It’s Women’s History Month, and we’re celebrating by talking to some of Canada’s biggest, and youngest, TikTok stars—fierce young ladies who are taking the social media platform by storm. Our chat with Myah Elliott revealed that this content creator, with nearly 180K followers, how she is using her voice to create change, establish community and help women and girls feel seen and understood. —Vita Daily
Hi Myah! Please tell us a little bit about yourself to start.
My name is Myah Elliott; I am a 19-year-old content creator/entrepreneur from Toronto. I am currently in school studying creative advertising, as well as working two part-time jobs. I also recently launched a business called Dyenamix with a close friend, supplying apparel and custom work for other small businesses, and designing our own clothing as well. In my free time, I enjoy playing video games, watching an unhealthy amount of time watching movies, and finding fun activities to do with friends. I love travelling (even though COVID-19 ruined a lot of those plans), and I hope by next year, I can visit some new places.
How did you achieve (and continue to maintain) your amazing TikTok following/fame?
I had TikTok since September of 2019, but from then until the pandemic hit us hard in March, I was sitting at a solid 300 followers. I would post one of the dance trends once in a while, and it was all for fun. While I had nothing to do during lockdown, I started to expand the type of content I was making. I had all the time in the world to brainstorm new ideas. So I got creative and started incorporating my own personality and lifestyle into my videos. I was filming story times, rants and reaction videos. Soon enough, one of my “Unpopular Opinions” videos started blowing up, and my following count started rising as well. I continued filming similar videos, and posted four to five times a day so I could keep the hype going. To this day, I try to make funny and relatable content so anyone watching my videos can engage in fun conversation in the comments. It’s become a huge part of my life, and I never would have seen it coming.
What do you like about TikTok as a platform (as opposed to other forms of social media) and how do you use that platform to influence and inspire those that follow you?
What I like about TikTok is its ability to make any video go viral. Sure, it is possible to do that on other platforms, but I find that it is easier on TikTok. I have heard many theories on how the algorithms work. I don’t know if any of them are true, but whatever it is, I love it because the recommendations page (mainly known as the for you page) is so good at finding content I would like. I could scroll through for hours and not realize because it is constantly giving me content that I enjoy watching, which is mainly life hacks, comedy, and dances. Knowing that, I make content knowing that people who enjoy watching rants, will see my videos. I also get quite a few direct messages of small creators asking for advice on how to create content that will perform well, and I always say it is about trying to create videos or trends that do not exist yet, and make videos you would love to see other creators doing as well.
What topics do you cover/share most? Where do your passions lie?
One of my favourite videos to film is unpopular opinions. I tend to have a lot of them, so I love sharing them and interacting with those who agree and disagree. If you were to go to the comment section of my videos, you would see many users commenting their unpopular opinions so I can react to them as well. It’s an easy way for me to make content, because there is always an opinion to react to. I have always found it easy to talk about topics I am passionate about.
Have you ever had to deal with haters on social media? If so, what’s your approach?
Surprisingly, I haven’t dealt with too much hate. Yet. I’ve had a couple people call me names because they do not agree with my opinions, but I never let it bother me. Everyone has a right to believe what they want. My rule of thumb is not to take it personal if I do not know them personally. Ignoring them is always the best decision, considering other people will see the comment and question them anyways. However, I have gotten quite a few comments saying I “sound white” or “your taste in music is white.” I do not take it as an insult, but I assume it is because they believe I do not fit in my stereotype. Ignorance is all it is.
What have some of the highlights of being so prominent on TikTok been for you?
For me, the highlights are just rolling in! I just got accepted into the TikTok Creator Marketplace, where brands can find me to do paid promotional videos! I recently partnered with Endy, a Canadian mattress brand! That was really exciting since that was my first paid promotional video ever. I am looking forward to seeing what other brands and creators I get the opportunity to work with next!
October is Women’s History Month—what is the significance to you, and how are you using your voice to create change, establish community and help women and girls feel seen and understood?
I am so happy to be a woman. I am so thankful and grateful to live in a time and place where I am not limited to what I can do and say because of my gender. At my age, I feel like I have accomplished a lot of great things, like being the host of a news show, being the youngest manager at my part time job, and being the co-founder of my business. Since more than 80 percent of my followers are female, and they are young girls from across the globe, I know I have built a platform where they see something in me, and I want all females watching my content to know that they are capable of the same thing. I want them to believe they are more than enough. Plus, it is great to see so many other female creators projecting the same message.
With so many people following you on TikTok, who are some of your favourite female accounts to follow?
There are so many amazing female creators on TikTok! It was definitely hard to narrow it down, but here are a few of my CANADIAN favourites:
- @spencer.barbosa is hands down one of my favourite female creators. She is one of the most positive people you’ll ever meet. Her content is mainly about lifestyle, self-improvement, and empowerment, and she embodies confidence, so if you need some uplifting, give her a follow! She also runs her own business which I have seen grow so much. I have the absolute pleasure of knowing her personally, and I am so proud of everything she has accomplished.
- @faithwiththejokes is one of the funniest creators I know. She makes a lot of comedic skits, and you could spend hours watching her content. She is also from Toronto, so you could see us collaborating very soon since we both make hilarious content.
- @weaintokeke—well, if you enjoy my content, you will definitely enjoy hers, too! I see Rachel as my long-lost content twin, and I hope we get to collaborate on some videos as well! She also posts funny rants, realizations and stories, and she never shies away from being her true self. It doesn’t get better than that!
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