Jenny Popach: TikTok’s Sexualized Teen Problem Child

By Olivia Carville posted on BloombergBusinessweek “TikTok’s Problem Child Has 7 Million Followers and One Proud Mom: Young creators like Jenny Popach are posting suggestively sexual content, sometimes with parental approval, leaving moderators and executives unsure what to do.”

In the piece, Carville wrote that 16-year-old TikTok sensation and “bona fide influencer” Jenny Popach takes advantage of the allure of a nymphet by posting “hypersexual” TikToks such as twerking in string bikinis and teasing men with her jailbait status, which has calculatedly amassed her a (small) fortune:

Arritola is one of TikTok’s most controversial teen stars, with 7 million followers. Her popularity stems in part from hypersexual posts—what she describes as “shock-value content”—in which she twerks in string bikinis, body rolls in hot pants or drops innuendo in captions (“When men can go to jail for being with you”). In the past year, fashion brands eager to capitalize on her sex appeal have paid her a small fortune to wear their clothes.

Carville posted that Jenny’s a “problem child” for TikTok’s trust and safety team, because “[...] she’s posting content so risqué that the trust and safety team doesn’t seem to know what to do with her.” Consequently, TikTok has “[...] received a flood of complaints about Arritola’s videos, [and] her account was [temporarily] deactivated [three times] for violating its community guidelines.”

TikTok’s Problem Child: Jenny Popach

Carville shared that the TikTok account of a nymphet under 18 can be (temporarily) banned for participating in sexual activities, wearing minimal clothing, lip-syncing to sexually explicit songs, twerking, breast shaking, and pelvic thrusting.

When Jenny’s TikTok account was deactivated, she re-started her FanFix account - “an app where creators can make money sending exclusive pictures and messages to fans.” Jenny offered “[...] pictures and private chats with fans who pay $15 a month for a subscription.” Unsurprisingly, the nymphet earned $23,000 before returning to TikTok.

Carville wrote that “[...] moderating teenage content is so complex that it verges on the impossible,” because, despite the fact that TikTok removed over 80 million videos for violating child-safety rules in the first half of 2022, a whopping “20 billion clips were uploaded during that time”.

The Dark Side of TikTok: TeenTok

Carville related that TikTok’s algorithm rewards salacious posts like teens twerking in string bikinis “by promoting them on its For You landing page”. Consequently, the allure of nymphets has helped TikTok go from a valuation of $10 billion in 2016 to $300 billion today. Relatedly, Carville said in the BloombergBusinessweek documentary The Dark Side of TikTok: TeenTok, “Teenage TikTok is big business.”

The article didn’t mention if Jenny makes additional money via teen TikTok livestreams, but Carville did mention that TikTok team members suggested that TikTok “[...] include a five-second delay, enough time for at least some artificial intelligence moderation. Instead, livestreaming was rolled out without the delay.”

Maria Ulacia, Jenny’s mother, is not “pimping her out” and she “[...] has no qualms about Arritola’s social media stardom.” Of Jenny's rise as an influencer that started when Jenny was 10, Ulacia shared, “We loved it. We loved the attention.” Of her daughter's sexualized teen TikToks, Ulacia said, “We post videos that contain shock value to attract viewers and attention - giving the audience something to talk about.”

Of her mother, Jenny shared in The Dark Side of TikTok: TeenTok that most of the ideas for her most "shocking" videos came from her mother: 

“My mom is the girl, she’s my mom, by best friend, my sister, everything, my partner in this, and so she basically gives me ideas, if I don’t have any, she’ll give me a type of video to make. Sometimes she even buys my outfits and she’s the one that takes me to film most of my videos. Most of my videos that I’ve done with my mother are my most shocking videos.”

Unsurprisingly, Jenny confessed in the documentary that she wants her most salacious videos to go viral: 

“The content that does the best for me, I feel like is spontaneous, those are always great, or shock value [...] Make sure something shocking is happening that people will just like ‘[say] wait, let me take a double take’ [...] and wanna send it to their friends and want everybody else to see it."

Consequently, “[Jenny] Arritola has brand deals with Fashion Nova, PrettyLittleThing and Shein. She just launched a clothing line with Empty Soda and has recently been posing in a pink miniskirt-and-crop-top set with a heart-shaped cutout on the chest, encouraging her followers to buy it.”

Piper Rockelle

Of course, Ulacia isn’t the only mother using the allure of her nymphet daughter to make (a lot) of money. Carville wrote that “[o]ther mother-run accounts of preteen girls have encouraged followers to pay for photographs of the children in bikinis.” And Tiffany Smith, the mother of 15-year-old influencer Piper Rockelle, allegedly “[...] once mailed a pair of her daughter’s used underwear to a fan for money.”

