Returning to your roots after finding success online is supposed to be a victory lap. But for TikTok influencer and business owner Taylor Rankine (@tayrankine), it was a reminder that small towns have long ears and loud mouths.
Taylor is a college student, influencer, and the founder of the jewelry brand Boardwalk Beads. She is going viral after sharing the “weird” experience of being the main course of conversation at a local restaurant.
With over 23,000 views, her story highlights the specific discomfort of being “publicly perceived” by people you’ve never even met. It captures the bizarre disconnect between digital success and the “cringe” labels often assigned by those back home.
A family friend overheard people talking about Taylor
While Taylor was home for the summer, a family friend went out to dinner. Coincidentally enough, they happened to overhear a nearby table mention “Boardwalk Beads.” Recognizing the brand as Taylor’s business, the friend naturally tuned in, only to realize the conversation was far from supportive.
According to Taylor, the strangers spent the better part of twenty minutes “yelling” their opinions about her life for the entire restaurant to hear.
The strangers attacked her brand, influencer content, and even her relationship
The conversation reportedly escalated into a full-scale critique of Taylor’s entire identity. The group didn’t just stop at her content. They targeted her jewelry business, her boyfriend, and her general personality.
“They were yelling about how I’m cringey, stupid, my business sucks, shit about my boyfriend. Yelling about how much I suck and how weird I am.”
Taylor expressed shock that people she has “never met in [her] entire life” would feel comfortable sitting in a public space and loudly calling her “cringey,” “stupid,” and “weird.”
The social reality of the influencer ‘hometown’ tax
Being an influencer in a small town often creates a social reality where your life is treated as a free-to-watch reality show. People often engage in “shit-talking” because digital content can feel performative or “cringey” to those who prioritize traditional career paths.
Psychologically, this public gossip often stems from a mix of envy and a desire to humanize someone who appears successful online. By labeling an influencer “weird” or “stupid,” local critics attempt to level the playing field. They turn a stranger’s digital career into a topic of neighborhood entertainment.
How to navigate public gossip and online hate as an influencer
If you find yourself being the subject of the local “dinner theater,” you can remember a few things to maintain your sanity. First, remember that people who spend twenty minutes yelling about a stranger in a restaurant are projecting their own lack of fulfillment.
Second, your business metrics matter more than the opinions of people who aren’t your target demographic. As long as those profits are coming in, they’re likely just jealous. But if the gossips bother you anyway, politely tell friends and family you don’t need to hear the specific “he-said, she-said” if it doesn’t serve your growth.
At last, remember that success often requires being “cringey” enough to put yourself out there. If they’re talking, it means your brand has reached a level of visibility they can’t ignore.
Taylor’s story is a reminder that you can’t control what people say over their appetizers. While it “physically hurts” to know strangers are dissecting your life, the fact that Boardwalk Beads is a dinner-table topic only proves that her influence is very real.
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