The influencer life has been glamorized for the past few years and is known to be easy to jump-start; all you need is your phone, content, and yourself. As simple of a foundation as an influencer’s life has, for the glamorized life to become a career is difficult.
The content to be likeable and have a following requires an “it” factor. Well, Monet McMichael and “Tube Girl,” aka Sabrina Bahsoon, are recent and amazing examples of how to turn your regular 9-5 or college life into a life of glamorous success.
According to Forbes, Monet McMichael is number 47 on the 2023 Forbes Top Creators list. The 23-year-old from New Jersey with an associate’s degree in the arts and sciences, who was on her way to a medical nursing path, took a risk to take her social media more seriously, and ever since then, her life has changed completely.
On Tiktok, she has 3.7 million followers; on YouTube, she has 385K followers and 1.1 followers on Instagram. Monet McMichael is killing the social media game because of her appeal to make her fans or followers feel like her ‘bestie,’ as Teen Vogue puts it.
Monet is not afraid to show her vulnerability and day-to-day life if that means getting closer to her fans. One of her videos, which is an example of sharing some of her personal life, is as simple as going through her wax journey. She would put up the camera and wax her armpits while talking about her day, what she was looking forward to, or even thoughts she had been thinking. This kind of content easily gets her 500K+ likes.
Monet expresses to Teen Vogue how she “has been a glam girl here as far as she can remember.” Her “glam girl” aesthetic shines through in her “get ready with me” videos, makeup tutorial or hack videos, and other content that has this one consistent trend: Monet being real, open, and honest with her audience. Her following growing exponentially on TikTok allowed her to catch the eyes of brands, securing deals for her to go on red carpets, campaign ads, and even Fashion Week in both New York and Paris.
This 180-degree turn in Monet’s career inspires so many around her to take the risk of picking up the camera and filming their authentic selves, not only in the hope of making it big as an influencer but also just to self-express and explore their journey of self-love.
Another example of people breaking the internet with trends that turn their lives from a regular college or 9-5 life to walking runways would be Sabrina Bahsoon, otherwise known as “Tube Girl.”
“Tube” is another way of referring to the London Underground, a rapid transit service serving the people of London and a few other parts of England. Sabrina Bahsoon is a 22-year-old woman who graduated from the Law School of Durham University. Glamour UK, who interviewed Sabrina, recorded that one day, she was just taking the Tube and felt the wind between one of the train’s vents as she simultaneously listened to a Nicki Minaj song.
Sabrina states that it felt like she was in a music video, so she decided to pick up the camera and film at 0.5 with sharp, quick movements up, down, side to side, and lip-syncing the lyrics to give that music video effect. From that one video, a few weeks later, the hashtag “Tube girl” has about a billion views.
Since then, the Tube Girl movement has everyone doing what Sabrina was doing anywhere. She started the trend for people to be unapologetically confident in who they are wherever they are. Her attraction led to runway opportunities like the Boss Show in Milan, where she walked alongside top-notch models and allegedly had a conversation with none other than Naomi Campbell to calm down her nerves, according to British Vogue. She also collaborates with artists on the Tube, like Troye Sivan, Omar Apollo, and Bella Poarch.
These two women are living proof that all it takes is just one idea and one video to change life for the better, to make success, and to put your name out there. What would you post to try to become the next “It-Girl”? @HerCampusSJSU!