Lastly, we learned from Carville’s piece that, this past summer, Jenny purchased a black Mercedes-Benz with $20,000 in cash and posted a TikTok “[...] from a car wash wearing a skintight bodysuit and white-heeled boots. In it, she lathers herself in foam, washes the car hood with her chest and winks at the camera.” Jenny said, “If you don’t have haters, you ain’t poppin’.”

FORBES: LiveStreaming Stripping Teens on TikTok

Alexandra S. Levine posted on Forbes "How TikTok Live Became ‘A Strip Club Filled With 15-Year-Olds’" (Apr 27, 2022) with the intro\kicker: "Livestreams on the social media app are a popular place for men to lurk and for young girls — enticed by money and gifts — to perform sexually suggestive acts.

The piece started with MJ, a 14-year-old blond nymphet in a bralette with a Cash App account, who gets her bills paid by livestreaming: "[...] acts that appear to toe the line of child pornography" for ≈ 2,000 men on TikTok.

“You’re paying my bills,” MJ told the audience, running a finger over her mouth.

“$35 for a flash,” one viewer responded. Another asked how much to send to her Cash App.

As she posed and pursed her lips, her long blonde hair draped over her tight black bralette, some asked MJ to show them her feet.

“I’m 68 and you owe me one,” one attendee told her as more requests piled on.

These exchanges did not take place between adults at a nightclub; they took place on TikTok Live, where MJ, who said she was 14 years old, was broadcasting with friends to 2,000 strangers on a recent Saturday night.

Livestreams on the social media app are a popular place for men to lurk and for young girls — enticed by money and gifts — to perform sexually suggestive acts.

Like MJ, other nubile nymphets are rewarded for their provocative performances with: "[...] TikTok gifts, which can be redeemed for money, or off-platform payments to Venmo, PayPal or Cash App accounts that users list in their TikTok profiles."

Leah Plunkett, an assistant dean at Harvard Law School, opined that nymphets performing "activities" for adults for money on TikTok is the digital equivalent of teen strip clubs:

It’s “the digital equivalent of going down the street to a strip club filled with 15-year-olds,” says Leah Plunkett, an assistant dean at Harvard Law School and faculty associate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, focused on youth and media. Imagine a local joint putting a bunch of minors on a stage before a live adult audience that is actively giving them money to perform whatever G, PG or PG-13 activities they request, she said.

Levine listed some "demands" (e.g., teen girl-on-girl kissing and wrestling), that nymphets are asked to do in exchange for being "showered with virtual [TikTok] gifts":

Some of the demands are explicit — like asking girls to kiss each other, spread their legs or flash the camera [...] Commenters say “outfit check” to get a complete look at a girl’s body; “pedicure check” to see their feet; “there’s a spider on your wall” to get girls to turn around and show their rears; and “play rock-paper-scissors” to encourage girls to flirt-fight or wrestle with each other. Phrases like “put your arms up” or “touch the ceiling” are often directed at girls in crop tops so viewers can see their breasts and stomachs. And many simply coax girls to show their tongues and belly buttons or do handstands and splits. In return, the girls are showered with virtual gifts, like flowers, hearts, ice cream cones and lollipops, that can be converted to cash.

Under the subheading "Teenage quid pro quo", Levine profiled Ella, another livestreaming TikTok teen, whom, after turning down the lights, creatively stripped for "digital gifts" in front of ≈ 3,000 viewers:

Ella turned the lights down low and propped the phone up in front of her body — just beneath her chin, so her face was hidden — and picked up a pair of scissors.

Very slowly, as Ariana Grande played and nearly 3,000 people looked on, she began snipping pieces of her white t-shirt. Strip by strip, hole by hole, with every cut revealing more of Ella’s chest and black bra, commenters clamored for more and digital gifts poured in — a steady stream of roses, fire, whipped coffee and other cartoonish prizes.

17-year-old Madison shared with Forbes that some her teen friends earned almost $1,000 per month lustfully livestreaming week after week on TikTok and that they cunningly avoid TikTok's  age restrictions by simply lying about their ages:

Madison, a 17-year-old from South Carolina, told Forbes that some of her underage friends had been earning $200 a week off the gifts they’d racked up in their TikTok livestreams. Although she can’t receive Live gifts yet because she signed up using her correct age [...]

