When Haley Welch coined the onomatopoeia “hawk tuah” to describe an act of intimacy that reliably drove men crazy in her experience, a video clip of her went viral and she considered hiding herself away and staying away public.
Rumors later spread that the photogenic blonde with a thick Southern drawl in the film was actually the daughter of a reviled religious leader. Another rumor claimed that the attention led to the woman being fired from her education job. Social media users began creating fake accounts using her photo.
Welch has changed her mind about keeping a low profile, speaking out for the first time on the Plan Bri Uncut podcast on Monday, refuting all previous rumors about her and detailing how the video changed her life, from guest appearances with celebrities to Offered a discount to buy her saliva sample from a stranger.
“Everything that comes out of my mouth is either a success or a failure — I’m just gibbering,” Welch told podcast host Brianna LaPaglia. “Of course there’s a camera in my face when I say something like that.”
The 21-year-old had just quit social media and was working at a bed-spring factory in her hometown in Tennessee when she learned she had reached a level of virality that provided a window of opportunity for a country grappling with climate change. A relatively pleasant pastime.
It stems from an Instagram video posted by YouTube users Tim & Dee TV on June 11, which shows street interviews with two unnamed women in Nashville, Tennessee. As KnowYourMeme.com points out, Welch was asked, “What’s the one move in bed that drives men crazy every time?”
She responded with a giggle and an obvious allusion to oral sex: “Oh, you have to give him that eagle tua and spit on that thangka – you know what I mean?”
Soon, the clip had repercussions across the digital world, extending far beyond the pun-driven memes that are the lifeblood of social media. One of countless famous examples involving a country song Regarding the exchange allegedly created with artificial intelligence – it turned out to be quite familiar to many.
New Orleans’ Times-Picayune newspaper generated a stir among readers in an article titled “From Hawks to Pelicans” about the city’s NBA team acquiring former Atlanta Hawks players.
Eventually, clues to Welch’s identity began to emerge as some scrambled to understand who the girl in the infamous video was. By the end of June, she had a merchandise deal with Fathead Threads, buying hats emblazoned with her immortalized soggy-sounding phrase.
The company was reportedly hawking more than $65,000 worth of merchandise almost immediately, though on Tuesday, store owner Jason Poteete told the Guardian that Fathead Threads was so busy meeting demand for its merchandise that he didn’t have time to work out the exact number. quantity.
On Monday, Welch said “this guy [who] Make My Hat” received a bid of $600 to spit into a jar and send it to interested parties.
“This is disgusting, isn’t it?” Welch told Plan Bri Uncut, likening the offer to people interested in buying second-hand underwear from social media influencers they find attractive. “I was like, ‘Should I do this?’ and then I was like, ‘No, don’t do that.
Welch sang on stage Saturday night with country star Zach Bryan. Two days later, four-time NBA champion and TV commentator Shaquille O’Neal bragged on X about taking a photo with her. She now has a publicity team.
Perhaps inevitably, however, disinformation trolls crop up. The post said Welch’s father, a preacher, was ashamed of her scandalous behavior. Others said she was a school teacher who lost her position due to obscene language.
She explained on Plan Bri Uncut that it was all fake, like “some kind of creepy” fake social media account containing stolen photos of Welch, prompting her to remove her veil of anonymity once and for all.
Welch said her parents thought “it was so funny” after one of her videos sent the Internet into a tailspin for much of the summer. “They know who I am,” Welch said.
Still, she said she’s looking forward to the moment her 15 minutes of fame is over.
“I really don’t want that to be my image,” Welch told LaPaglia of the Intuya craze. “I just – I don’t think it’s my thing, you know?
“I don’t want to be called that.”
