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Most individuals can in all probability recall a time they tried desperately to seize a crush’s consideration. However few can recount as many cringeworthy makes an attempt as Riley Collins.
Hundreds of thousands of TikTok customers are by now accustomed to Collins, 23, who commonly posts screenshot proof of one more humiliating means she tried to impress her childhood crushes by means of social media. Almost 200,000 individuals comply with her on the platform, the place she goes by @ryelejean.
“Lots of people ask me how I’m in a position to publish with out being embarrassed,” Collins, who lives in Ardmore, Oklahoma, mentioned, “however I believe there’s lots of people that relate to my posts they usually really feel seen by means of them.”
The examples present a wide range of social media posts she made in her teen years, all in response to one thing a crush did.
After a crush wore a shirt to highschool stamped with the phrases “sorry I’m awkward,” she went house and posted an Instagram selfie captioned, “Let’s be awkward collectively. ❤️”
After a crush expressed needing a date for his or her aunt’s marriage ceremony, she instantly posted a photograph of herself in a glittery yellow costume, emphasizing within the caption that she hasn’t had an event to put on it but.
After a crush lamented on-line that they wished any individual would see them for who they’re, she uploaded a close-up of her eye 20 minutes later with the caption, “I see you!!!(:”
One commenter joked, “lady im satisfied advert a sure level they simply began saying random issues to see what you’d publish 💀,” racking up greater than 100,000 likes.
Private tales have turn into one of the vital efficient content material and engagement mills on TikTok, making a tradition of confession that encourages turning diaries into guestbooks. It’s a dangerous line to toe: Be simply susceptible sufficient and the lots will relate, however go too far and also you would possibly turn into the subsequent viral laughingstock.
Web customers have lengthy confessed their worst moments on text-based platforms like Tumblr, Reddit and X, the web site previously referred to as Twitter, which provided customers some semblance of anonymity. However on TikTok, the place an emphasis on visuals meets an appreciation for unhinged humor, extra individuals than ever are snug publishing their full faces on-line when divulging private secrets and techniques.
Essentially the most excessive of those confessions would possibly spark a whole bunch of judgmental responses or find yourself on an X account devoted to “wild (tiktok) screenshots.”
For Collins, displaying the web her most mortifying middle-school-era Instagram posts has constructed her devoted following on the app, however even those that don’t comply with her have doubtless seen tidbits of her lore. Commenters usually comment that they thought her crush collection was a development till they realized they’d been seeing the identical face on their “For You” web page the entire time.
Every video she serves generates renewed astonishment that there’s nonetheless extra. Many viewers merely take pleasure in laughing along with her, and a few say her movies gave them consolation in realizing that not less than another person on the market was simply as unhinged as they had been at that age.
Collins has been steadily rolling out these movies because the begin of 2022. Up to now, she has shared almost 90 embarrassing moments — and the nicely continues to be removed from working dry.
Each screenshot she shares is sourced from a public Instagram account she’s been locked out of since 2017. Not all the account’s 2,000-plus posts revolved round her crushes, she mentioned, however she’s bought greater than sufficient of them to gasoline her content material.
Some curious sleuths have managed to search out the previous profile, now an internet time capsule of Collins’ social media presence all by means of her childhood and teenage years.
“At first it felt fairly intimidating to have all people go search by means of my previous life, however now it’s sort of humorous as a result of my following on that account has gone up a lot because the final time I used to be in a position to get into it,” Collins mentioned. “So now it’s sort of like a secret society of the folks that do discover it.”
So, did her not-so-subtle social media hints ever work?
The overwhelming majority didn’t, she mentioned, however her makes an attempt did land her one among her crushes — he grew to become her first boyfriend.
In 2012, he posted a selfie captioned, “regular is boring.” Ten minutes later, she uploaded her personal selfie displaying her staring wide-eyed into the digital camera whereas biting the ear of a stuffed bear. The caption learn: “I’ll NEVER be regular!!! ^_^”
They’d by no means interacted a lot within the Spanish class they shared, she mentioned. However he appeared to note that hyper-specific publish. He gave it a like, and after that, the 2 began attending to know one another.
“Most of my different crushes had been fairly oblivious, so I don’t assume they’d know my posts had been about them even when they’d seen them,” she mentioned. “However I’ve a pair which have messaged me and simply been like, ‘Hey, is that this one about me?’”
She mentioned she by no means anticipated to construct such a big platform off touting her cringiest recollections, however they simply stored going viral. It quickly grew to become large speak in her small city as previous pals from college acknowledged her on their For You web page.
“At first I felt so anxious, however I believe that I’ve actually grown to simply be excited for it,” Collins mentioned. “My web page has turn into a protected house for everybody to share their very own experiences with their previous, and I like that.”
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