Interestingly, we learned from Levine's piece that, in addition to lying about their ages, some teens suggestively put links to their money apps in their profiles (e.g., Venmo, PayPal or Cash App). TikTok isn't the only app with stripping nymphets: "Snap, Instagram and YouTube — other popular destinations for children and teens — have also been criticized for exposing underage users to dangerous or unhealthy situations." And apparently, there are a lot of sexually suggestive teen TikToks as ≈ 43 million videos were removed from the platform: "[...] for policy violations related to minor safety." To quote Mare of Mare of Easttown said, "Teenage girls are fucking sneaky"

Confusingly, Plunkett, of Harvard, added: “That is sexual exploitation. But that's exactly what TikTok is doing here," which raises some (rhetorical) questions. Is it sexual exploitation when teens post sexaully suggestive content (e.g., TikTok teens twerking in thongs) for free but for likes and followers? And what about 18-year-old teens? Does it magically cease to be sexaul exploitation when the teens turn 18 and create OnlyFans account (e.g., Bhad Bhabie and Sami Sheen)? And why did Plunkett remove the stripping teens and leering men from the equation by saying "that's exactly what TikTok is doing here"?

Lastly, we would imagine that orthodox Jews and Muslims would agree that "lurking" men should avoid paying sex workers - of any age. And women, no matter the age, should avoid stripping for Brandy Melville perks, flashing for TikTok gifts or creating OnlyFans accounts.

Pedro Pascal: Hot for Daddy and Teacher

Prior to hosting Saturday Night Live (s48e12), Pedro Pascal was considered by (some) young women to be TikTok's favorite Daddy and\or "daddy of the moment", which prompted CT Jones' Rolling Stone post "Creator of the Viral Pedro Pascal Fancam Explains Why the Actor Is TikTok's Favorite Daddy". Jones wrote:

Every Sunday night, fans of Pedro Pascal can tune in to HBO to watch the Chilean actor star as the stoic, sexy, reluctant father figure Joel in The Last Of Us. But on TikTok, weekly episodes aren’t enough — stanning Pascal is a full-time gig. Fans on the app have crowned 47-year-old Pascal the “daddy of the moment” in the only way it knows how: inundating For You pages everywhere with fan edits. 

Jones explained that a fan edit is like a synonym of fancam, which is like a synonym of thirst trap. 

Jones: As for fancams, they are when TikTokers curate: "[...] videos of a popular actor and smash them together into a short but heavily edited clip full of transitions, filters, and of course, a rousing backing track [...] their most popular forms usually serve one purpose: a thirst trap. Cambridge Dictionary: thirst trap noun | a statement by or photograph of someone on social media that is intended to attract attention or make people who see it sexually interested in them  

Jones related that, despite being 45-years-old, "[...] if there is one thing people on TikTok can agree on, it’s that Pedro Pascal is smoking hot." 

@dvcree petitioning to be your fav pedro pascal editor #pedropascal #pedropascaledit #agentwhiskey #kingsman #dvcree ♬ save a horse ride a cowboy - ᖭི༏ᖫྀ

Jones shared that one of the most popular Pascal fancams was created by TikTok user @dvcree. @dvcree's TikTok "smashed" together clips of Pascal from Agent Whiskey in Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle. The TikTok began with Pascal's character sharing with Halle Berry's character, “I got a six-pack of cold ones on ice, and my roomie’s out all night, so you can scream my name as loud as you need to sugar!” 

As of the writing of this post, that TikTok had over 21 million views, over 2 million likes, and was saved almost 1 million times. (Jones related that saves are "one of the biggest signs of thirst success on TikTok".)

On the red carpet for the premier of The Last Of Us, Pascal was asked, "You know, you're the daddy of the Internet, right? Before answering, Pascal read a tweet from Ally (@merrinluvr) whom tweeted: "I call Pedro Pascal a DILF and think he's my cool slutty father" Pascal replied, "Yup. I am your cool, slutty daddy." Thus, unlike Dr. Phil who adjured his young female fans to stop calling him daddy, Pascal has embraced his DILF status. 

Oxford Languages: DILF noun | a sexually attractive older man, typically one who has children. Urban Diction: acronym | "Dad I'd Like to F***". A dilf is any man (typically between the ages of 30-50) who is incredibly attractive and has kids.

Always aware of the zeitgeist, the writers of Saturday Night Live wrote the skit "Fancam Assembly" - but with a twist. Here's the skit's synopsis posted on YouTube: "A teacher (Pedro Pascal) can't figure out why his students are obsessed with making fancams of him and the rest of the school staff."  That's correct. In the skit, Pascal plays Mr. Ben - a high school teacher. And the fancans (i.e., thirst traps) were made by his students. 

