Chrissy Chlapecka always knew she was destined to entertain. The platinum blonde, sometimes pink-haired 21-year-old grew up performing musical theater and felt like there was a place for her somewhere in the industry. However, her big break did not come from the stage but from her presence on social media.
The self-proclaimed “bimbo” has amassed more than 4 million followers on TikTok and hundreds of thousands of others on Instagram and Twitter. Her satirical content preaches self-love and authenticity, messages she said she did not always receive growing up.
Chlapecka said she moved through the world as a very insecure person for a long time, and it was not until after she got out of an abusive relationship that she realized her own strength. She said she shares a lot of these experiences with her followers to help them navigate similar situations and act as their virtual older sister.
“All my followers are like my babies,” she said. “I want to protect you.”
Chlapecka, originally from St. Charles, lives in Chicago. When she realized she did not want to pursue musical theater, she dropped out of college, leading into a period where she was working three jobs to pay rent.
She started posting on TikTok out of boredom during the pandemic, and her first viral video caught her by surprise. She had posted a reenactment of an uncomfortable encounter she had with a stranger at a Walgreens, and when she checked her account while at work, her video had received more than 500,000 likes.
“I was so excited; it was so cool,” Chlapecka said. “But I was like, ‘What happens now?’ “
She decided to continue posting videos, drawing much of her inspiration from the comments she received. Many people noticed her speaking voice has an uncanny likeness to that of the pop star Ariana Grande, and Chlapecka’s impersonations of the singer quickly surpassed millions of views.
Even as her popularity on the platform continues to grow, Chlapecka does not plan out most of her content well in advance. She said that while she may seem like an extrovert on her page, she is actually extremely introverted, and she usually gets inspired to create when she has a spontaneous burst of energy.
Many of Chlapecka’s videos center around her identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, which she said is her “whole life.” She said she did not always have a place where she felt safe enough to be her most authentic self, but she has never felt more “welcomed or accepted, more seen and more protected” than when she entered Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community.
“I love when people are like, ‘Stop making being gay your whole identity,'” she said. “That’s where so much of like, my confidence in myself has come from.”
Chlapecka also likes to express her confidence in her videos by wearing bold outfits and makeup. She is not one to shy away from bright colors or patterns, even when she has to contend with Chicago’s brutal winters.
“It sounds superficial, but it really just secures me,” she said.
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Though Chlapecka is sure of who she is, strangers on the internet are not always supportive. She, like many social media stars, has to contend with trolls and hate comments, most of which she said come from men.
But Chlapecka said she actually enjoys responding to hate comments, and doing so in a satirical way helps her take them less personally. She said the most challenging part of being a creator is not the negativity she receives but “inner saboteur” and the pressure she places on herself.
“It is really hard, like, just unreasonable expectations,” she said. “Looking at other people and being like, ‘God, right now they’re doing so much better than me. Why am I not there?’ “
Chlapecka said the pressure she feels can cause her to burn out quickly, so she has had to learn to take time for herself to recharge. Additionally, she said she has been able to lean on her management team — which connects social media stars with brands — as well as other influencers across the country to help her navigate the difficulties of online fame.
Though the millions of eyes on Chlapecka can be “a lot,” she is thankful for the experience and said she is in a better place than ever before because of her followers.
“I’m so grateful and I want to be able to give back,” she said. “I just give out all that advice and try and be that older sister because I’m just so incredibly grateful for the people that love and follow me, like, I couldn’t say it in a million words.”