Charli D’Amelio can count herself among the few people who have become famous by accident. Charli has stumbled onto internet fame by simply sharing videos of herself dancing on social media. Anyone past 25 years of age will most likely not know who Charli is because she has found fame through the relatively new TikTok app.
On the other hand, Charli is as famous as anyone can get among members of Generation Z. This piece will detail the 15-year-old’s rise to internet fame and how she plans to use fame to achieve her life’s goal.
Charli doesn’t understand how she achieved internet fame
Charli herself can’t understand how she has gained followers so quickly. A few months ago, Charli made a video saying thank you for having 100,000 followers. She currently has 53 million followers on TikTok, and that number is growing rapidly. Her TikTok bio reads; “don’t worry I don’t get the hype either.”
All Charli does is post dance and lip sync videos, and the followers keep piling up. Charli told NBC News that she doesn’t get how she has so many followers, and yet she does things that most TikTok subscribers do. She said;
“It’s kind of crazy to think about it. I never thought that this would happen. Like, everyone thinks, ‘Oh, that’s so cool,’ but when it’s actually happening – it’s crazy to think about, ‘Why do people want to follow me? What am I doing different than everyone?’ It’s just crazy.”
Charli guesses that the TikTok algorithm favors her in some way that she can’t explain. Charli is also famous on other social media platforms as well. She has 2.9 million followers on Instagram and 96K followers on Twitter. She also recently started a YouTube channel which currently has 505K followers.
Charli has experienced hate because of her success
Most people are happy for Charli for achieving her internet success, but other people suggest that she is a fraud. Charli has been targeted by online frauds, and she admits that some comments hurt. Charli told NBC News;
“I’m trying to show people that I’m a person, and I deal with the same thing as you guys, and I’m trying to make the best of it. I think I’m working on being a lot more positive in my everyday life because I realize comments and things can hurt.”
Charli’s initially responded to the hate, but she later decided to focus on the positive comments rather than the negative ones. The hate isn’t limited to internet trolls, with some of Charli’s schoolmates jealous of her overnight success.
Charli told MEL Magazine of an instance where she was recorded going to class by one of her schoolmates. The recording was then distributed via Snapchat, and she became the topic of discussion in group chats. Charli knows that the haters won’t stop, but she isn’t going to let the hate affect her. She told MEL Magazine;
“I get self-conscious and I get insecure, as everybody else does, but I try not to show that. It’s going to make them feel like they won, and I’m not going to let them feel like that.”
Charli and her family are trying to adapt to life as celebrities
Charli is doing what she loves on TikTok, but she also admits that it will take some time to get used to the attention. She told MEL Magazine;
“It’s very weird, especially like when it’s from older people. Both girls and guys commenting on a 15-year-old’s appearance and her body shape and how she looks.”
Charli’s celebrity status has spread to members of her family, and they are now TikTok celebrities. Charli’s dad, Marc D’Amelio, stated that fame has largely been positive, but the family is still adapting to constantly being in the limelight. He told NBC News;
“Overall it’s been positive. Even the boys, it’s been funny, they’ll approach me and say, ‘May I marry your daughter?’ Every once in a while you’ll get someone who crosses the line, and I’ve gone back and checked them and it’s worked out fine. It’s all new to us but we’re figuring it out as we go and it so far is working.”
Charli’s parents are taking a back seat when it comes to Charli and her internet fame. They understand that Charli and her sister Dixie need to build their brand without interference.
Charli donated the money from her first meet-and-greet to charity
Charli and her family organized Charli’s first meet-and-greet, and they charged $100 for every photo or TikTok with Charli. The family agreed upon this fee based on other meet-and-greets they’d researched. Charli received a lot of criticism for charging this fee, mostly because people didn’t know that the money was to be donated to charity.
Charli’s mother, Heidi, admits that they should have advertised the event in a manner that showed people where the money was going. She told MEL Magazine;
“You know, I can’t say that thought might not have run through my head if that were someone else. We probably should have worded it differently.”
Charli’s dream is to be a dancer like Jennifer Lopez
Charli has been dancing since the age of three, and she dreams of becoming a dancer like Jennifer Lopez. She has a natural talent for it, and she has already danced on-stage in front of thousands of people.
Charli’s moment on stage came when Bebe Rexha invited Charli to dance with her during one of her performances at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Charli enjoyed the experience, and she is thankful for the internet for facilitating such an opportunity. She told NBC News;
“The ways I’ve noticed my life has changed was being able to do amazing things like that. Something I would never thought I could have done before is dancing in front of thousands of people. It changed how people view me in a negative and a positive way.”
Charli is still determined to pursue her new-found internet fame, and she plans to use the fame to facilitate her success as a dancer.
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