In the skit, during the Technology Use school assembly, Mr. Ben told the 14-year-old students, "Do not make fancams of school staff. Like this." In one example from "thousands" of TikToks that Mr. Ben projected to the assembled students, "sparkly fast romantic montages" of him in the classroom and in the school's hallway were smashed together with hearts. 

One student responded to Mr. Ben's demands that the fancams cease with, "But we make them because you are our beloved, and you have us in a chokehold."

And another student explained that COVID made them make Mr. Ben daddy, "Because COVID lock[ed] us down when we are 11 [sic] and now we are 14, so now we have to make you daddy."

Unsurprisingly, this is not the first time we've written a post were the two motifs (i.e., The Daddy Thing and Hot for Teacher) were combined. For example, we wrote about BuzzFeed's post "13 Really Hot [High School] Teachers That Will Have You Begging For Detention. Yes, Mr. Smith. I’ll gladly stay after class" that re-posted a number of photos that were taken by high school students of their "hot" teachers, which were posted to Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. Some of the hashtags that accompanied the photos were: #Hot teachers, #DADDY AF and #FUX ME ZADDYYYY.

Sissy Sheridan Knows [Teen] Sex Rules on TikTok? | Nymphet Sexualization or Self-Sexualization?

Sissy Sheridan Knows [Teen] Sex Rules On TikTok.
She Plays The Game To Win.

Nancy Jo Sales posted on Air Mail "The TikTok Star Who Hates TikTok: Sixteen-year-old Sissy Sheridan has 5.3 million TikTok followers [and a million on Instagram] and can’t imagine her life without the app. That doesn’t mean she likes it" (APRIL 3, 2021)

Sissy Sheridan's "Sink Video"

You may ask: "How did Sheridan get so many followers?" Of course, she took advantage of the allure nymphets by posting a "sink video" where the 15-year-old sat on the edge of her bathroom sink and "unbelievably arched" her back to "[...] make her butt look [even] bigger":

She explains: “Before Playlist [an annual industry convention for YouTubers, TikTokers, and other content creators] I did this trend where you sit on the counter and make your butt look bigger,” which she calls a “sink video.”

After the sink video, Sheridan’s follower count climbed to nearly 800,000, and “I got invited to go to Playlist,” she says. 

Oddly, Sheridan blamed TikTok for dancing, making her famous for being pretty, and having a ‘desirable’ body”:

Which was confirmation for her of what she already knew—that sexualized content is often what gets girls the most attention on TikTok, just like on other social-media sites. “You make little girls famous for dancing and for being pretty and having a ‘desirable’ body,” Sheridan says. Her first TikTok to get millions of views (6.3 million) was one of her and another girl dancing in crop tops in her bedroom.

But, after Sheridan's sink video went viral, she continued posting "sexualized content" (e.g., teen (cheeky) thong and teen twerking TikToks):

When the sink video “went viral for me,” she says, “I thought, I’m gonna keep doing this—it’s my thing.” 

“So I’m 15, and I’m getting a lot of attention from this,” Sheridan says.

“At the time, all I’m thinking is it’s making my numbers grow. I have, like, a million followers now—I’ve grown 300K in a day. Fans are coming up and congratulating me. So I’m like, Holy crap, this is huge.

Sissy Sheridan with @charlidamelio & @avani

Some may argue that Sheridan is engaged in a form of (softcore) teen prostitution, because fame wasn't the only item she received in exchange for her "sexualized content". Sheridan's income increased substantially, her free swag increased substantially, and she was afforded the opportunity to mingle with other famous teens:

(Generally, an influencer with five million followers can charge around $6,000 per Instagram story and $20,000 per feed post.)

“I come back from trips and it’s literally like Christmas,” she says. “If it’s a ‘gifting,’ they send it to me in the hopes that I’ll post something, but I don’t get paid for it.” She gets sent so much “it feels gluttonous,” she says. 

Being famous on the hottest app around, having millions of fans who shower her with millions of likes (over 363 million total), traveling and hanging out with the biggest influencers—not to mention the “avalanche” of swag—isn’t this what kids supposedly want?

(Unsurprisingly) Sheridan shared (indirectly) that she's going to continue posting "sexualized content", because she can't do without the app. And she'll do "whatever" to be a successful actress:

“TikTok is such a big part of my life now,” Sheridan says, “I can’t do without it.”

“Acting is my main thing,” she says. “That’s what I want to do. So I’m going to do whatever I can to get my name out there.”

Interestingly, Sales wrote that sexualization gets fame, slut-shaming and empowerment. But shouldn't it be that self-sexualization gets fame, slut-shaming and empowerment?

She finds herself in a familiar bind: Sexualization gets fame. Sexualization gets slut-shaming. Empowerment is undercut by sexist haters. But haters also get you fame.

