Trans TikTok sensation, Jory (@AlluringSkull) has taken the internet by storm with her perfect mix of comedy and poignant social statements -- but she's the first to admit she didn't join the platform with that intention.
So, why did she start creating content?
We sat down with Jory to hear more about how she's used TikTok to share her true self with the world, and her journey as a creator since she did.
TikTok Was Jory's Finsta
Asked if she set out to make a statement with her TikTok account, Jory answers with a resounding "No."
"I didn't really intend to ever be comedic or make social statements on such a large scale," she shares.
So, what was her motivation, then?
"I initially started my page on TikTok to do whatever felt right in the moment, and to just be myself without worrying about being aesthetic or annoying co-workers, friends, family, and people who followed my Instagram modeling page."
"It was a place for me to shout into the void without being a nuisance, because I felt that being myself was a burden to those around me," she admits.
"TikTok was essentially my Finsta, where I posted, said, and did what felt right, and that lack of expectation, I believe, is what drew people to me."
She Never Anticipated The Heights She'd Reach
Though Jory's unabashed authenticity has undoubtedly played a role in her popularity on TikTok, she maintains that, even as her profile grew, she didn't expect to blow up as she has.
"I thought I would hopefully get some side work out of modeling, and perhaps internally influence the modeling industry to be more inclusive, but if you would've told me that I'd move to LA in 2017, and go from making coffee for influencers and celebrities, to going to dinner with them and having a platform, I'd laugh at you."
That said, those around her certainly saw some serious potential in her, even if she hadn't yet seen it herself.
"I had a friend who would always tell me that I'd be a star, and that I had a perspective that would change the world. It would always make me uncomfortable, but he would beg me to make YouTube videos because he was convinced that I would blow up, and I would always just say, 'Yeah right, girl.' I appreciated it, but I just didn't see what he saw in me, at the time."
So, When Did She Start - And What Was Her Driver?
Jory might not have seen the magic in herself at the start of her journey as a content creator, but something motivated her to keep pushing, anyway.
So, what was it?
"I started making content in 2017, when I was struggling with gender dysphoria. I noticed a lack of diversity in the space of creators and models. I explored photography and modeling, hoping to get signed to an agency, and I used Instagram as a portfolio."
To an extent, that worked - two major modeling agencies came knocking.
However, they weren't without conditions.
"They wanted me to close my stretched ears," Jory recounts.
Not willing to change herself, she refused - and she admits that for a time, she believed that was the end of the road for her.
"I still had gender dysphoria. I would never be a model, and the platform of 10k that I had built on Instagram was predominantly men, attracted to a version of me that didn't exist outside of their phone screen. I wasn't allowed to have opinions or thoughts, I was only allowed to post aesthetic photos and abs."
"So," she continues, "I quit my Instagram and made the jump to TikTok, to be free from the persona I'd developed."
"I took with me the few bits of authenticity I had shown on that platform with me: being tattooed and wanting to build an inclusive space."
Sure enough, that authenticity resonated with her new audience -- and she began raking up the views.
"The day I decided to start posting regularly on TikTok, I hit around 300k views on a video where I was talking about being bisexual. I expected it to be a fluke, but the next day, I hit over 100k on a video - and it happened again, and again ... and again, day after day."
Something tells us, this is still just the beginning of Jory's meteoric rise - and she's doing it all while staying true to herself.
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