Ashley Leechin

Last updated
Ashley Nicole Leechin
BornMarch 13, 1993
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
  • Internet personality
  • Former nurse
TikTok information
Page
Followers1.9 million
Likes24.2 million
Last updated: April 19, 2024

Ashley Leechin (born March 13, 1993 [1] ) is an American internet personality [2] and former Florida nurse known for her physical resemblance to singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Leechin has posted social media content that largely focused on her life as a "Taylor Swift lookalike". [3]

Contents

Leechin has made public appearances dressed as Swift, which she has described as a social experiment, and described the experience as "horrific". [4] A number of Swifties have criticized Leechin for what they feel is an excessive impersonation of Swift and an unhealthy adoption of Swift's mannerisms and lifestyle as her own.

Personal life

Ashley Leechin was born in 1993 or 1994. [1] In 2019, Leechin graduated from nursing school and became a registered nurse. [3] She worked as a trauma nurse in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, [5] where she lived for approximately a year in 2020. [6] Leechin's family moved to Utah, United States, in 2021. [6] She is married with two children. [1]

Leechin has said she began listening to American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift in 2006, when she released "Tim McGraw". [1] She also owns a cat similar in appearance to Meredith Grey, one of Swift's three cats. [3]

Lookalike career

According to Leechin, people first noted the similarities in her and Swift's appearance when she was around 14 years old. [7] During the COVID-19 pandemic, she felt exhausted and burnt out, and downloaded TikTok. Her initial videos consisted mostly of relatable content about motherhood. Leechin first went viral as Swift's look-alike after the singer's fans, the Swifties, discovered a video of her doing laundry in 2021. [7] As some viewers noted her likeness to Swift, she created videos inspired by it and using the singer's audios. [3]

In some of her videos posted to social media, Leechin dressed up as Swift visited Target Corporation stores, observing how passersby would exclaim, "Oh, my God, it's Taylor", as she passed. Initially, Swift's fans were amused by Leechin's posts, especially after Swift herself commented on one of Leechin's videos, stating that her mother had made a comment about her similarity to Swift. The criticism against Leechin soon began to grow, however; Leechin frequently sported Swift's hairstyle and lip color, and she frequently posted videos in which she alluded to sharing Swift's love of cats and Grey's Anatomy . The criticism from Swift' fans claimed that several aspects of Leechin's life that she has posted on her social media are direct replications of Swift's. [3]

In October 2022, Leechin posted a TikTok video reacting to the first segment of Swift's Midnights Mayhem With Me, a TikTok series in promotion of Midnights , Swift's tenth studio album. Swift commented on the video, stating that her mother Andrea Swift told her about Leechin's resemblance. [8]

On January 31, 2023, Leechin announced on social media that she partnered with a media company who had secured an invitation to the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. She posted multiple videos about her outfit for the night and her trip to the venue in Los Angeles. However, she soon claimed that she has been disinvited to the awards show at the last minute "even though she'd already spent $2000 on apparel, lodging, travel [and] childcare for her two kids." Swifties in the comments disputed her claims and alleged that she was never invited in the first place. Additionally, Leechin claimed that the Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. promised to investigate. [9]

On August 19, 2023, Leechin's public appearances in Los Angeles in a look typical of Red -era Swift caused a commotional fan mobbing. She first arrived at the Grove at Farmers Market, a shopping area, alongside a few men wearing all black, sunglasses and earpieces, similar to bodyguards, leading to people around believe it is Swift. Hindustan Times reported that she was attempting to prank other shoppers that she was Swift. Leechin was mobbed by fans who wanted to get a selfie with Leechin whom they believed was Swift and began recording videos of her. Leechin was soon escorted out of the shop she was in by the security; videos of all of these events were widely shared on Twitter and TikTok. She then went to Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California, causing further buzz. Several Swifties on social media commented that the person in the videos is Leechin and not Swift. Swifties online criticized Leechin for attempting to deceive them and pretending to be Swift. Leechin explained herself on Instagram that it is not abnormal for celebrities to use "decoys", [10] and that her public experience as Swift was "horrific" but is a social experiment. [4] YouTube channel VicInTheGame posted the prank video on August 29, 2023, revealing Leechin had collaborated with the channel for the experiment. [11]

In September 2023, Leechin rebuked claims that she had undergone plastic surgery to look more like Swift by collaborating with celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Daniel Barrett on his YouTube channel. In the video, it is confirmed that Leechin has had fillers, botox, and septoplasty. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TikTok</span> Video-focused social media platform