Lastly, Sales shared that 16-year-old Sheridan was in an age-gap relationship with Milessdespair - a 19-year-old influencer. #noworries The age-of-consent in Washington DC, Sheridan's residence, is 16. 

The Daddy Thing | From Fashion to TikTok: "It's Officially Zaddy Season"

In Teens Love and Want to F*ck James Franco: A Study of a Life and Works, we wrote an entire chapter on The Daddy Thing. And we've written a number of posts on this blog about The Daddy Thing . 

For example, we wrote about Dr. Phil's TikTok where he pleaded with TikTokers to stop calling him "Daddy". And we even produced The Allure of Nymphets: TikTok Edition | Teen Age-Gap Affairs & The Daddy Thing - a [cameraless] documentary. 

But most recently, Alexandra Hildreth posted that "It's officially zaddy season" on i-D\Vice (04 February 2022). Hildreth wrote that, it's official, middle-aged masculinity is hot. And that (skater) boys are out but men substance (e.g., money) are in.

We’re calling it: middle-aged masc is officially hot. Skater boys: out! Men with substance, and even more substantial wallets: in!

And Hildreth (unsurprisingly) related that Dr. Phil isn't the only zaddy on TikTok:

[...] a quick scroll through TikTok or Instagram and you’ll no doubt come across countless sugar daddy memes and clips of Gene Kelly’s character in The Pirate; Eric Dane, a certified zaddy for millennials as McSteamy, now stars as Euphoria’s Cal Jacobs; and then there are  those paparazzi shots of Willem Dafoe (often referred to “Willem Dripfoe” or Willem Da Goat” on TikTok) and Daniel Day-Lewis, which have resurfaced to elicit a collective sigh of desire. 

But don't forget that these parasocial age-gap relationships are on one-way streets, because if, say, Dr. Phil or Daniel Day-Lewis (openly) expressed their attraction to [very] young women, they would be called creepy and possibly be canceled. 

The Allure of Nymphets: TikTok Edition | Teen Age-Gap Affairs & The Daddy Thing (2021)

The Allure of Nymphets:
TikTok Edition | Teen Age-Gap Affairs & The Daddy Thing (2021) GIF

We peruse TikTok approximately 15 minutes per week and over the months we've come across a number of TikToks of nymphets (unsolicitedly) expressing their teleiophilia (i.e., age-gap affairs and The Daddy Thing). Consequently, we decided to curate a new cameraless documentary - The Allure of Nymphets: TikTok Edition | Teen Age-Gap Affairs & The Daddy Thing (2021).

In the short doc, Lilia Buckingham shared that she's constantly reminded about the time she returned to middle school after being kissed by two 20-year-old boys on the show Dirt. Buckingham was 15, and her two love interests on the show were played by 20-year-old Blaine Mayeon and 19-year-old Tayler Holder whom Buckingham's middle school classmates "thought were really hot".

In the doc, a 17-year-old expressed, through song, to her friends that it's not a big deal that "he's 33".

16-year-old @rosesyari went on a Tinder date with a 24-year-old whom didn't mind that @rosesyari was a nymphet. (We're assuming that the Tinder date took place in a state, like Maine or Rhode Island, where the age of consent is 16.) 

@exquisitemariia reenacted a scene in which she seductively distracted "an old man from getting the last sanitizer and toilet paper at the store".

A teen captioned her TikTok "me dating my hs teacher that i had a crush on for ever".

And addition to other age-gap TikToks, we included Dr. Phil's TikTok where he implored "You have to stop commenting "daddy" on my posts". 

Note: No grooming took place in curating of this cameraless documentary.

Fernanda Gimenez: "Topless" TikTok Teen in Thong

Brenda Dennehy posted on the Daily Mail that "TikTok star Fernanda Gimenez goes braless in a see through mini-dress". Dennehy started off by sharing the reason the topless teen (@ferchugimenez) attended the world premiere of The Batman in NYC, which was for clout (i.e., attention): 

Fernanda Gimenez made sure all eyes were on her as she arrived at the world premiere of The Batman in New York City on Tuesday. 

The TikTok star commanded attention as she went braless in a sheer mini-dress  on the star-studded red carpet. 

Fernanda, 19, left almost nothing to the imagination as she put on a steamy display with her content creator beau Sebastien Andrade.  

Dennehy went on to opine that the "stunning" braless teen looked "sensational" and that the "Uruguayan beauty" rose to fame on social media. Per Famous Birthdays, Fernanda was born on November 13, 2002; thus, we can determine that she began posting "stunning" and "sensational" videos on TikTok shortly after her 18th birthday. And to the dismay of ultra orthodox Jews and practicing Muslims, Dennehy opined that Fernanda's teen thong was modest. 

