As Viral as COVID
Starting a blog is scary. No one wants to put themselves out there only to find out that you’re as every bit as boring as the little demons in your head say you are. You dive head first into the rabbit hole before Alice ever even saw the White Rabbit scurrying because he was late for the tea party. You want to be vulnerable, but not too vulnerable. You want to be intelligent, but not come off as an intellectual snob. You want to be intriguing, but not so out there that the readers think you’re Elon Musk’s new child, zV-xii6. It’s a constant juggling act, and I never learned how to juggle.
Led on by the innate desire to be praised, liked, successful, and, how America measures success, make dough, and I’m not talking chibata, mama, we turn to other people’s example and how they got there 15 minutes of fame, but is 15 minutes really enough?
Everyone talks about the newest viral sensation, from Miss Vanjie walking backwards after being eliminated to the new L’Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Freshwear Powder Foundation (which really lives up to the hype, and if you’re looking for a liquid foundation, the E.l.f. Camo CC Cream is a stellar dupe for the It Cosmetics CC Cream). Do these viral sensations really live up to the test of time? Sure, someone may remember it a couple of years later, and, if you’re smart, you can build an empire on it (looking at you Vanjie), but I can’t help but want to be more than a viral one-hit wonder.
I’m not trying to bull shit you. I have 4 tabs currently open on “How to Write on Medium,” “9 Things I learned. . .,” and “Going Viral.” It’s hard not to seek out that kind of attention and instant fame, but do you ever wonder what happens to the people that go viral? Does that girl from Vine still love country boy? Does Chris Crocker still want you to leave Brittney alone? Did anybody end up getting time for that?
On the other hand, when we look to cultural and historical staples that have withstood the test of time, there’s a lot more than meets the eye. Maya Angelou didn’t just crank out one little haiku and suddenly became one of the world’s most lauded poets, so how could I expect to be a famous poet when just an excerpt of one of my poems got published in a literary journal. Rupaul didn’t just wake up one day with his fabulous empire of wiggotry and tomfoolery. She put on her stilettos, grabbed her red lipstick, and spent years pioneering for queer representation, first in the underground ballroom scene of New York, and then made her way into mainstream media. So, there is no doubt that culturally famous influencers put in the time and effort into being where they are now.
I like to think that I could leave a bigger impression on the world than a little girl that may or may not have set her house on fire, but I could be wrong. I hope I’m not, but only time will tell.
Yours in Pride,
Jae
P.S. I checked in with the girl that likes country boy, and yes, she still does love him.
