All About Woah Vicky, The Influencer That Decided To Become Black
In 2018, an 18-year-old influencer had social media users up in arms. It seemed as though everyone’s explores pages were brandishing the social media handle of one Victora Rose Waldrip, more commonly known as @imwoahvicky, on Instagram.
Initially known for posting prank videos and popular challenges on Youtube, the then-teenager suddenly had a new claim to fame: pretending she is a black woman.

A Controversial Introduction
One look at Woah Vicky, and anyone would immediately say she is a white woman.
Alas, in 2017, she claimed that an ancestry.com DNA test determined that she was roughly 44% African.
This led to Vicky announcing in a now-deleted Twitter post that she now “identified as black” and began using the n-word in her videos.
She also began to use darker makeup to alter her skin tone and added overlined lips to complete the supposed transformation.
Besides this being extremely racist, many social media users were upset at her ‘blaccent,’ saying her use of African American vernacular was a serious issue amongst younger influencers.
From the summer of 2017 to the summer of 2018, she rose to prominence and accumulated around 2 million followers on Instagram – something she immediately began to profit off of.
As per Mic.com, Vicky and her team were less than concerned about the criticism.
“The hate, of course, brought her a lot of negative attention,” Vicky’s executive assistant, Kennedy C., said, “which eventually led people to love who she was becoming instead of the person she was.”
Who Is Woah Vicky?
The 20-year-old currently boasts 3.1 million followers on Instagram, all of whom have an extreme fascination with a girl who suddenly decided to alter her race.
Controversy certainly builds popularity, and Woah Vicky was not going to be an exception to this.

The influencer hails from Atlanta, Georgia, and is the daughter of real estate mogul and home building business owner Steve Waldrip.
Her fame on Instagram grew further after celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Chief Keef reposted pictures of her dressed in luxury clothing.
Her older sister, Stephanie, has a following of her own.
An accomplished fashion designer who studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design, she launched her collection in 2012. She has been hired to design pieces for celebrities like Gigi Hadid and Lady Gaga.
Vicky has said that the ten-year age gap means the sisters are not particularly close.
Woah Vicky’s Rap Career
Her first genuinely viral video happened to be one of the first in a string of controversies for the influencer.
There is an apparent trend when it comes to the rise of content creators, and it usually begins with someone ‘exposing’ them online.
Vicky has been no exception to this, which has been ideal for her visibility online.
In August 2017, Youtuber RiceGum posted a video focused on his distaste for her, which only added fuel to the fire.
The following month, Vicky released her most famous rap video, in which she directly attacks the Youtuber’s race.
Her diss track garnered so much controversy that she issued a public apology (this has also been deleted):
“I actually really love Asians, and I actually really find Asian guys attractive, so…so…so…if you’re like, umm, a Asian guy and you think I’m attractive, please DM me right now.” she said.
Since then, she has released multiple music videos. Despite the criticism, Vicky shows no signs of refusing to appropriate black culture into her online persona.
Her Arrest
A clip of Woah Vicky getting arrested went viral in February 2018.
According to The Daily Mail, she was caught trespassing at the Four Seasons Town Centre Mall in Greensboro in North Carolina.
Vicky was charged with trespassing, assault on a law enforcement officer, and for resisting arrest.
Police reports stated that she was given multiple opportunities to leave after being detained by mall security but began kicking an officer.
Vicky and friends began yelling “shots fired” during the brawl, creating false fears about an active shooter on the scene. Police determined that was not the case.
She was released the next day, but not before posting a photo of her mugshot with the caption “#freevicky.”
Vicky’s Fight With Bhad Bhabie
Before Woah Vicky decided to be black, the world had “cash me ousside, how ‘bout that?” girl, Bhad Bhabie.
Bhad Bhabie, or Danielle Brigoli, was one of many influencers whose use of appropriation shot them to Internet stardom.
Brigoli launched a successful rap career after her appearance on Dr. Phil, even landing a Billboard Music Award nomination.
The two influencers ran into one another at a recording studio and began throwing punches while Youtuber DJ Akademiks recorded the entire altercation.
The two girls threw some punches at Coachella that same year, although the reason for why is unknown.
Many Twitter users believe this is all a publicity stunt to keep both influencers in the public eye. Others saw it as a means to promote their respective rap videos.
Her Role In The Attention Economy
Nearly all her critics agree about her behavior being attention-seeking, a fact that rings true for most controversial social media influencers.
Isra Ali, a clinical assistant professor of media, culture, and communication at New York University describes this phenomenon as the “attention economy,” describing it as:
“In the attention economy, there is no value except how many people follow you, like you, how many eyeballs are on you […] how able you are not just to get attention, but to sustain it over a period of time.”
She notes that being part of this newfound economy does depend on whether or not the behavior is offensive or not, just that it is given a significant amount of attention online.
“Things that once would have hurt one’s reputation are now currency.” Ali adds.
This is evident in the fact that very young influencers like Woah Vicky believe it is the norm to show off luxury items one has obtained on public platforms, showing their followers that this is achievable through good or bad press.
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