Fernanda, who rose to fame by sharing performances on her social media account looked sensational in the daring ensemble. 

The Instagram model contained her modesty by wearing a black thong which showed off her peachy [teen] derrière. 

The stunning brunette teamed the ensemble with a pair of black high-heel platform sandals which showcased her incredible pins.  

The Uruguayan beauty styled her luscious locks up while leaving some curtain bangs framing her flawless face.

Fernanda Gimenez (18) [@ferchugimenez]

Lastly, it shouldn't be surprising that Fernanda displayed her fountains on the red carpet, because instead of starting a TikTok account, when she turned 18, she could have started an OnlyFans and/or she could have become a teen porn star. As a (liberal) feminist would say, "Anything. Anything. As long as she doesn't have an affair with an older man. Like, say, Scott Disick."

The Conway Household's Nude Teen Scandal

We've written about mother's selling their daughters into prostitution. For example, we posted that Demi Moore shared in Inside Out, her memoir, that when she was a 15-year-old nymphet, her alcoholic mother paraded her in bars. But we've never posted about mothers sharing nude photographs of their teen daughters on Twitter.

Jenna Amatulli of The Huffington Post posted that Kellyanne Conway, the former White House counselor, allegedly posted a topless photograph on Twitter's Fleets of Claudia Conway - Kellyanne's 16-year-old daughter. 

Claudia Conway and Kellyanne Conway

Amatulli posted:

Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway has been accused of posting a topless photograph of her teenage daughter, Claudia Conway, on Twitter.

Social media erupted on Monday night after Conway’s account, @KellyannePolls, allegedly shared a Fleet — a post on Twitter’s mobile platform that is meant to disappear after 24 hours — showing a partially nude Claudia, who is 16. The image has since been deleted, but other Twitter users say they took screenshots of it.

In a since-deleted video, Claudia told fans: “I’m assuming that when my mom took my phone ... she took a picture of that so that was on her phone. I guess she accidentally posted it or somebody hacked her. But nobody would ever have any photo like that, ever. So, Kellyanne, you’re going to fucking jail.” 

Censored Claudia Conway

Thus, it's clear, from Claudia's admission and the above censored screenshot, that Claudia took a topless teen photograph. And Amatulli shared that, per the Justice Department, Federal law prohibits the production, distribution, reception, and possession of an image of child pornography. But there has been no social media eruption over Claudia's production of a nude teen photograph. Interestingly, the age-of-consent in DC is 16. Hence, does that mean that Claudia and Kellyanne are off the hook?

Claudia Conway Dancing on TikTok

Prior to the Conway household's nude teen scandal, Kellyanne has complained to Claudia about her social media use, but other than TikToker Kristen Hancher, whom, per Distractify's Mustafa Gatollari, was banned from TikTok for promoting her OnlyFans account, most women (openly) condone nymphets dancing in thongs. 

Hancher posted on Twitter: "Funny how they [i.e., TikTok] like to keep [...] the 13 year olds wearing bikinis. Crazy." However, Taylor Lorenz opined on The New York Times' "Popcast" podcast (SEP 16, 2020) that sexualization of minors on TikTok is too focused around young women and that "there's a lot of over reaction":

I do think that, like, there's a level of empowerment. [...] Especially young women deserve. And I think that, you know, young women should feel confident in expressing themselves. You know, and if they wanna dance to a certain song and that makes them feel good and they wanna put that on the Internet [...] I worry about the kinda the sorta Boomer, "Oh back in my day we only danced to like wholesome show tunes." [...] There's just so much conversation and so much of it is around young women and that bothers me. Nobody says a single thing to these Sway boys that are literally sexualizing themselves every minute [...] by the way some of these Sway boys were doing the same thing before they turned 18 and they just don't get the same backlash that a young women does [...] I think that a lot of the concern over sexualization of minors and stuff is very focused around young women and can sometimes be used as an excuse to kind of shame them for things that you know maybe they like don't deserve it for - there's a lot of overreaction [...] 

I would reply to Lorenz that I would imagine that most Boomers would (privately) agree that both nymphets and Sway boys should avoid "dancing" in thongs on TikTok. 

Gen Z Influencer: Escorting Old Men on (Paid) Dates

Casey Lewis’ Substack, After School, consists of: “Daily links 'n things about youth culture and Gen Z consumer trends.” In the DIGITAL CULTURE section of the “Frontal Lobes and Virtual Wives” weekend edition (Jan 14, 2023), Lewis wrote about the latest #grwm (i.e., get ready with me ) TikToks, which are “get ready with me to go on paid dates”. 

