be kids. Charli rose to fame at only 15 years old. Since then, all she really does is work. If she’s not working on staying up to date on the latest TikTok dance moves, she’s designing a new clothing line, going to endless interviews and meetings, going to photoshoots and never has time to relax or do what she enjoys.
Pre-fame, Charli was a competitive dancer, but now she never gets to pursue her passion. Throughout the show, she constantly expressed that all she wanted to do was get back into dance and go to competitions, but that just doesn’t quite fit into her schedule anymore. I think most of us can relate to losing a passion or hobby of ours due to the overwhelming schedule of getting older. Unfortunately for Charli, getting older came at such a young age.
Thankfully, Dixie and Charli have a great support system through their parents. No matter what, Heidi and Marc have their girls’ backs. One common theme of the show that shined through was family over everything. Whether Charli was crying on her bed or Dixie had a live recording, their family was there with all the love and support. When Charli didn’t want to make a video for Fortunes 40 under 40, her parents understood and backed her up.
Despite all the downfalls the girls experience, they still expressed how grateful they are and understand how not many others get to experience a life like theirs. Would they quit social media, pack their bags and move back to Connecticut? I’m sure some days they wish they could. For now, though, it seems like they will continue to gain millions of followers, expand their award collections and keep dancing on the internet. Hopefully more people will watch their show and realize that these girls are just teenagers and have their own struggles and feelings just like everyone else, despite being famous.