Welcome to Creators on the Rise, where we find and profile breakout creators who are in the midst of extraordinary growth. You can check out previous installments here.
Three years ago, on her 22nd birthday, Naomi Hearts made a decision.
“I’m like, ‘I know that I can do it,'” she says. “‘I want to follow my dreams.'”
Her dream was to be a content creator–and when she told her mom about it, she wasn’t exactly sure what the response would be. Turns out, it was a pretty good one: Her mom bought her a streaming camera, and Hearts jumped on Twitch.
“I was doing fine. I was having fun with it,” she says. “[B]ut then my friend was like, ‘You should really do TikTok.'”
Hearts said nah. She, like many people, figured TikTok was an app for kids, where dancing reigned supreme. She didn’t think her content–which spans various lifestyle niches and also focuses on body positivity and trans/queer activism–would be a fit. Luckily, her friend kept pushing, and Hearts gave in. One video, where she parodies the Kardashians by shaking a salad, took off, and her account “just skyrocketed,” she says.
She ended up pausing her Twitch streams and going full-throttle on TikTok, where she now has over a million followers.
2023 has been Hearts’ biggest year yet: She secured a partnership with Target and is wrapped up in production for her first clothing line–an endeavor that’s taken a lot of negotiating to ensure her plus-size and straight-size items will be priced the same.
Check out our chat with her below.
@naomiheartsxo Is this a cannon event for the babes i need to know 😭🤰🏻 #relatable #plussize #funny #comedy #plussizeedition ♬ original sound – NaomiHearts
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Naomi Hearts: I’ve done a few. I just kind of take them as like a chat with a friend.
I’m Naomi Hearts. I am 25 years old, and I started this during COVID. I’m a COVID creator, as I like to call it. A lot of my content truly is based off confidence and self-love and reclaiming hateful things that people say about us and turning them into a positive. I feel like if people were watching me for the first time, they would pick up on that and also have a good laugh.
Early on, one thing I wanted to not do was be niched down. I know that a niche can work with people, and I know that niches are super beneficial, but for me, it’s like, I don’t need to be niched down. I just make the core of my content myself, and then expand off of that. If we’re doing fashion, we’re going to have a good time with the fashion, but I’m at the core of it. If we’re doing body positivity, it’s the same thing. If we’re doing comedy, it’s the same thing. It’s just always me at the root, and not being afraid to dabble with different niches.
I agree. I think also, though, that’s something that scares people, and I always say, “Don’t be afraid.” When you’re switching up your content, as you should often, people are not going to necessarily always show up for it, because it’s not something that they’re used to. They were watching what you were saying, watching you for a different game, but you’re going to find a new audience–and also, the audience that’s already been watching is going to engage as long as you stay true to yourself.
Yes. I would say so. I think it’s just not– Maybe it’s because I grew up fat and trans. I grew up in high school as trans, but I was always fat before I was out, and so, I feel like, for me, this is just amplified at a higher level. You know what I mean? The hate comments, the bullying, we experienced that as queer people already in school. For me, it’s like, it’s just now elevated. I feel like, as for me, it made me stronger when I was growing up, and so now I’m just here to let people know that it’s okay to be yourself.
It was Twitch.
Yes.
I don’t know. I think it was my 20th birthday, maybe 21st, but it was back in 2020. It was my 22nd, I’m way off. I think I’m younger than I am. Ignore me. It was my birthday, and I was really, really– I’m like, “I know that I can do it. I want to follow my dreams,” and I told my mom and she bought me my first streaming camera. I started doing Twitch, and I was doing fine. I was having fun with it, but then my friend was like, “You should really do TikTok.” I was like, “No. People do dances there. I’m not really a dancer. It’s kind of a young app. It’s not me.” Then, all of a sudden, I was like, “Let me give it a shot, ” and it just skyrocketed. I was like, “Okay, Twitch can pause for a second.”
I think the first video that took off was a Kardashian skit, where I was just shaking a salad. I think I hit 100k by the end of my first year, and then it just kept stacking and stacking and stacking every year. I was forever grateful for it.