The latest in #grwm, the popular TikTok category in which creators share their beauty routines. If you were into the “get ready with me to break up with my boyfriend” TikToks, wait until you see the “get ready with me to go on paid dates” TikToks. 

The most interesting thing about GRWMs, imo, is that while they’re doing their makeup, they’re not actually talking about their beauty routines — the creators are divulging personal anecdotes, giving the viewer a sense that they’re confiding in a friend — the friend being you, the viewer. Master storytellers, these girls!

To give her subscribers an example of a master storyteller, Lewis embedded a Jan 13, 2023 Tweet by noisé (@proetrie) whom shared a “get ready with me to go on paid date” TikTok by aubrey.kidd2 and tweeted that, although he condones escorting, he was shocked by how easy it has become. And he noted that the TikTok’s comments section was riddled with young women asking for the link to where they could also sign up to be paid to go on dates - with much older men. However, noisé noted that most men may start with a paid date, but only with the hope of advancing to paid sex - with their much younger escorts.)

noisé: likely the last tiktok (truly toxic app i’m addicted to) i will be posting but holy shit i’m shocked how easy this all has become—no judgment, good for her but the the comment section was other girls asking for the site.

why do women not realize why these dudes are doing this?!

In the TikTok, Aubrey opened with, “I’m going on a paid date. It’s literally how I pay my rent.” 

A co-worker told Aubrey about the website Whatsyourprice.com where it advertises “WhatsYourPrice® for the DATE of a Lifetime”

Aubrey: “She was like, ‘You can go on dates and get paid for it.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God. That sounds so cool. I wanna get paid to go on dates. Like, are you kidding me?” 

Aubrey got the first (paid) date jitters and “bailed out” on her initial offer of $200. However, like the Roman teen prostitutes, materialism (e.g., a desire for “a festival ticket or, like, new clothes for something”) was the impetus that she needed to accept the second offer of $200. 

Aubrey met her date for lunch at a Sushi restaurant in Pacific Beach.  How was the sushi - you may ask? Aubrey: “The fucking best sushi ever.” 

Due to the waitresses and staff looking suspiciously at Aubrey, she assumed that they assumed, “Oh my god, this girl’s an escort.”

Aubrey, who appears to be in her very early 20s described her date as a “crusty, dusty, ugly old man”, but she went on to share that the age-gap date had a “vibe”. And that she and her much older “cool” date had a good conversation.  

Aubrey: “But it was a vibe. We had a good conversation. He was a cool guy.”

After Aubrey’s old man gave her $200 under the table, Aubrey (strategically) informed him that she was going shopping at Urban Outfitters, which was (conveniently) next to the sushi restaurant. Consequently, Aubrey’s date took her to Urban Outfitters for a $500 shopping spree! 

Ergo, like NYC based influencer Talia Lichstein, Aubrey’s inner teleiophile came out, and she exclaimed:

“After that I was like, ‘You know what? Age is just a number.’ I don’t give a fuck if I get weird looks. This is great. I wanna keep doing this!”

Lastly, let's take a look at the comments section that noisé alluded to where, unsurprisingly, like Julia Fox, a number of young women condoned getting paid by (much) older men. 

gracyn meredith: Ma’am I have never signed up so quickly

Sydney B.: once you get past the first date i swear it’s so easy after that to continue doing it!!!!!

KayWithThaBeam: What’s the app or website???

And of course, very young women taking advantage of paid dates (i.e., escorting) isn't new. For example, we we recapped New York magazine's The Cut Sex Diaries feature, "The College Student Starting to Fall for Her Sugar Daddy" (OCT. 3, 2021), which is about a 21-year-old college student slash sugar baby slash part-time prostitute. But what is novel, is that Gen Zers and Millennials appear to be more open about their exploits. 

Viral TikTok Song: Eliza McLamb's "[Teen] Porn Star Tits"

We learned from Lena Geller’s IndyWeek piece “Talking with Eliza McLamb About Farming, TikTok Fame, and Playing a Hometown Show” (12/14/2022) that Eliza McLamb, a singer-songwriter, podcaster and Substacker, is considered a “Generation Z mouthpiece”, which is due to McLamb's song “Porn Star Tits'' that went viral on TikTok in 2020 when McLamb was 19. Consequently, McLamb’s music career was launched, which she's “very grateful for”.

