Over Wando High School’s 52 years, it has had many famous alumni, including multiple football players, actors, and models, among other professions. However, there are only a handful of social media influencers, one of whom is sophomore Gianna Vannatta.
With nearly 30,000 followers on TikTok, Gianna has built her fanbase by posting collaborations with popular clothing brands, videos of her dancing, and everything in between.
“Obviously, I wasn’t really expecting anything. I was just… posting just to post. It was like an… old secret account… that I just made public and… I was like ‘Oh, okay, great.’ And then I was like ‘Oh, like maybe… that could be a thing.’ So then I started posting more,” Gianna said.
Blowing up on TikTok and staying consistent is no easy feat, but Gianna has mastered her way to that challenge, however time-consuming it may be.
“It definitely made it a little more challenging, trying to balance out some things… it took me a while to… get in the speed of things, especially because I did start a new [dance] studio this year… so that was like a new switch too,” Gianna said. “This year… classes are pretty hard… it definitely made it more challenging during the weekdays to film because I really don’t have time to. I’m still trying to figure it out.”
Witnessing all of this is Gianna’s mother, Jenn Vannatta. When having one’s daughter on the internet for all to see can be scary for some, for the mom and daughter duo, it is all about trust.
“At first, I was… a little hesitant… it’s a little scary for the simple reason that there’s a lot of strange people out there and… you really just don’t know what their intentions are,” Jenn said. “It just comes with the territory and Gianna is very responsible and she’s very careful [about] anything that comes across that’s strange or out of the ordinary or a bit scary.”
Even though there are some trustworthy people in the world, there will always be those few people who step over the line. When this happens, Gianna already knows what to do.
“There [were] some weird DMs from some like guys, you know, creeps, and we just blocked them and then got on with [the] day,” Gianna said.
However, to Gianna, there can be an upside to getting DMs from fans.
“I like… when everyone… is like ‘I like your style’ and… I like being able to find clothes for other people and… that’s fun for me,” Gianna said. “Some people are just like… ‘I need help finding clothes’… [and I just] want to help people.”
When fans recognize someone they idolize, most usually expect them to act the same as they would on social media, and Gianna has no issue being herself when posting.
“Usually, I feel like people are like ‘Oh, I’m scared of posting’ and I’ve never had that. I don’t really… have any social anxiety,” Gianna said.
However, social media has caused many people of all ages from every corner of the world to experience some form of self-doubt, and this is something that Jenn does not favor.
“I feel like it’s really sad that people today don’t support and lift each other up instead [of] jealousy and anger,” Jenn said. “You kind of [just] have to have tough skin… and be brave and just kind of… go about your business and try not to let the noise bother you.”