Yes. I believe in 2021 is when I first started to get brand deals. Not necessarily huge ones, but– I’m excited for it. I’m grateful for it. I was learning so much at the time, and I was like, “Okay, this really is something bigger and something that I should pursue.” It was just after my first year, I started to really see so much growth, and people reaching out in terms of collaborating on a monetary scale. I was like, “Yes, I think this is definitely bigger than what I expected it to be.”
At the moment, yes. For me, it’s business, and it’s just being strategic. Every brand or social media site has their own way of gaining money, for sure, giving out money, their systems, but I believe that the easiest way for me, or the best way at the moment, is brand deals, for sure.
I don’t use it often enough to be like, “Oh, I love it,” but I will say going back to the niches, it is for my people who love a lifestyle niche, and who just love to create and have fun. I feel like it’s a really good way to get inspired and also be creative. I think sometimes it’s hard to stay creative all the time when we’re following trends, but I think it’s a good way for you to deep dive into your own creativity and create what you want to see.
I did, yes. That was my, I believe, my biggest collaboration this year, was with Target.
It actually happened right during all of that, but they were super, super supportive, super sweet. They were offering like if I needed anyone to contact or call, or talk to about any hate comments, they would be quick to delete them. If I needed someone just to talk to about my experience, they were available. They were just super, super good to work with in that way. I could tell that it wasn’t just like, “Oh, we’re reaching out to transgender creators, we’re going to do whatever.” It was like they genuinely cared about their creators. They let us know they’re here for us, let us know if there’s anything they can do. It was just a really great experience.
Pride was wild this year, for sure.
It’s changed a lot. When I first started on TikTok, I think I would make about six to seven videos daily.
Daily. As I started to learn more about the algorithm and learn more about engagement, not every video is going to be a hit and that’s okay. I learned how to tone it down. Right now, like my schedule, what I do typically is like, I am really invested in my emails as Chloe and Elisa would know, and my manager as well. I’m really hands on. I love to be just into it and seeing what’s going on. If there’s anything we need to discuss, we’ll discuss it.
I used to not pun out content, now I plan it a little bit more just to have more structure, because I think the hardest thing as a creator, and for me, at least, the hardest thing is not having structure, not being able to– having all this time, such a privilege. Also, for me, it’s like, I wish I just had more structure and me with like my ADHD and my brain, I’m everywhere. I think that’s really what gets me.
Yes. Right now, the the biggest thing I’m focusing on for the end of the year is merch. It’s been kind of like a long time coming. It’s been the biggest thing people have asked for for the past three years that I’ve been on social: When is the merch coming? I’m like, honestly, my biggest issue was finding someone who would keep the prices the same for straight sizes as they would for a plus size. We were able to kind of get them to change it. Now, all the sizes are the same price, and so we’re trying to figure out what’s next in terms of that. Definitely, merch is the biggest thing I’m focusing on at the moment.
Yes. I’m trying to commission someone to work with me and get them perfect and all of that fun stuff, so I’m really excited.
It took a year. They were like, “No.” Unfortunately, it’s like their warehouse distributor or something like that where they charge extra for plus sizes. But now they’re all the same price across the board, which I was really, really happy about.
Honestly, I think the community. I think like growing up and being told that your dreams are too big or being told that you’ll never do what you want to do in life just because you’re like plus size or just because you’re trans, just because you know, I’m Latina. It was hard and it’s like coming on social media and being able to find community with people who see themselves in you. That’s the reason why I do it. It’s because every day there’s someone else who finds your page and it’s like, “This person looks like me. This person is doing big things. I can do big things too.”
I always tell everyone, there’s always room at the table. I think we live in a world of scarcity. I think people are so scared that the next brand deal is not going to come. They’re so quick to turn their backs on people. I’m talking about like, just other people like us, but for me, it’s like there’s room for everyone at the table. Everyone can come up here and shine. I think that’s what’s important and what we should keep pushing for.
Yes. My best advice, I would say, for people who are marginalized, specifically trans people and queer people: It’s hard. It sucks. You’re going to feel that like you’re going to feel it and it’s important to feel those feelings, but also understand that there is also a community of people who are going to rally for you, and we’re always going to be there when you need us. What is the most important thing, I would say, is just remember that we are able to build our community. We’re able to have our chosen family. We’re able to find our people and connect with them on such a deep level, and all the hate, pay them no mind, as hard as it can be. I’ve been there. You’re going to get through it, and that’s what’s important.
