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At just 17 years old, TikTok phenom Brooklynne Webb (you might know her as xobrooklynne) has already left her mark on social media. From her jaw-dropping makeup skills to her viral song "My Crown," Brooklynne is paving the way for other creators with her messages of kindness and body positivity. We sat down with Brooklynne to get the inside scoop on social media success, dealing with the haters and staying true to yourself in a world defined by online personas. 

Girls' Life: How did you get your start on social media?
Brooklynne: When I was about 13 or 14, I started posting makeup photos on my Instagram. I would play around on TikTok a little bit with my friends, but I didn't start taking it seriously until May 2020. Now, I've been doing TikTok as a full-time job for about two years.

GL: When did you realize that you could turn your social media success into a career?
Brooklynne: After my first trip to L.A., I realized that all the other people there were living out their lives and doing social media full-time. It hit me that I could be doing the same thing. Every day I continue to create and engage, and now I'm like, "Wow, this could be my job, just living my dream life out in L.A.

GL: In your opinion, what are some of the upsides of social media?
Brooklynne: The best part of social media is, hands down, the sheer amount of people I can reach with my platform. It's so amazing being able to share my thoughts on body positivity and self-confidence. Another cool thing about social media is that I'm now friends with a lot of people I used to look up to.

GL: And, how do you deal with the haters?
Brooklynne: Haters are just a reminder that, no matter what you do, there will always be people that don't like you—even if they don't have a reason for it. Whether it's in a workspace, a school or on social media, there's just no way to get everyone to like you. Once you begin doing things just for yourself, you become so much happier. In my videos, I like to poke a little fun at myself. Dealing with hate comments is easier when I'm the one controlling the creative narrative.

@brooklynnexo

GL: How do you show your personality online?
Brooklynne: A lot of people get mixed up when I do characters for fun, so it's a bit challenging to differentiate the videos that are POV acting characters and those that are just me. But something that's great about my videos is that they actually happen to reach people of all different ages and backgrounds, like the LGBTQIA+ community, which is awesome.

GL: Can you tell us a little bit about your song, "My Crown," and the inspiration behind it?
Brooklynne: At first, it was just a silly idea I got out of nowhere. I thought, Wouldn't it be so funny if someone made a song that wasn't serious at all, but seemed like it was?  And then, I realized that I could actually do that. Unlike what a lot of people initially thought, it was very calculated and creatively thought-out. It eventually became a nine-month-long endeavor, but I'm pretty pleased with how it came out." There were certain lyrics written in the song that I didn't realize would have a greater purpose than merely being a fun call-out. People like to make fun of teenage girls for doing basically anything, and this song pretty much proved that on its own. But, honestly, "My Crown" accomplished exactly what I wanted it to.

GL: So, would you ever consider pursuing music in the future?
Brooklynne: I love music, but it would definitely need to be something I would have to take super seriously, and I don't think I'm ready for that. There are so many other things that I feel like I could bring to the table creatively, like acting, fashion and makeup.

@brooklynnexo

GL: What are your other plans for the future?
Brooklynne: I think there's a lot of room for discovery in terms of what I want to do with my life and with my platform. After all, I'm only 17! Just like how other people are trying to figure out where to go to college or what career path they want to take, I'm doing the same discovering with future prospects. I'd love to do more acting, though. Maybe a short film or something like that.

GL: What advice do you have for anyone looking to grow their social media presence and following?
Brooklynne: The best advice I can give is to get familiar with the platform you're using and the content you're creating. The more you watch viral content, the more you'll be able to understand how to replicate that for your own account. You also need to post consistently. People don't realize that you need to put in the effort to get the results you want. Without the work, you'll just fizzle out.

Five fast facts:

1. Brooklynne's favorite show right now is Euphoria, but her all-time favorite? Glee.

2. Her dream travel destination is Australia or New Zealand.

3. As an Aries sun, Leo moon and Aries rising, she's a fire sign through and through.

4. Brooklynne loves a chunky platform shoe and loves how popular the style has become.

5. Before switching to online school full-time, she loved doing musical theater.

Watch the official music video for "My Crown" here!

Photo Credits:
Photographer: Dylan Lujano @dylanlujano
Hair: Mika Fowler, @mikahairstylist
Makeup: Anton Khachaturian @antonmakeup
Stylist: Haili Pue, All Ze Details @allzedetails

Fashion:
Top - Charles & Ron
Shorts - Aritzia
Boots - Chinese Laundry

Parts of this interview have been edited and condensed for clarity.

by Lena Genovese and Sophia Zhang | 3/8/2022