I have a friend who is one of the most popular people on TikTok, if not the most popular person on TikTok. He has over 11.8 million followers and makes money off memberships and live chats. He goes on tour with the one and only Jay-Z and has played with the largest music festivals in the world. He is truly a superstar on TikTok and I’m happy to call him a friend. But recently, something changed. He began seeing someone new and after a little while, they were dating. Now, he rarely spends time with me and my girlfriend, Emily. I still run into him at social events, but it seems like he is deliberately trying to avoid me. What is going on? Is this friendship rift doomed to be permanent?
Here is the thing about friends on TikTok: they can be difficult to define. You may have had a friendship with someone for a really long time and then all of a sudden, you realize that you feel more like a colleague than a friend when you log on to TikTok. It is not necessarily an odd phenomenon. As much as we like to think that our friends are our friends because we want to be friends with them, I think the truth is a little more complicated.
The rise of TikTok indicates that our social media habits are evolving and not always for the better. It feels like the older we get, the more our needs change. Before, we wanted to hang out with our friends and see their stories and jokes. Now, we want to be able to follow the latest trends, be able to keep up with the laughs, and discover new jokes and anecdotes. It used to be that our friends were people we knew in real life, but now that we have access to such a large number of friends, the lines between reality and fiction have blurred.
To figureheads of the millennial generation, the generation that has grown up on social media, this may all seem terribly new. To those of us who have been friends since primary school, it feels like it has always been this way. We are constantly barraged on social media with pictures of the latest and greatest, the trends and fashions, the places we should be eating and drinking at, and the people we should be hanging out with. Naturally, as our needs change, so does our friends list. Some people, myself included, have had to let go of friends who have failed to keep up with the times, but others have found new and improved friends in the ever-changing world of social media.
Alicia Cargile: Master of Many Masters
Now, I don’t want to be the downer of the story, but this evolution of friendship is something that has to be talked about. After all, we are all human and make mistakes. Alicia Cargile, the woman I mentioned at the beginning, has been on my mind for a while now. She is, without a doubt, one of the most fascinating, entertaining, and influential people I have ever met. I have known her for eight years and even then, I was not really that aware of how brilliant she was, how much she had achieved, or how much she had accomplished. If you are a fan of The Handmaid’s Tale, then you may know who she is. If not, then I will explain. In case you are wondering, yes, she has played a handmaid in the TV series and movie. The creator of The Handmaid’s Tale, Offred, describes Alicia as the “master of many masters”, which I think is an excellent description.
The story is set in a dystopian future where women are subservient and powerless. They are given identity cards that belong to a man named The Commander. On her card, Alicia has only one name: Serena. She is supposed to be chaste and obedient. If she disobeys, then she will be punished. However, the story is largely about her quest to find love and independence and how she goes about doing it. She wants to be called by her real name, Jessica, but The Commander won’t allow it. He views all women as inferior and does not want them to be associated with an independent mind like Jessica’s.
So, back to Alicia’s “master of many masters” comment. To put it simply, she is a genius. Not just a genius in terms of being able to write such an amazing novel, but also in terms of fashion. She can pull off a look that is totally different from each and every other outfit she wears. It is not simply that she mixes and matches, but that she actually creates unique looks. For example, she usually wears a black dress with a yellow flower pinned to the shoulder or a red dress with a white flower. The variety is astounding. In fact, some of her looks are so unique that they have become her own fashion signature. This is also one of the reasons why she has been associated with high-profile designers, such as Dior and Marc Jacobs.
Let’s take a look at some of her amazing style choices. In the video below, you will see her wear a beautiful yellow dress with a black lace overlay. In another, you will see her in a red dress with white polka dots. In still another, she is in a white dress with black checks. Each of these looks is perfectly befitting of her extraordinary personality and genius. The fact that she can pull off multiple looks is what makes her truly special. She can be totally herself and not worry about what anyone else is doing or saying. This is the main reason she has been able to achieve so much and is such an inspiration to those who know her.
Rob Pattinson: The Unofficial Leader Of The Free World
I wanted to close this subsection with a story about a man who has had a big impact on my life. This is going to sound cheesy, but it’s true. When I first moved to London, I was lost and lonely. I had spent the entire summer break in Spain, getting ready for university and trying to make new friends. Everyone knew what was going on because I had announced my departure clearly. I was 18 years old and living in a foreign country, away from my family. I did not have anyone to lean on in times of trouble and neither did I want to, as the saying goes. It is in these moments, when we are hurtling towards the unknown, when we need help the most. It was then that I discovered the magnificence that is Rob Pattinson.
I had been watching the Grand Tour for a while, having found it on Netflix. It is essentially a comedy show, set in the corridors of power in the most prestigious companies. It is presented by Richard Simmons, who is also one of the original judges on the hit TV show The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The show is incredibly funny and does a great job of poking fun at the elites of society. One of the episodes follows Richard Simmons as he tries to assemble a team to help him become the “unofficial leader of the free world”.
The setup for this scene is that Richard Simmons needs a favor from the President of the United States. Rob is the man he chooses to ask. In the show, Richard wants to prove that he is indeed the most brilliant business strategist in the world. To do this, he needs to advise a foreign leader on matters of state. So, he calls upon his old friend, Rob, to help. What follows is one of the best scenes in the entire series. It is funny and poignant and deals with some really important issues. The main character, Richard, is a parody of a stereotypical Englishman. He is vain and likes to think of himself as being very clever. He also has an obsession with his body, which he takes care of with the help of steroids and lots of liquor. He has been called a “self-help robot”.
When he is not busy working out or getting drunk, Richard roams around London, trying to find solace in his work. He is a successful entrepreneur and owns several companies, such as RS Management and R.S. Entrepreneurship. He also advises other wealthy individuals on how to better themselves. The bulk of the series is set in a mansion in Belgravia, where Simmons lives with his housekeeper, Gertrude, and his two dogs, Jasper and Gretel. He loves to cook for Richard, who reciprocates by feeding him non-stop gourmet meals. It is quite an unlikely friendship, but it is a beautiful relationship and a testament to Simmons’ charm.