Blac Chyna and the Way 'Social Media Celebrity' Became an Empowering Business Tool for Women
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Angela "Blac Chyna" White and her child will be the newest members of the Kardashian family, and White will continue on the path paved by the original Kardashian women. She's going to use her "social media celebrity" to expand her success as a businesswoman and she's not the only woman to do it.
White filed legal documents to change her name to Angela Kardashian after her engagement to Rob Kardashian, and she also trademarked the name, calling herself a social media celebrity, according to TMZ. Rob recently came out of hiding after a period of being reclusive. In the documents, White lists some of her goods and services as "...entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a social media celebrity, model, actress, performer.."
TMZ - tmz.com
Before her days of Kardashian-name glory, White's original social media fan following came from her days as an exotic dancer and a hip-hop video model, where she got the professional name "Blac Chyna." She came to bigger fame after having a child with the rapper Tyga, who in a twisted Southern California dating circle ended up dating Kylie Jenner, the youngest sister of White's current fiancé. We'll leave that one alone.
The key thing is that White used her social media celebrity to sell stuff. She currently sells a clothing line and promotes hair extensions on her Instagram page.
Instagram/blacchyna - instagram.com
She also has her own emoji app and a false eyelash bar in California.
Lashed Bar - lashedbar.co
Filing the legal documents to trademark her name-change to Angela Kardashian, suggests that White has more business plans for the future. Using the Kardashian name is a good idea, since they practically invented the social media celebrity as a business model. Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian each have their names trademarked as well.
The big break for the Kardashians as a family came when they rocketed to to super-stardom with their E! Entertainment show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" in 2007.
However Kim, Courtney and Khloe Kardashian, with the help of mom and business manager Kris Jenner, had already cultivated a social media brand for themselves as stylish socialites to promote their original DASH clothing store that opened in 2006, a full year before the hit show. There was also a famous sex tape in 2007.
There are now three DASH locations in California, Miami, and New York.
The Kardashians continue to use social media to sell clothing and makeup. Kim Kardashian West even published a book of selfies called "Selfish" based on pictures from her social media accounts.
Khloe Kardashian has a popular clothing app.
And Kylie Jenner, the Kardashians' younger half sister, sells a very popular makeup line called Lip Kit that often sells out in minutes.
The Kardashian women are not the only ones to capitalize on social media celebrity.
Social media celebrity Amber Rose, who like friend Blac Chyna is a former exotic dancer, has a "budding empire," according to Forbes.
Also in the land of circular So Cal dating, Amber Rose previously dated Kanye West, who is now married to Kim Kardashian West, the sister of Blac Chyna's fiancé Rob. We'll leave that one alone too, moving on. Rose has branded herself as a feminist with "Slut Walk" events and #freethenipple campaigns on Instagram and Twitter.
All of that has helped her to push clothing and books on her site MuvaRose.com.
She also has endorsements with companies like Smirnoff vodka.
Youtube/D R E A M S - youtube.com
Other women like Massy Arias use theirsocial media accounts to sell personal training and meal plan information.
Her Instagram page with simple workout videos and recipe advice gained so much traction, she ended up in a Trey Songz music video and on the cover of the May 2016 issue of Latina Magazine. Arias currently has 2 million followers and sells her fitness programs on her website.
Youtube/Mankofit - youtube.com
Social media isn't only a powerful tool for celebrities but a vital tool for everyday businesswomen as well. Sumi Krishnan, the CEO of K4 solutions, wrote an article in Entrepreneur about the benefits of the online marketplace for women. Like the business models for the social media celebrities, women can control their own image in a male-dominated business world.
"People now have the power to build their own public platforms. For women, this new reality provides an opportunity to completely bypass traditional power structures."
She explains that anything can be possible for businesswomen who employ social media and the online marketplace.
"Stay rooted in your core values because what you do online will shape your legacy. Once you understand the impact you want to make, you can use social tools to break into the business world to make a big and direct impact on the people who need you."
