We would never speak like that in real life,” Radice assures me

It was after she reached about 100,000 followers, many of whom had come from a viral video she made about “what your favorite fashion house says about you,” that brands started approaching her for sponsorships. Though she won’t tell me her typical rate – most influencers don’t discuss their finances publicly – she says she has about 30 companies emailing her about deals on a busy month, and posts about one advertisement a week.

We, alongside her 19-year-old pal Davis Burleson (follower count: 360,000), are headed to a party hosted by , an account run by two other early-20s blonde women notorious on the app for reviewing scene-y restaurants in raspy, rapid-fire voiceovers, who’ve shut down a restaurant in Little Italy to host a party for the TikTok creator crowd. “This is about to be so much socialization,” Audrey says darkly in the Uber there, wearing a polka-dot wrap dress and ballet flats.

Inside, there are custom cocktails, an enormous DJ booth, and between 25 and 50 people, many of whom know each other from other VIP List events

Audrey introduces me to a carousel of beautiful early 20-somethings, among them Lauren Wolfe (follower count: 531,000) and Sophia Lacorte (579,000). Upon learning I’m a journalist, no less than three people bring up a recent article in the Cut on Victoria Paris, another NYC TikToker who they swear is super sweet IRL but who came off in the piece as slightly obnoxious. The subtext here is: Please be nicer to us!

It’s easy, though, to be nice to this crowd. “Everyone’s so nice,” says basically everyone when I ask about, well, anyone. “In LA it’s like, ‘Oh, I love your shoes’ and then you turn around and they’re like, ‘Fuck your shoes,’” Sophia says.Continue reading→