TikTok, whose mainland Chinese counterpart is Douyin, is a short-form video hosting service owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from three seconds to 10 minutes. It can be accessed with a smart phone app.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charli D'Amelio</span> American social media personality (born 2004)

Charli Grace D'Amelio is an American social media personality. She was a competitive dancer for over a decade before starting her social media career in 2019, when she began posting dance videos on the video-sharing platform TikTok. She quickly amassed a large following and subsequently became the most-followed creator on the platform in March 2020 until she was surpassed by Khaby Lame in June 2022. With over 151 million followers, she is the second-most-followed-person on TikTok, as of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swifties</span> Fandom of Taylor Swift

Swifties are the fandom of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Regarded by journalists as one of the largest, most devoted and influential fan bases, Swifties are known for their high levels of participation, creativity, community and fanaticism. They are a subject of widespread coverage in the mainstream media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryce Hall</span> American social media personality (born 1999)

Bryce Michael Hall is an American social media personality and bare knuckle boxer. He is most known for his videos on TikTok and YouTube. As of October 9, 2023, his TikTok account has 24 million followers, and his YouTube channel has 3 million subscribers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brittany Broski</span> American social media personality (born 1997)

Brittany Alexis Tomlinson, known professionally as Brittany Broski, is an American social media personality, YouTuber, and comedian. She initially gained fame after a video of her tasting kombucha for the first time went viral on TikTok in 2019. She signed to United Talent Agency later that year and has since hosted the TikTok-produced podcast For You (2021), the pop culture-focused podcasts Violating Community Guidelines (2022–2023) with Sarah Schauer, The Broski Report (2023–present), and the YouTube talk show Royal Court (2023–present). She has frequently been referred to as one of TikTok's biggest stars and noted for her meme-focused humor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khaby Lame</span> Italian influencer (born 2000)

Khabane "Khaby" Lame is a Senegal-born Italian social media personality. He is known for his TikTok videos, in which he silently mocks overly complicated "life hack" videos. In 2022, he was listed in Fortune's 40 Under 40 and Forbes' 30 Under 30. He also served as a juror on the 2023 edition of the television show Italia's Got Talent. As of 2024, he is the most-followed user on TikTok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YouTubers vs. TikTokers</span> 2021 boxing match

YouTubers vs. TikTokers, billed as Battle of the Platforms was an exhibition boxing event which featured YouTubers and TikTokers. The main event was between American YouTuber Austin McBroom and American TikToker Bryce Hall. The co-main event was between YouTuber AnEsonGib and TikToker Tayler Holder. It was held on June 12, 2021 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libs of TikTok</span> Far-right and anti-LGBT Twitter account

Libs of TikTok is a handle for various far-right and anti-LGBT social-media accounts operated by Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent. Raichik uses the accounts to repost content created by left-wing and LGBT people on TikTok, and on other social-media platforms, often with hostile, mocking, or derogatory commentary. The accounts promote hate speech and transphobia, and spread false claims, especially relating to medical care of transgender children. The Twitter account, also known by the handle @LibsofTikTok, has nearly 3 million followers as of February 2024 and has become influential among American conservatives and the political right. Libs of TikTok's social-media accounts have received several temporary suspensions and a permanent suspension from TikTok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dylan Mulvaney</span> American social media personality (born 1996)

Dylan Mulvaney is an American social media personality who has detailed her gender transition in daily videos published on TikTok since early 2022. She gained a higher profile after her interview with U.S. president Joe Biden at the White House, during which they spoke about transgender rights. After Bud Light sent a can to Mulvaney for an Instagram promotion in 2023, American conservatives led a boycott of the brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Ong</span> American TikToker (born 1993)

Melissa Ong, better known under her former TikTok username chunkysdead and nickname Mother Hen, is an American Internet influencer, TikToker, YouTuber, and former user experience designer. She worked at several technology companies before leaving her job to focus on making videos for the social network TikTok. Ong is best known for the "Step Chickens," a self-described online cult formed after Ong released a TikTok video in a chicken costume satirizing tropes in pornography. The Step Chickens are more akin to a cult of personality or fandom than a harmful or violent cult; their main activities include spamming the comments sections of other creators, changing their profile pictures to match a selfie taken by Ong, and conversing on an app rebranded for them by Ong's friend and former co-worker.

The millennial pause is a pause in speaking that is present at the start of some recorded videos, especially in short-form content and on social media apps like TikTok. The practice of including such a pause is generally ascribed to millennials, the generation of people born from the early-mid 1980s to mid-1990s. The phenomenon is an example of the digital generation gap between millennials and subsequent generations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TooTurntTony</span> American social media personality (born 1995)

Anthony Dawson, better known as TooTurntTony or "Duck daddy", is an American social media personality, model, and wildlife conservation advocate. He is known for creating viral comedy skits, social experiments, and other videos often involving his family and domestic ducks.

