When he shot to fame last summer, TikTok influencer William White, now 22, was treated with bemusement by the media. After all, this was a handsome young guy who’d cultivated a huge fandom of mostly Gen X women by winking, smiling, dancing, and occasionally lip-syncing to a soundtrack of ’70s and ’80s tunes.
“Cougar bait: TikTok male model with thirst traps to ’80s songs a hit for middle-aged moms” read one headline. White, who is from Canada, was interviewed by the New York Times (“I feel like a 40-year-old in a kid’s body, like I’m definitely an old soul”) and later named People magazine’s Sexiest TikToker Alive. In June 2021, the former landscaper signed with IMG Models and talent agency WME.
