Hailey Welsh. Photo Credit: Tim & Dee TV, YouTube
As Andy Warhol once said, everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame, and the proliferation of social media has made that credo much more likely as everyday people are noticed around the world in the matter of hours for sometimes the most random of acts.
And when you are trying to be seen and you want to appeal to a young audience that is frequently on social media, perhaps are budding influencers themselves, and like to have a good time, where else would you go than Scottsdale?
Well viral fame touched down in Scottsdale over the weekend, as the “Hawk Tuah Girl” Hailey Welsh headlined an event at Riot House. For those of you who are not familiar with the “Hawk Tuah” meme craze, we won’t explain it to you in detail as this is a family-friendly publication, but Hailey was interviewed on the street outside a bar by a social media content creator and explained rather amusingly a particular sexual action that she is fond of involving spitting.
From that short little clip, she nearly immediately became a national sensation, a random woman from Tennessee vaulted into the limelight and cagily seizing on her 15 minutes of fame. She has since been making paid appearances all across the country, selling merchandise, and monetizing her virality, which is what ultimately brought her to Scottsdale.
So what to think of it? It is certainly a sign of the times, where the most random of items from the most random of people can become a talking point for the rest of us. It’s a pure representation of social media platforms like TikTok, with their elevation of pointless drivel with no real value to it other than wasting time and having something silly to talk about with friends. It is the sugary desert of media. And it’s also an indicator that that sugary desert has an audience and a home in Scottsdale.
But ultimately, it’s not hurting anyone, so every once in a while, it makes sense to step back and stop expecting everyone to pursue meaty subjects and intellectual pursuits. It’s silly, it’s dumb, and that’s ok.