Paige Niemann is an American Internet personality. In 2019, she went viral on the video sharing app TikTok for her resemblance to the American singer Ariana Grande.

Drew Tyson Afualo is an American influencer, podcaster, and author. She is known on TikTok for her videos responding to and roasting men with misogynistic and fatphobic viewpoints, often punctuated by her distinctive high-pitched laugh; she had over 8 million followers on the platform as of March 2023. Afualo also hosts the podcasts The Comment Section, produced by Brat TV, and Two Idiot Girls with her sister Deison. As an influencer, she has provided red carpet coverage for events like the Black Adam premiere and the 95th Academy Awards.

Miriam Malnik-Ezagui is an American nurse and TikToker known for making videos about her life and experiences as an Orthodox Jew living in Brooklyn, New York. Malnik-Ezagui is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivor Lilly Appelbaum Malnik.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KallMeKris</span> Canadian internet personality (born 1996)

Kristina Lee Halliwell Collins, also known as KallMeKris, is a Canadian social media personality and hairdresser, based in British Columbia. She is known for her skits that range from thirty seconds to a minute long. Collins began posting on TikTok in April 2020. As of April 2024, she has 50.6 million followers, making her the most-followed TikToker from Canada and the 27th overall. Her YouTube channel, which she began uploading to in 2020, has 11 million subscribers as of April 2024.

Fedha Sinon, better known by her online alias Pinkydoll, is a Canadian internet personality and online TikTok streamer. Her NPC TikTok livestreams, in which she reacts to gifts sent to her with repetitive phrases and motions, went viral in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Sheesh</span> Filipino drag queen (born 1994)

John Mac Lane Coronel, known professionally as Taylor Sheesh, is a Filipino drag queen known for impersonating American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Having opened for RuPaul's Drag Race contestants in the Philippines, Sheesh has been professionally impersonating Swift since 2017.

Alix Ashley Earle is an American social media personality on the video-sharing platform TikTok. With over six million followers on social media, she has been called TikTok's "It Girl" and "hot best friend" from the popularity of her "Get Ready With Me" confessional videos, in which she openly shares details of her personal life. Her ability to drive sales for the brands she promotes on her accounts has been dubbed the "Alix Earle effect".

Jake Shane, also known online as Octopusslover8, is an American influencer and comedian. In 2023, his TikTok videos featuring humorous reenactments of historical events went viral. Also in 2023, he was nominated for a Streamy Award and appeared on TikTok's inaugural LGBTQ+ Pride Visionary Voices List and on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 France, Lisa Respers (January 5, 2023). "Taylor Swift's look-alike knows all too well how tough the internet can be". CNN. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  2. ↑ Forward, Devon (August 22, 2023). "Taylor Swift Lookalike Ashley Leechin Addresses Criticism for 'Creepy' Prank". Parade . Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Dickson, E. J. (February 18, 2023). "She Built a Following as Taylor Swift's Doppelgänger. Then the Swifties Came After Her" . Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Richards, Will (August 23, 2023). "Taylor Swift impersonator says pretending to be her in public was "horrific"". NME. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Nashville Trauma Nurse Ashley Leechin Is a Dead Ringer for Taylor Swift". Inside Edition . July 14, 2021. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Leechin, Ashley (December 13, 2021). "'I'm a Taylor Swift Lookalike—I Get Thousands of Hate Messages a Day'". Newsweek . Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Chung, Gabrielle (September 22, 2022). "Taylor Swift't TikTok Doppelgänger Can't Calm Down After Seeing Mom Andrea's Reaction". E!. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  8. ↑ Aniftos, Rania (September 22, 2022). "Even Taylor Swift's Mom Thinks This TikToker Is the Singer's Doppelgänger". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  9. ↑ Weiss, Geoff. "A TikToker and Taylor Swift lookalike is vehemently defending herself after she was attacked for being disinvited to the Grammys last minute". Business Insider. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Taylor Swift lookalike Ashley Leechin escorted out of LA shop for pretending to be the singer. Watch". Hindustan Times . August 21, 2023. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Fake Taylor Swift Prank *DISNEY SHUTDOWN*" . Retrieved January 17, 2024– via YouTube.
  12. ↑ Jung, Haein (9 September 2023). "Taylor Swift Lookalike Ashley Leechin Speaks With A Plastic Surgeon On Whether She's Had Surgery To Look Like The Star". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.