The internet has given rise to a new breed of female influencers and content creators known as “internet chicks.” These young women are leveraging social media and other online platforms to make a name for themselves and build their personal brands. Who exactly internet chicks are, their impact on culture and society, how they make money, the challenges they face, and tips for becoming a successful internet chick yourself.
What are Internet Chicks?
Internet chicks are women who have gained popularity and influence through their active and engaging presence online, particularly on social media. Here are some key defining traits of internet chicks:
- Young women – Most internet chicks are young women in their teens, 20s, or early 30s. Their youthfulness allows them to deeply understand and shape the current internet and youth culture.
- Very online – Internet chick spend a significant amount of time creating content for and interacting with their audiences across various social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, etc.
- Influential – They have managed to build up dedicated fan bases numbering in the thousands or millions. Their fans closely follow their content and lifestyle.
- Multi-hyphenates – Many internet chick juggle multiple roles, including influencer, content creator, entrepreneur, model, activist, etc.
- Relatable personalities – Their casual, approachable, and fun personalities allow them to form genuine connections with their audience.
Some popular categories of internet chicks include:
- Beauty influencers
- Fashionistas
- Gamers and streamers
- Models and cosplayers
- Lifestyle vloggers
- Meme creators
- Artists and illustrators
| Name | Category | Platform | Followers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addison Rae | Lifestyle, dancing | TikTok, Instagram | 95M+, 9M+ |
| Pokimane | Gaming, streaming | Twitch, YouTube | 9M+, 7M+ |
| Yuya | Beauty, makeup | YouTube, Instagram | 27M+, 19M+ |
| Jenna Marbles | Comedy vlogs | YouTube | 21M+ |
| Neekolul | Memes, gaming | TikTok, Twitter | 15M+, 273K+ |
How Internet Chicks Are Shaping Online Culture
Beyond just attracting followers, internet chicks are having a major influence on mainstream online culture – from slang to fashion trends.
Driving Slang and Memes
Internet chicks often popularize new slang terms and memes amongst their young audiences, which then spread organically across the internet. For example, TikToker Loren Gray helped introduce terms like “chile,” “sis,” and “period” through her videos.
Pioneering New Platforms
Internet chicks are quick to adopt and experiment with emerging social media platforms in their infancy, helping fuel their rise to the mainstream. Several TikTok stars like Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae were among the first to find massive fame on the app.
Creating Fashion Trends
The styles, clothing, and aesthetics favored by internet chicks are eagerly mimicked by their legions of fans. Makeup trends like Euphoria-style rhinestone eyeliner (popularized by internet chicks like Norvina) have spread widely thanks to the internet chick effect.
Forming Communities
Internet chicks organically foster engaged online communities around themselves by regularly interacting with and acknowledging their supporters. Fans feel invested in and empowered by these digital sisterhoods.
Advocating Causes
Leveraging their influential reach, many internet chicks promote social justice issues like Black Lives Matter and mental health awareness. Their outspoken, compassionate stances inspire followers.
In summary, internet chicks have their finger firmly on the pulse of online pop culture. From memes to fashion, they launch viral crazes that seep into the lives of millions of netizens.
How Internet Chicks Are Redefining Beauty Standards
Rather than conform to the rigid beauty ideals of mainstream media, internet chicks are revolutionizing and diversifying beauty standards using their influential online presence.
Celebrating Diverse Appearances
Internet chicks embrace unique and unconventional looks that stray from the cookie-cutter “pretty girl” mold. Their confidence empowers fans to love their quirks, too.
Normalizing Imperfections
By publicly displaying their real, un-retouched bodies, internet chicks are helping destigmatize features like acne, cellulite, and body hair on women. They emphasize that flaws are normal.
Promoting Body Positivity
Internet chicks with “non-ideal” body types boldly show off their curves, stretch marks, and rolls — promoting self-love over insecurity. The body positivity movement is thriving online, thanks to their leadership.
Enhancing Versus Hiding Features
Internet chicks teach their audiences makeup skills for creatively enhancing, not hiding, their face shapes and features. Makeup is about celebrating what makes you different.
Starting Beauty Trends
Challenging expectations, internet chicks aren’t afraid of experimenting with unique makeup and hair and nail looks. Avant basic trends they pioneer — like glass skin and holographic hair — go massively viral.
Overall, internet chick are making the online sphere a more inclusive and welcoming space for women who defy arbitrary, unrealistic beauty standards in all their diversity. With their boundary-breaking influence, they are slowly making alternate appearances more accepted in the real world as well.
| Trend | Description | Popularized By |
|---|---|---|
| Glass skin | Ultra dewy, glossy makeup look | Franggy, Ponysmakeup |
| Fox eyeliner | Dramatic winged eyeliner extending to temples | Avani Gregg, Bretman Rock |
| Euphoria makeup | Creative, rhinestone and graphic eye looks | Maddison Beer, Norvina |
| Holographic hair | Shiny hair with iridescent colors | Ashnikko, Sasha Ray |
How Internet Chicks Make Money and Become Entrepreneurs
Internet chicks have mastered the art of converting their online popularity into lucrative income sources. They make full-time careers out of content creation and influence.
Monetizing Content Directly
Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram enable creators to earn ad revenue from their content directly proportional to the views and engagement it generates. Top internet chicks easily earn anywhere from $100k to $2 million a year from their content and brand sponsorships.
