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As I type the name “Hawk Tuah” girl, I am cringing myself out and metaphorically kicking myself in the ass for helping perpetuate this social media shitshow. However, given that outlets like Forbes, Vanity Fair , and The Washington Post,
among others, have all done pieces on this latest viral phenomenon, perhaps I will lighten up on the self-loathing just a smidge.
The fact that careers and brands are made and lost on social media is really what’s at play here and what makes this story so noteworthy. Truth is, until yesterday when a friend sent me a link to "What’s the Deal With ‘Hawk Tuah’ Girl?" by The Cut’s Olivia Craighead, I didn’t really give a flying fawk about this latest media circus.
Ironically, ether did Craighead…but she got curious, and shares the following:
Who is Hawk Tuah Girl?
Otherwise known as Hailey Welch, Hawk Tuah Girl is rising to prominence after being featured in a man-on-the-street interview from creators Tim & Dee TV. In the video, she’s asked “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?” Her response is what’s made her go viral.
“You gotta give ’em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thang,” she exclaimed. Craighead then links to the video, which I can’t bring myself to do, but goes on to explain, “Hawk tuah” is like, the sound of the guy in the back of an old Western saloon using a spittoon, but she’s talking about sex. It is funny. Whether or not it’s more than a week’s worth of virality levels of funny is up to you”
While I did laugh out loud at the explanation, I’m not sharing the link to the viral video. So if you haven’t seen it and want to learn more about the meteoric rise to fame of this factory worker from Belfast, Tennessee, there’s a shit ton out there. So have at it.
Which leads me to my next burning question: Who is the Four Seasons Orlando baby? Yet another viral social media sensation that skipped right past me which, shame on me, should have grabbed my attention given my hospitality background and am a regular contributor to hertelier!
Who is the Four Seasons Orlando Baby?
She’s one year old Kate Wise, and People.com’s Antonia De Bianchi tells us,
“Earlier this month, a viral TikTok video featuring Kate garnered almost 50 million views, and over 5 million likes. In the clip, Kate's mom and dad, Bailey and William Wise, ask their two daughters about an upcoming trip.
“I have a question for everybody: Who wants to go to the Four Seasons Orlando?” Bailey, 34, asks. Almost immediately, baby Kate shoots her hand up, one finger adorably raised, and exclaims “Me!” Her older sister, Madelyn, 4, chimes in too.
Baby Kate's apparent understanding of the question and poised way in which she delivered her vote on the vacation, shocked viewers — and earned her the highly anticipated trip! “
Well of course it did!!! Duh! Small price to pay for the enormous brand exposure!!!
All this made me remember a compelling and powerful film I saw on TV several years ago, A Face in the Crowd, which starred Andy Griffith. Made in 1957 and directed by Elia Kazan with a screenplay by Budd Schulberg, it tells the story of a female radio reporter who turns folk-singing drifter Larry "Lonesome" Rhoades into a powerful media star who becomes utterly detestable during his meteoric rise.
Way ahead of its time and a cautionary tale for sure, I shudder to think how the story would have changed if there had been social media. Maybe it wouldn’t have.