Be careful who you stop and chat to in the street – especially if they’re clutching a microphone and stood next to someone wielding a camera in your direction.
On the one hand, your name becomes known around the world overnight, you will likely acquire a host of new followers and you may even end up being offered business opportunities.
But on the other side of the coin, going viral can be a lot of pressure.
You’re suddenly thrust into the internet‘s spotlight and are at the mercy of trolls, but still have to go to work in the morning to face your colleagues – and depending on what you went viral for, that might be the worst part of it all.
The world has seen a real-life example of this recently, after a video of a US woman, Hailey Welch, was shared around the globe…and it didn’t exactly contain work-appropriate content.
So, let’s take a look at how she has progressed more than two weeks since the clip was first uploaded on 11 June.
Hailey Welch has been navigating viral fame over the last few weeks (YouTube/Tim&DeeTV)
Who is Hawk Tuah Girl?
Although I may have introduced you to her as Hailey Welch, she is more better known as ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’.
I’m sure your imagination is already running wild about the reasoning for this and normally, I’d tell you to get your mind out of the gutter – but this time, the vulgar answer is the right one.
For those who somehow haven’t seen the footage that’s been feverishly circulating on social media over the last few weeks, Hailey made quite an explicit admission while chatting with creator duo Tim and Dee TV.
The YouTubers asked her: “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?”
Hailey didn’t hold back with her answer – and even went as far to mimic the action.
She responded with a smirk: “You gotta give ’em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thing!”
Now do you get why she’s been dubbed the Hawk Tuah Girl?
So, her secret tricks to ensuring a great sexual experience were spilled all over the internet.
What happens to Hailey now?
Well, the Nashville-native so far seems to be leaning into her viral fame and has pinned the comedic clip with Tim and Dee TV at the top of her Instagram profile – which now boasts a whopping 79,000 followers and counting.
Hailey appears to want to make the most of her 15 minutes of fame and has since got herself an agent in the hopes of cashing in on the Hawk Tuah craze – but she’s still a bit wary.
The viral star is now working with Fathead Threads, a family-owned business that is run by Jason Poteete and is based in Marshall County, Tennessee.
The ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’ has gone into business with Fathead Threads (Facebook/Fathead Threads)
According to Poteete, who chatted to Rolling Stone, Hailey has been ‘overwhelmed’ by the attention she has received.
He said that he reckons she is still a bit shy, as the youngster requested that none of her personal details were shared and that her face would not feature on any Hawk Tuah merchandise.
Poteete added: “She’s probably one of the most well-known people in the world at this point. But I don’t know if she’s embraced it.”
Fathead Threads is exclusively selling hats which read ‘Hawk Tuah ’24’, which are available for $32.78 (£25.89) each, or you can splash out on a signed version which is available for $50 (£39.48).
According to Poteete, just over 2,000 hats have been sold so far – which totals up to a whopping $65,000 (£51,329) in earnings.
Not bad off the back of a video that’s less than ten seconds long, is it?
She’s selling merch with her famous slogan on, with a signed hat setting you back $50 (Fathead Threads)
Did Hawk Tuah Girl get fired?
Rumours were rife that Hawk Tuah Girl had been fired after the video went viral, however, this was proven to be false.
Phew.
The speculation all started when the Tippah County Tribune, a Facebook page which describes itself in its bio as ‘Tippah County’s #1 Publication For Satirical Laughs’, jokingly wrote an article about Hailey’s alleged sacking.
The parody page, which has more than 9,000 followers, claimed that she worked as a pre-school teacher and was sacked after the school discovered the video…which is not correct.
This joke ended up going over the heads of a few people though, resulting in whispers that she had supposedly got the sack.
One thing’s for sure about this Hawk Tuah Girl saga though – the world will be watching Hailey’s next moves like a hawk.