Selling Merchandise
By selling custom apparel, accessories, and other merchandise to their dedicated fanbases, internet chicks generate million-dollar incomes. Addison Rae earned $3M last year just from her Item Beauty makeup line.
Affiliate Marketing
Internet chicks earn generous commissions promoting third-party brands and products through coupon codes and tracked links. Every swipe-up or discount code nets them a percentage of sales.
Brand Sponsorships
Leveraging their strong sway over followers’ purchases, internet chicks are highly sought after by brands for lucrative sponsorship deals, makeup collaborations, and ambassador roles.
Expanding into New Ventures
Capitalizing on their fame and following, many internet chicks are becoming beauty moguls, launching their own cosmetics lines, clothing brands, apps, and other business ventures.
Thanks to their monetization nous, internet chick are swimming in cash, disproving assumptions that online stardom is a short-lived fad. Their entrepreneurial success makes them inspirational role models for ambitious girls worldwide.
| Name | Estimated Annual Earnings | Income Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Addison Rae | $8M+ | Sponsorships, Merch, Item Beauty |
| Charli D’Amelio | $17.5M | TikTok, Sponsorships, Merch |
| Emma Chamberlain | $8M+ | YouTube, Merch |
| Huda Kattan | $510M | Huda Beauty cosmetics |
| Bretman Rock | $18M | YouTube, Merch, Makeup collabs |
Challenges and Controversies Facing Internet Chicks
However, life in the online spotlight comes with unique challenges and controversies that internet chicks constantly grapple with.
Maintaining Authenticity
Authenticity is crucial for internet chicks to maintain their credibility and connection with their audience. They have to strike a careful balance between commercial interests and staying true to themselves. Many internet chicks now preface sponsored content with disclaimers or turn down deals with brands they do not personally align with.
Handling Toxic Fans
Dealing with entitled, over-invested fans who cross boundaries and feel owed attention can be mentally draining for internet chicks. Setting clear limits and blocking abusive followers is key for their sanity.
Avoiding Scandals
Internet chicks constantly have to walk on eggshells to avoid the massive scandals and cancel culture mobs that have ended many prominent online careers. A single ignorant or offensive remark can ignite damaging backlash. Most now hire media training and PR crisis management.
Managing Privacy
Stalkers, hackers, and doxxers threaten internet chicks’ personal privacy and safety. They have to take careful measures to hide personally identifiable information and secure their accounts from breach attempts. Not oversharing is crucial.
While they enjoy enviable lifestyles, internet chick deal with unique scrutiny and pressures at every turn. Their resilience in facing controversies head-on while staying grounded is admirable.
Becoming an Internet Chick: Tips and Advice
For ambitious girls dreaming of making it big as an internet chick themselves, here are some top tips:
Find Your Niche
Build your brand around your genuine interests and talents, not just what is currently trendy. This could be makeup artistry, fashion blogging, comedy skits, dancing, singing, etc.
Post Consistently
Consistency is key to building a steady audience and breaking through the noise.
Engage with Your Audience
Reply to comments, ask questions, and acknowledge your supporters to foster a two-way relationship. This organic engagement is what sets internet chicks apart.
Optimize Your Online Presence
Have a unified, professional look and vibe across your channels. Use relevant keywords, hashtags, and tactics to stand out and get discovered.
Collaborate with Others
Strategic collaborations with other internet chicks are mutually beneficial, helping cross-promote each other to new audiences.
Diversify Your Revenue Streams
Don’t rely solely on platform payouts. Explore multiple income avenues like merch, affiliate marketing and brand sponsorships.
Invest in Yourself
As your business grows, re-invest a percentage of earnings into high-quality gear, production tools, courses, and other resources to level up.
Laying the groundwork requires dedication and smart strategy, but with authenticity and good business sense, any girl can rise to internet chick fame.
Future of Internet Chicks
Looking ahead, what does the future hold for internet chicks and online women influencers?
Moving Beyond Stereotypes
The internet chick label may fade as diverse female creators on the internet become more ubiquitous and multifaceted. Pigeonholing them under reductive stereotypes will be challenged.
Gaining More Control
Internet chicks will wield more ownership over their content, platforms, and revenue streams rather than being dependent on third parties like record labels or studios.
Conquering New Platforms
Early adoption will continue to be a competitive advantage as internet chicks leverage emerging apps to grow huge audiences from scratch before mainstream adoption.
Foraying into Web3
Internet chicks are primed to thrive in web3 spaces like NFTs and the metaverse, which reward creator ownership and monetization. Their digital native expertise gives them an edge.
Cementing Entrepreneur Status
We will see more internet chick expanding their personal brands into conglomerates spanning makeup empires, Web3 collectives, talent agencies, and venture capital funds.
Internet chicks will only increase in influence as entertainment and business opportunities converge online. These resilient visionaries are rewriting the rules for women creating and thriving on the internet. The internet chick revolution is only just getting started.
Conclusion
From bedroom hobbyists to multi-millionaire business moguls, internet chicks have taken the online world by storm. Their meteoric rise to fame and success makes them aspirational icons to young girls worldwide. By charting their own path to empowerment, internet chicks are transforming notions of womanhood and beauty while trailblazing new career possibilities in the digital age. However, their journeys are rife with unique challenges and controversies that require smart strategies to navigate. Overall, internet chick represent an encouraging, forward-thinking model of women leveraging technology for self-expression and liberation. Their expanding impact is worthy of attention as a cultural and economic phenomenon. The internet chick revolution has only just begun.