Welcome to Creators on the Rise, where we find and profile breakout creators who are in the midst of extraordinary growth. You can check out previous installments here.Three years ago, on her 22nd birthday, Naomi Hearts made a decision.
“I’m like, ‘I know that I can do it,'” she says. “‘I want to follow my dreams.'”
Her dream was to be a content creator–and when she told her mom about it, she wasn’t exactly sure what the response would be. Turns out, it was a pretty good one: Her mom bought her a streaming camera, and Hearts jumped on Twitch.
“I was doing fine. I was having fun with it,” she says. “[B]ut then my friend was like, ‘You should really do TikTok.'”
Hearts said nah. She, like many people, figured TikTok was an app for kids, where dancing reigned supreme. She didn’t think her content–which spans various lifestyle niches and also focuses on body positivity and trans/queer activism–would be a fit. Luckily, her friend kept pushing, and Hearts gave in. One video, where she parodies the Kardashians by shaking a salad, took off, and her account “just skyrocketed,” she says.
She ended up pausing her Twitch streams and going full-throttle on TikTok, where she now has over a million followers.
2023 has been Hearts’ biggest year yet: She secured a partnership with Target and is wrapped up in production for her first clothing line–an endeavor that’s taken a lot of negotiating to ensure her plus-size and straight-size items will be priced the same.
Check out our chat with her below.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Naomi Hearts: I’ve done a few. I just kind of take them as like a chat with a friend.
I’m Naomi Hearts. I am 25 years old, and I started this during COVID. I’m a COVID creator, as I like to call it. A lot of my content truly is based off confidence and self-love and reclaiming hateful things that people say about us and turning them into a positive. I feel like if people were watching me for the first time, they would pick up on that and also have a good laugh.
Early on, one thing I wanted to not do was be niched down. I know that a niche can work with people, and I know that niches are super beneficial, but for me, it’s like, I don’t need to be niched down. I just make the core of my content myself, and then expand off of that. If we’re doing fashion, we’re going to have a good time with the fashion, but I’m at the core of it. If we’re doing body positivity, it’s the same thing. If we’re doing comedy, it’s the same thing. It’s just always me at the root, and not being afraid to dabble with different niches.
I agree. I think also, though, that’s something that scares people, and I always say, “Don’t be afraid.” When you’re switching up your content, as you should often, people are not going to necessarily always show up for it, because it’s not something that they’re used to. They were watching what you were saying, watching you for a different game, but you’re going to find a new audience–and also, the audience that’s already been watching is going to engage as long as you stay true to yourself.
Yes. I would say so. I think it’s just not– Maybe it’s because I grew up fat and trans. I grew up in high school as trans, but I was always fat before I was out, and so, I feel like, for me, this is just amplified at a higher level. You know what I mean? The hate comments, the bullying, we experienced that as queer people already in school. For me, it’s like, it’s just now elevated. I feel like, as for me, it made me stronger when I was growing up, and so now I’m just here to let people know that it’s okay to be yourself.
It was Twitch.
Yes.
I don’t know. I think it was my 20th birthday, maybe 21st, but it was back in 2020. It was my 22nd, I’m way off. I think I’m younger than I am. Ignore me. It was my birthday, and I was really, really– I’m like, “I know that I can do it. I want to follow my dreams,” and I told my mom and she bought me my first streaming camera. I started doing Twitch, and I was doing fine. I was having fun with it, but then my friend was like, “You should really do TikTok.” I was like, “No. People do dances there. I’m not really a dancer. It’s kind of a young app. It’s not me.” Then, all of a sudden, I was like, “Let me give it a shot, ” and it just skyrocketed. I was like, “Okay, Twitch can pause for a second.”
I think the first video that took off was a Kardashian skit, where I was just shaking a salad. I think I hit 100k by the end of my first year, and then it just kept stacking and stacking and stacking every year. I was forever grateful for it.
Yes. I believe in 2021 is when I first started to get brand deals. Not necessarily huge ones, but– I’m excited for it. I’m grateful for it. I was learning so much at the time, and I was like, “Okay, this really is something bigger and something that I should pursue.” It was just after my first year, I started to really see so much growth, and people reaching out in terms of collaborating on a monetary scale. I was like, “Yes, I think this is definitely bigger than what I expected it to be.”
