Alexa Demie: the power of secrecy

Alexia Demie, most known for her role as Maddy Perez on HBO's Euphoria, is considered one of the current "it girls" of 2022. For reference, an "it girl" are those girls you want to know more about, like them, speak like them, and fundamentally be them. "It girls" are able to captivate people to be inspired by their sense of style, humor, and living. It is very changeling to articulate why Alexa exemplifies a modern "it girl". Some say it is because of her impeccable style, and others may say it is due to her powerful acting. But, in my opinion, these things are small factors in her rising popularity. For me, the main reason for her rise is her acclaimed reputation of being private. When you think of a celebrity, you most likely think of someone who shares their glamorous and successful life with the world. TV stars have this sort of obligation to share every single detail of their lives with the public, this is why everyone is obsessed with them. With these details, fans feel like they have somewhat of a "relationship" with their favorite stars. With the rise of social media in the last century, celebrities are now becoming more open and starting away from maintain their privacy. They are trying to deepen their connection with their fans by creating podcasts, YouTube channels, TikTok accounts, etc.

Contrary to this, Alexa Demie's approach is quite different. As a Hollywood actress, Alexa has successfully kept her life under complete wraps. Her life is so unknown that no one knows her real age, which has become a huge inside joke throughout all social media platforms and has intrigued many to find information on her. Before her breakout role in Euphoria, Alexa had a very minimal acting resume. But, she had still been spotted hanging out with A-list celebrities like the Kardashians, Bella Hadid, Azealia Banks, and Hailey Bieber. In interviews, Alexa mainly focuses on speaking about her work rather than her personal life. She does not give a single satisfaction to the public about her personal life.

In my opinion, this form of leading with fame has made her more iconic and inspirational. I would only imagine that protecting her privacy has made her being in the spotlight significantly easier. Many celebrities we know have lost their privacy due to oversharing. Once they publicly think they know you, they do not respect your boundaries. Alexa leading her fame with a confidential lifestyle makes it harder for the public to invade her privacy. She also has no room to be attacked on a personal level because the public does not know detailed things about her life. They only know what she wants the public to know.

There are also countless reasons why she's maintaining her privacy and not sharing what is needed proves to be beneficial to her and her brand. Firstly it avoids the problem of oversaturation, which is a common issue with newer celebrities. This happens when the public meets a new celebrity, and they have seen them so much that in the end, they become tired of them and want someone new. Another reason I feel like she avoided sharing more than necessary is the rise of "cancel culture". Cancel culture is when a group of people (usually on social media) try to cancel someone for something done in the past, having an unpopular opinion, or for anything. But, you can't cancel someone if they are not constantly active on social media or speak up in public often. This makes it hard to dislike her or even problematic, after all, we don't even know how old she is.

Now, I am not saying that if you become a celebrity you should delete all forms of social media and never do any interviews. There is a beauty to retable celebrities and influencers that brings a liking to them, fans like us feel more connected and involved with the celebrity. We feel we know their thoughts, feelings, growth, and development. However, I also believe that taking the more elusive approach can vastly increase a celebrity's allure and popularity, both huge characteristics of becoming the next "it girl". For me, Alexa could be anyone, and we would not know. All we know is she took Lin Manuel Miranda's words to heart by talking less and smiling more.