Why The D’Amelio Show is Actually Important
No, the show wasn’t about Charli and Dixie making TikToks all day.
by RORY KANE ★ NOVEMBER 2, 2021
We all used to think the D’Amelio sisters were overrated. Like many others, I had the popular opinion that they didn’t do anything that requires hard work... I mean, how hard is it to memorize a TikTok dance, right? But, after watching just one episode of their docuseries “The D’Amelio Show” on Hulu, my whole perception of the D’Amelios changed completely. I immediately followed them on Instagram and actually, like, want to be their friend (ASAP!).
Charli and Dixie D’Amelio (and their parents) have gotten a LOT of hate through social media, so much so that literal tears have been shed. If you’ve ever shared that contempt toward them, your mind will be changed after watching their show. Before the show came out, people of course hated on Charli and Dixie D’Amelio and assumed that all the show would be about was their lives making Tik Toks. I personally didn’t know what to expect from them because I thought, they’re way too normal to be entertaining in a reality show. But I speak for many viewers when I say the D’amelio family really surprised us all.
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If you didn’t already know, Charli and Dixie moved to LA when they started gaining a ton of followers on social media and wanted to pursue the opportunities fame offered them. They are the most normal people ever, who were in the right place at the right time; they got caught up in the rise of TikTok. They were just riding the wave, which unfortunately included, and still includes, receiving massive amounts of hate from speculators.
Who wouldn’t ride that wave to fame, though? As Charli says on the show, “If you were given the opportunity to pursue a musical career or whatever career, would you say no? No you wouldn’t, so why would we?” She called out everyone for just being jealous and she is so right. The hate that she gets from people is straight jealousy, and we all know that if we were ever offered their lives and opportunities, we would all take it in a second.
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The first episode, “Charli D’Amelio? What the Heck,” starts off showing Charli getting ready in the morning with text message bubbles popping up on the screen, mimicking some of the hate she gets on a daily basis. Some of the comments were nice like “We love you Charli,” or “Guys, she’s just a teenager.” But most of them included things like “Get a real job,” “How are you famous,” and “You are so annoying.” We’re really able to see how she lives: with comments and notifications constantly blowing up her phone and bothering her all day long. Imagine being sixteen years old and constantly getting messages on your phone criticizing you (I would NOT survive).
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But it’s not just Charli who has to deal with this negativity. In the following episode, “A True Story of Us,” the show focuses on Dixie and how she struggles with her own negative messages. At one point, we see Dixie break down crying to her parents about how people called her “musty” in a video she shot for Vogue’s YouTube page. This caused Dixie to have a panic attack, but she still allowed the cameras to film to show just how real the hate can be.
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Dixie and Charli eventually tell viewers about how they already deal with anxiety and depression. They express what it is like to have anxiety, that they go to therapy for it, and how it is especially hard to cope with it when they have so many people against them. We see Charli delete dancing videos of herself because of the anxiety posting caused her as well as her turning down shooting a thank you video for Time Magazine after winning an influential person award because she was anxious that people would hate her for being on the Time 100 list. It is really upsetting, to say the least, and if you struggle with similar issues, it is so helpful to see that someone like her struggles with them too. When have we ever seen a reality TV show that highlights someone’s personal struggles with mental health?
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The topic of mental health is not NEARLY talked about enough in the spotlight as much as it should be. But Charli and Dixie are bold enough to change that stigma and help people struggling with anxiety and depression through making a show literally centered around their experiences (something true influencers do). So, if you haven’t yet, go watch their show right now because trust me, your idea of them as spoiled brats with no work ethic will definitely change. They’re just normal human beings struggling to adapt to the unknown world of fame.
Cover Photo Credit: Pinterest