Meet Bailey Spinn: One of TikTok’s Youngest Stars
Reminiscent of bubbly blonde comedienne’s before her, 19 year old Bailey Spinn, has amassed a whopping 7.7 million followers, 300 million likes, and more than 1 billion total views on the wildly popular social media platform, TikTok. Her comedic vignettes poke fun at everything from mean girls and fashion faux pas to lip syncing, Seinfeld-esque social awkwardness and hilarious dating fails. It also doesn’t hurt that she looks like every guy’s teenage dream.
Bailey Spinn’s video style is “P.O.V.,” a subgenre of increasingly popular TikTok videos, making you feel like you are in the video with her. They say “the first million’s the hardest,” but not for Bailey, whose TikTok account made a quantum leap to its first 5 million followers within three short months, before eventually reaching up to 7.6 million followers and climbing.
Born Bailey Spinnenweber, the TikTok mega-influencer grew up in suburban Virginia outside bustling Washington, DC, where she recalls an awkward adolescence filled with merciless bullying from her fellow classmates. The socially ostracized teen was picked on to the point where, as she recalls, “I was forced to eat lunch alone in my high school’s bathroom.”
“The isolation and bullying took a great toll on my self-esteem and I plunged into a deep depression,” continues Bailey.
It was a depression that Bailey says only worsened as 2019 rolled into 2020, when the now Southern California-based college student brought her mental health woes into quarantine. “I was searching for something to live for, anything, and I started watching funny TikTok videos to cheer myself up.”
Falling into self-destructive patterns and looking for a way out, she began studying viral TikToks, and eventually decided to give the popular platform a try for herself. She also diligently crafted her image, with daily workouts and weightlifting and a full makeover that included going blonde. But what’s more important, says Bailey, “I really transformed myself from the inside out. That is where it starts.”
Bailey dedicated herself to a life of fitness, veganism, animal rescue, marketing studies, and learning about fashion.
“TikTok saved my life,” she says. “It allowed me to put my energy into something positive rather than things that were not helping me, and it gave me a creative outlet to express my true personality.”
Bailey’s videos are known for their “every girl” relatability. But some of them, Bailey says, “are just fun to watch,” adding, “I’m known for my surprising plot twists.” She admits the laughter and comments she receives from the shock value at the end of her videos is thrilling. “It’s a wonderful feeling to know you’ve made someone smile or laugh for the day, because of your creative work.”
Now a thriving college sophomore, Bailey created her TikTok empire out of her on campus apartment. She’s landed endorsement deals with companies, including the Grammar.ly, Steve Madden, Princess Polly, Aeropostale, Curology and Netflix.
“I am making adult money,” says Bailey, “and I am really good about saving and investing,” though she says, “my parents never let me pay for anything when I go home to visit.”
Bailey’s main objective is to use her newfound social media notoriety to champion anti-bullying initiatives, a dangerous mental health hazard she is all too familiar with. “I can be a powerful ally and a positive influence for young people who are experiencing bullying.”
She also has her sights set on a career in comedy. “Acting is definitely on the horizon for me. I’ve been playing to a daily audience of close to 8 million followers, making people laugh and helping people to see life from different perspectives with my videos.”
Follow Bailey Spinn on TikTok @BaileySpinn.