The D’Amelio Show just premiered on September 3rd on Hulu and the reactions have been interesting. The show peels back the curtain on the most intimate part of Tik Tok stars, Charli and Dixie D’Amelio’s, lives. Just two years ago, Charli was a high school sophomore in Connecticut posting TikTok dances for fun, and now she has 123.9 million followers on the app. Charli and Dixie, almost entirely by accident, are now global influencers on the most culturally influential social media platform in the country right now. The new docuseries address how challenging fan and internet culture has become for their personal lives.
The D’Amelio show tries to keep the same affinity that Keeping Up With the Kardashians has through on-camera confessionals, attending the sister’s professional meetings, and watching in on singing lessons, rehearsals, and fittings. The thing that separates The D’Amelio Show from KUWTK is that the bulk of the series weighs into the question of fame and how it affects the sisters’ lives. This makes The D’Amelio Show straightforward with its “slice of life” think piece approach.
The D’Amelio’s are very lucky to be in their current position, and there’s no denying that. The new docuseries doesn’t try to downplay their luck but instead sheds light on the fact that things aren’t always as they seem. TikTok became popular with its 30-seconds to 3-minute videos, but that doesn’t nearly show you the entirety of a person. Charli and Dixie became popular off of an app that gives you snippets of their lives, their interests, and their relationships. Now, The D’Amelio Show is here to give you a full picture.
The Toxicity of Fan Culture
Being an internet personality has some amazing perks -meeting huge celebrities, countless brand deals, a music career, and more- The two sisters were even lucky enough to land a “Day in the Life” video segment with Vogue. After the video was released in January, Dixie was barraged with hateful comments. The 19-year-old broke down in tears after reading the comments.
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“It just makes me feel like I don’t deserve anything,” Dixie cried on the eight-episode show. “Everyone else can show emotions or talk about things and everyone supports them but anytime I talk about literal s— I’ve been through, it doesn’t matter and it just turns into a joke.”
Since skyrocketing to fame, Charli D’Amelio has also been subjected to so much online bullying that she had to seek therapy. On The D’Amelio Show, Charli opens up about how even her therapist says she shouldn’t be sad because their daughter is a fan.
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“This happened as an accident, and now I just have to be okay with everyone saying anything,” Charli explains. “I don’t know. I feel like it just gets more difficult every day. This is why I don’t go out. This is why I don’t want to talk to anyone.”
Fans reacted to the series by showing their support on social media, claiming it broke their heart to see them cry, and recognizing how difficult it must be in their position
The Takeaway
The D’Amelio Show has an agenda within its episodes, but it’s much needed. It forces the audience to see the reality behind social media-fueled fame. The same creators that the internet has put on a pedestal are also criticized for reveling in the advantages of the platform that was given to them. So whether you’re a fan of the D’Amelio’s or not, their show is still worth a watch. If not for the insight of these TikToker’s everyday lives, watch it for a deeper insight into the demands of teen internet fame and the drastic effects of overnight success.
