The rise of #CougarTok: Here’s how ‘Whiteyy18’ racked up 1.2m followers
TikTok sensation ‘Whiteyy18’ has gained an army of middle-aged women followers who adore his every lip sync of 1980s classics.
Gen Z Tik-Toker William White, aka Whiteyy18, became a #CougarTok sensation as he lip-synced 1980s hits catching the attention of middle-aged women who helped jump his follower count to 1.2 million in a matter of days.
WILLIAM WHITE WINS OVER #COUGARTOK
Male model William White has just claimed his TikTok fame by taking an unconventional route to gaining more followers. While most Gen Z influencers and content creators target their own age group with viral dances, fashion hacks and relatable meme content, William White set his gaze on middle-aged moms.
The middle-aged moms form #CougarTok, a hashtag with over 296 million views on the platform. Whiteyy18 posts videos of himself lip-syncing to classic 1980s hits, such as Chicago’s If You Leave Me Now and Prince’s Little Red Corvette. His videos have been dominating TikTok’s “For You” page.
The Gen Z superstar is making money from his million followers as his TikTok account is linked to PayPal and he seems to be accepting song requests.
WATCH WHITEYY18’S LIP–SYNCING SKILLS
@whiteyy18 ♬ Into The Night – Benny Mardones
@whiteyy18 You guys wanted it so here you go ❤️ ##ignition
♬ Ignition (Remix) – R. Kelly
The TikTok fame came as a surprise to the former hockey player.
“This is all surreal to me and I can’t believe how many people are liking my videos, I have a lot of British fans and I hope to come to the UK one day soon. I’ve had lots of lovely messages and I can’t thank them enough,” said William White to Mirror.
“I just grew up listening to the oldies with my Mom and Dad, and I’ve always connected with it,” he added.
#COUGARTOK REACTS TO VIDEOS
The #CourgarTok community was more than impressed by their Gen Z heartthrob’s lip-syncing skills.
“On behalf of the cougar nation we adore you. You know our songs. You wink at the screen and yes…we wink back,” wrote a fan on Tik-Tok.
“Oh dear god that eye roll gets me every time I watch this Us 50+ women will make this guy a superstar. Check out William White’s video! #TikTok,” wrote another fan.
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