At the moment, yes. For me, it’s business, and it’s just being strategic. Every brand or social media site has their own way of gaining money, for sure, giving out money, their systems, but I believe that the easiest way for me, or the best way at the moment, is brand deals, for sure.
I don’t use it often enough to be like, “Oh, I love it,” but I will say going back to the niches, it is for my people who love a lifestyle niche, and who just love to create and have fun. I feel like it’s a really good way to get inspired and also be creative. I think sometimes it’s hard to stay creative all the time when we’re following trends, but I think it’s a good way for you to deep dive into your own creativity and create what you want to see.
I did, yes. That was my, I believe, my biggest collaboration this year, was with Target.
It actually happened right during all of that, but they were super, super supportive, super sweet. They were offering like if I needed anyone to contact or call, or talk to about any hate comments, they would be quick to delete them. If I needed someone just to talk to about my experience, they were available. They were just super, super good to work with in that way. I could tell that it wasn’t just like, “Oh, we’re reaching out to transgender creators, we’re going to do whatever.” It was like they genuinely cared about their creators. They let us know they’re here for us, let us know if there’s anything they can do. It was just a really great experience.
Pride was wild this year, for sure.
It’s changed a lot. When I first started on TikTok, I think I would make about six to seven videos daily.
Daily. As I started to learn more about the algorithm and learn more about engagement, not every video is going to be a hit and that’s okay. I learned how to tone it down. Right now, like my schedule, what I do typically is like, I am really invested in my emails as Chloe and Elisa would know, and my manager as well. I’m really hands on. I love to be just into it and seeing what’s going on. If there’s anything we need to discuss, we’ll discuss it.
I used to not pun out content, now I plan it a little bit more just to have more structure, because I think the hardest thing as a creator, and for me, at least, the hardest thing is not having structure, not being able to– having all this time, such a privilege. Also, for me, it’s like, I wish I just had more structure and me with like my ADHD and my brain, I’m everywhere. I think that’s really what gets me.
Yes. Right now, the the biggest thing I’m focusing on for the end of the year is merch. It’s been kind of like a long time coming. It’s been the biggest thing people have asked for for the past three years that I’ve been on social: When is the merch coming? I’m like, honestly, my biggest issue was finding someone who would keep the prices the same for straight sizes as they would for a plus size. We were able to kind of get them to change it. Now, all the sizes are the same price, and so we’re trying to figure out what’s next in terms of that. Definitely, merch is the biggest thing I’m focusing on at the moment.
Yes. I’m trying to commission someone to work with me and get them perfect and all of that fun stuff, so I’m really excited.
It took a year. They were like, “No.” Unfortunately, it’s like their warehouse distributor or something like that where they charge extra for plus sizes. But now they’re all the same price across the board, which I was really, really happy about.
Honestly, I think the community. I think like growing up and being told that your dreams are too big or being told that you’ll never do what you want to do in life just because you’re like plus size or just because you’re trans, just because you know, I’m Latina. It was hard and it’s like coming on social media and being able to find community with people who see themselves in you. That’s the reason why I do it. It’s because every day there’s someone else who finds your page and it’s like, “This person looks like me. This person is doing big things. I can do big things too.”
I always tell everyone, there’s always room at the table. I think we live in a world of scarcity. I think people are so scared that the next brand deal is not going to come. They’re so quick to turn their backs on people. I’m talking about like, just other people like us, but for me, it’s like there’s room for everyone at the table. Everyone can come up here and shine. I think that’s what’s important and what we should keep pushing for.
Yes. My best advice, I would say, for people who are marginalized, specifically trans people and queer people: It’s hard. It sucks. You’re going to feel that like you’re going to feel it and it’s important to feel those feelings, but also understand that there is also a community of people who are going to rally for you, and we’re always going to be there when you need us. What is the most important thing, I would say, is just remember that we are able to build our community. We’re able to have our chosen family. We’re able to find our people and connect with them on such a deep level, and all the hate, pay them no mind, as hard as it can be. I’ve been there. You’re going to get through it, and that’s what’s important.
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