Extremely Online
When apparent besties disappear from one anothers grids, followers demand an explanation.
Last year, theHot Girl Talkspodcastcommunity simmered withspeculation: Had the Hot Girls relationship grown cold?
On Nov. 22, 2023, Weinstein confirmed their fears with an episode titled Im not crying you are.
Because the Hot Girls had kept their troubles offstage, the triumvirate was free to script their sign-off.
How are you going to present it?
Weinstein, 26, tells Bustle.
It wasnt thewholestory, but it is the truth.
Though theres viral potential in a public split, theres also value in keeping the band together.
Weinstein, for one, seriously weighed whether to quitHot Girl Talks.
Anyone knows that when you have a friend group, content just performs well.
I saw it as a really good opportunity, Weinstein says.
Of course, this blueprint far predates social media.
Lets consider childhood besties Hilton and Richie as a case study.
The business of friendship has never felt more within reach.
Enter author Natalie Beach, the woman behind what became perhaps the hardest breakup launch in recent history.
Want to kill a relationship?
Make it a brand.
Monetize it, Beach tells Bustle.
Real friendships are messy, dynamic, and constantly changing.
Brands are curated, static, one-dimensional, and really only exist to make money.
Pretty much the opposite of a real friendship.
By extension, posting about a friend is more than just documenting that relationship its brand alignment.
As bright as the friendship burned, though, it soon flamed out.
Like she got major surgery, and I was the only person she told.
Not any of her other besties.
Andrea began to pull back, and their followers took notice.
Its like a dating relationship, she says.
But increasingly, followers demand to know the whole story.
How dare they write off a character without explanation.
Privately, Andrea was direct with the other influencer: I do not want to be your friend anymore.
Publicly, she didnt hard-launch the end until a year later.
For the significantly less online Beach, bringing the battle back to her home turf was essential.
Dont worry: After inserting herself into the story, Beach parlayed the experience intoa book deal.
Erstwhile Hot Girl Weinstein, on the other hand, opted for what she saw as the high road.
Like when I left, Jaz and Halley both posted my podcast and vice versa.
While working it out on the remix has its advantages friendship!
parting ways still has a silver lining of its own: more content.
*Pseudonyms were given where requested for purposes of anonymity.
