We thought this myth was buried deep beneath the monumental sculpture of Mount Rushmore. Left for dead, the American dream reappeared unannounced this summer on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee… thanks to Haliey Welch. It was while answering a street interview that the 21-year-old woman became a meme, before being put into orbit.
Here’s the now famous dialogue: “What drives a man crazy in bed?”, two YouTubers ask him. “You have to give them that ”hawk tuah”* and spit on this thing (the penis)”, Haliey Welch spontaneously replies. From the outset, the punchline is isolated and shared frantically, especially on TikTok. And the one who used to get up at 2:30 in the morning to go to work at the factory is transformed into a real phenomenon.
“She represents the majority of Americans.”
From complete unknown to social media star, Haliey, renamed “hawk tuah girl,” has climbed the social ladder in a matter of hours. “She’s not from Los Angeles or New York, but from the depths of Tennessee. She represents the majority of Americans and, all of a sudden, she’s been propelled. With her, anything seems possible. She embodies the American dream, without forgetting the excessive side that goes with it,” notes Virginia Spieslecturer at the University of Avignon, media analyst and semiologist.
After the initial surprise, the Belfast, Tennessee native has methodically organized herself to not remain just a summer hit. Selling merchandise, creating a charitable animal shelter, making a notable appearance at country star Zach Bryan’s concert… and hiring Jonnie Forster, a seasoned music industry manager. The man in the shadows, contacted by 20 Minutesconfirms that converting the test after an unexpected buzz is a difficult task: “When you go viral on a global scale, it’s hard to stay relevant unless your client is polarizing, that is to say very loved or very hated.” Proof of this is already in the comments of Internet users slipped under Haliey Welch’s videos. “I have never loved a normal person so much,” says one Instagram user while another lets slip that “hawk tuah girl” should “never be famous.”
A bit like the “journey as Inès Reg in France”
There is also the challenge of the brand new influencer: to succeed in retaining her community of 2.5 million followers on Instagram. With (already) the obligation to renew herself. “The virality of her response reminds me a little of the journey of Inès Reg in France, analyzes Virginie Spies. To last, she will not necessarily need a new viral phrase, but she will have to find other references.”
According to her entourage, Haliey Welch is inundated with film and television offers. “She thinks that real professionals should get these jobs,” her manager says. “But she’s naturally funny, so when the time comes she’ll focus on comedy.”
And while waiting to take to the stage, the young woman is practicing behind a microphone. The first episode of her podcast, the aptly named Talk Tuahis out. A first piece of content with encouraging audiences, produced by a platform managed by Jake Paul, an influencer turned boxer. It discussed personality changes depending on the type of alcohol drunk, celebrity, and not carrying a knife at the airport, etc. “Did you really think it was over?” Haliey Welch asked in the trailer for this podcast. And the young woman replied: “I just started.”