Over the summer, TikTok users saw a rise in the memes of the “Hawk Tuah” girl and the “What did I do?” video making a comeback. While these videos had their 15 minutes of fame, they are making a resurgence on the internet and people are choosing not to engage with the people in these kinds of memes for various reasons.
Hailey Welch, the girl in the “Hawk Tuah” video, tore up the internet with her sexual reference in the video. Welch has talked about signing with a talent agency after it went viral. While there has been no pen-to-paper signing for anything yet, let’s dive into who Welch is and the aftermath of the meme.
Welch, who is from Tennessee, gained popularity over the video because of a man-on-the-street video creator Tim & Dee TV. There was nothing more to the interview than Welch and her friend sticking around for a more in-depth interview, but the singular phrase of “hawk tuah” catapulted her into mega-virality.
The internet has spread misinformation about Welch's job and life, with a rumor about the alleged consequences of her viral moment. A parody account on Facebook suggested “Hailey Wellington” was a preschool teacher at Epstein Day School and was allegedly fired after the video went viral. It went as far as fake statements from Welch.
Welch went on the podcast Plan Bri Uncut to talk about her few seconds of fame and set the record straight about what happened after the video. Welch said she was up at 2 a.m. to get ready to clock into a shift at the spring factory she worked at when she noticed she was going viral on the internet. She also said on the podcast she had quit that job.
Welch is just riding out the wave of her going viral on the internet and continues with the resurgence of the meme. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Welch is looking to start her own social media channels with The Penthouse.
According to The Atlantic, the same goes for the “What did I do?” meme because you don’t need much skill to create a viral moment. The “What did I do?” meme required even less technical skill and fewer snappy lines.
People, like Welch, try to expand their stardom after their initial seconds of fame. According to a quote by Max Clifford in Psychology Today, people who have had their short-lived fame “become surrounded by people who live off them, pick off them ... who say what the person wants to hear all the time.” The individuals behind the memes become wrapped in fame and get a jaundiced picture of life and reality.
The 10 seconds of fame can create an addiction. It is an object of addiction by the rewards coming out of it and can be why people don’t interact with these memes anymore.