Here’s McLamb’s “[Teen] Porn Star Tits” - in summary with the lyrics:

A 10-year-old girl was told by a man on the internet that she had porn star tits. (Note: Per the Colorado Department of Education, a 10-year-old would be in the 4th or 5th grade. And one can infer from this verse that the man was conversing with the preteen via a webcam.) The girl didn't understand what porn star tits were, but she did know that the man was “getting off” (i.e., self-gratificating). Consequently, the nymphet donned a bikini top, applied some makeup, and in an attempt to get more attention, went to a Gamestop, which is mostly patronized by boys. 

When I was ten years old, a man on the internet

Told me I had porn star tits

I didn't know what that meant

But I knew he was getting off on it

So I wore a bikini top under my v-neck

Went to the mall to try on some makeup

Walked into GameStop looking for attention

But all I got was condescension

By the 7th grade (i.e., approximately 12-years-old), the girl realized that her teen porn star tits were profoundly powerful. Consequently, in an effort to make the schoolboys be nice to her, she, à la Karen of Mean Girls and Swiffer Girl, sexted her porn star tits; however, the boys traded her nudes like Pokemon cards. 

In seventh grade, I figured out

That my porn star tits are pretty powerful

They make boys be nice to me for a week

Then they trade that shit like Pokemon cards

Swapping my body with somebody else's

That's metrically hotter than mine

How can I, a seven, compete with all these nines?

(Dude, she thinks she's a seven)

Well, I guess I could steal their boyfriends

Or I guess I could go to church

I either play the whore or Madonna and I'm not sure which one's worse

Bought a pack of Marlboro Reds

'Cause I saw on Tumblr that's a pretty girl cigarette

Smoked one thinking it made me look cool

Then I threw it all up in the girls' bathroom at school

On the weekends, the nymphet went to parties where she used her porn star tits as currency to have “mediocre [teen] sex” in a stranger’s room; however, afterward she felt empty, but she admitted that she kinda liked being able to use her sexuality as currency in exchange for attention slash sex.

And on the weekends, I show up to parties that I'm not invited to

Out of spite, I have a good attitude

Dance all night 'til I end up in someone's room

I say, "I like the way you talk to me"

He says, "I like the way you look at me

Hey, by the way, if we sleep together

Tomorrow I'll act like I don't remember"

And that's when it dawned on me

That my porn star tits are pretty good currency

For mediocre sex and a feeling of total fucking emptiness

I mean, didn't I ask for it a little bit

In some strange way, I kinda like it

That voice in my head telling me, "Good girl, it's working, isn't it"

Isn't it? Fuck

And the teen related that she could deal with feeling “disembodied” - as long as she had a “bangin'” body that could get her recognition on Instagram (i.e., likes and a DM). 

If I have to feel so disembodied, the body better be bangin'

It's gotta be the type to get me a few likes

On Instagram and a DM that says "slut"

McLamb Explained "Porn Star Tits"

McLamb explained “Porn Star Tits” in a TikTok where she said that a lot of young girls are hypersexual, because it’s rewarding and “truly validating”. And she strongly disagreed with feminists whom say that young girls aren’t sexual. McLamb countered that teens “do act sexually”, because they yearn to be validated as “desirable “object[s]” :

“A lot of girls become hypersexual at a young age - not because of daddy issues or because of some deeper narcissistic wound of ego but because that behavior is rewarded by your culture. And it is truly validating.”

“I  became disillusioned with a lot of feminist discussions around this issue because it didn’t make sense to me. They say, “Young girls don’t like to be objectified. Young girls aren’t sexual. You’re sexualizing them.”

“But that didn’t make sense to me. Young girls do act sexually. Young girls do seek validation based on their status as a desirable ‘object’” 

Lastly, Sloan Pecchia posted on Uproxx: “Eliza McLamb Is Leaving TikTok Behind For Something Deeper On ‘Going Through It’ (January 24, 2024). In the piece, McLamb confessed that even though she has distanced herself from “Porn Star Tits”, which by 2023 had been streamed approximately four million times, she strategically included it on Memos, her first EP. #teensexsells Unsurprisingly, it worked. 

McLamb’s first EP, Memos, featured her most commercially successful song to date, “Porn Star Tits.” This song in particular had gone viral on TikTok when she first wrote it in 2020, but when deciding what songs to include on the track listing, it was not at the top of the list. However, it seemed she felt obligated to include it, as it initially helped drive her success. “I wanted to Trojan horse the rest of the work through that song, being like, ‘Okay people listened to this song. Maybe they’ll listen to the rest of it,’” McLamb explains. That tactic seems to have worked as the success of Memos [...]

Like Spotify, McLamb may have “distanced” herself from “Porn Star Tits”, but some teen TikTokers are still close to the suggestive song.