TikTok Star Alix Earle Lives A Wildly Lavish Life
The Alix Earle Effect has taken the world by storm. The TikTok star staked her claim as one of social media's most powerful people by outranking stars like Mr. Beast and Taylor Swift in Piper Sandler's 2023 "Taking Stock with Teens" Influencers category. What makes this feat even more remarkable is that Earle did not even feature in 2022's top ten contenders. The up-and-coming social media star has rapidly climbed the ranks, amassing a TikTok following of over 9 million with nearly 650 million likes.
Earle mastered the art of creating a sense of familiarity with her "Get ready with me" (GRWM) vlogs while chatting about topics like her journey with acne and her decision to have plastic surgery. Instead of shying away, she spoke candidly about her breast augmentation surgery. She explained, "From the start, I decided I was going to be open with this, especially on social media ... If you're paying to get something done, wouldn't you want people to notice? Like, I paid all that money for a surgery, and no one noticed anything different about me — I'd be pissed."
Earle definitely has the bank account to splurge. Forbes estimates that the influencer is worth a solid $5 million. That's not too shabby for someone who graduated in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing. But Earle also gives back and showed heart when she provided scholarships for business students in June. Of course, her fortune also came in handy when she and her friends celebrated their academic achievements in style.
Alix Earle's flying high
When you're the internet's It Girl, like Alix Earle most definitely is, celebrating your business degree with a night out at a club, a special supper, or even a party would never suffice. No, Earle and her buddies rolled out an epic celebration after being capped and owned at the University of Miami in May. The "Hot Mess" podcast host and 10 of her friends decided that they would celebrate their academic achievement by touring Europe for three weeks. In a TikTok video where she packed for her vacay, she shared, "We're going to Ibiza, Positano, Santorini, Mykonos, and Athens." Do recently graduated college students who can afford a European vacation truly exist? Well, if they earn up to $70,000 per sponsored post, they certainly do.
Earle has had multiple overseas vacations since her May trip. Not only did the social media star attend Miu Miu's Spring 2024 show in Paris in October, but she also jetted off to Germany to watch her boyfriend, Maimi Dolphin's wide receiver Braxton Berrios, play against the Kansas City Chiefs. In a GRWM video, she told her followers that she had never been to Germany. She added, "But I haven't seen NFL man [Berrios] in two weeks, so it'll be nice to see him. And then next week is their off week, and we're going on vacation, but he has no idea where yet." You guessed it. Earle surprised Berrios with a Bahamas "baecation" for his 28th birthday.
The Aliz Earle Effect may sour if she is no longer relatable
Alix Earle has built her brand by being relatable and authentic. She realized early on that she needed to connect with her audience, and her content reflects that. Earle spoke to Today about her journey with acne, saying, "It got to a point where I said, 'This just isn't real.' It isn't authentic for me to be putting on these filters... and pretending like I'm not struggling with something that a lot of people deal with... I think a lot of people resonated with that."
However, some people feel that Earle may be losing touch with her core fan base. In a September TikTok clip, Earle compared two YSL Cassandre bags, and after making a decision, she tossed the other clutch on the floor. One follower snarked, "The way I clutched my pearls at the YSL toss." Another said, "I'd die for a YSL. [W]atching you chuck it hurt my soul. I've never had anything designer like that."
When Earle contemplated buying a second (very expensive) Dyson Air Wrap for her European vacations, a similar controversy ensued. Some Redditers thought that Earle was being annoying. One commented, "Can't she just buy an outlet adapter? Like yes there's the voltage difference but you can also buy adapters for that as well." While many love her authentic and transparent brand, some may question if she's still relevant if she cannot appreciate life's finer things the way an ordinary fan would.