If you ask someone to name a TikTok celebrity, Addison Rae is almost certainly one of the first names that comes to mind.

The 20-year-old began using TikTok in 2019, and within a few months, she had amassed millions of fans thanks to her popular dancing videos. This prompted her to drop out of her broadcast journalism program and relocate to Los Angeles to pursue this new job.

She currently has over 85 million followers on Instagram, but it’s evident she doesn’t want to limit herself to the platform since she has recently started singing and acting careers.

Despite her enormous popularity, though, there are still hordes of people itching to critique her every move.

She’s been chastised for watching anime, playing Among Us with Dream, being “boring” in a Jimmy Kimmel appearance, being “awkward” when presenting at the BBMAs, supposedly smoking a cigarette, mispronouncing Versace… just to name a few things.

the list goes on and on

So, what is it about the influencer that fosters this never-ending hatred?

It’s an understatement to say Addison is the essence of TikTok virality. As is the case with many TikTok stars, Addison’s success and stardom literally fell at her feet. She managed to become a star almost overnight without even meaning to.

As a result, she has been offered numerous job options across a variety of industries.

Of course, for many people, just thinking about it is a source of frustration. Rae has unknowingly become the poster child for TikTok’s association with the notion of “talentless” but conventionally gorgeous people being given a world of possibility.

However, because it’s easier to hate people than it is to hate concepts, the celebrity has become a punching bag for those who despise the TikTok phenomena as a whole. People feel justified in tearing her apart because they believe her popularity isn’t ‘earned’ in the first place. People aren’t just waiting for her to make a mistake; they’re actively hunting for flaws in her character. Criticizing Addison has become a’meme’ in and of itself in some instances.

Rae, more than anyone else, is well aware of the impact she has on others. “I get a lot of hate and for the strangest stuff,” she stated in an interview with Mane Addicts. People appear to despise me for being too nice… they simply despise it. People are truly irritated by my constant smile. “What the [expletive] is this [expletive] excited about?” they wonder.

Rather than strike out at hate, Addison takes a more lighter approach to the situation, preferring to respond with a joke, even if it’s at her own expense. Unfortunately, this usually enrages trolls even more.

The negativity, according to Addison, arises from a desire to project and a belief that their comments would have no influence on the recipient. “When you see someone on the internet who has a lot of likes or follows, you don’t think they’ll read [bad remarks], so you just project it onto them,” she explained.

With the culture of negativity on TikTok is becoming more normalised, it’s not uncommon for entire videos and comment sections to be dedicated to bashing on Addison—but stars like Charli & Dixie D’Amelio have demonstrated that this attitude is not without consequence.