It’s 2021, which makes it completely normal for teenagers to have a healthy number of social media followers, but for 49-yer-old mom Heidi D’Amelio—whose daughters Charli and Dixie have 114 and 51 million followers on TikTok, respectively—having a fan base in the millions watching their every move is the new normal.
The girls have shot to worldwide stardom seemingly overnight and now Heidi and her husband Marc D’Amelio host a podcast called Marc & Heidi The Other D’Amelios to talk about all the issues that come with parenting teenagers in the age of social media. Here, Heidi shares how she’s helping her girls navigate through the sudden fame and how the matriarch of TikTok’s favorite family manages to look so good, she often gets mistaken as the older sister.
Your family has had a meteoric rise in stardom over the last year. What do you tell your girls about this fame thing?
“It’s such an interesting question, because I feel like that’s not the first topic that we cover as parents. Right? We’re parenting teenage girls, just like any other parents, and now we’re having to have these conversations how to handle being recognized in public and people coming up to you. Both my girls have anxiety, so that can be a stressful situation sometimes. So I think the big thing is them knowing that we are here for them, and in the moment it might be hard and we’re still getting used to that, but we have their back and are physically right alongside them to help them get through those moments.”
Do you see a difference in the pressure young girls go through now compared to when you were growing up?
“In one way they have it so much harder than I had it when I was growing up, but at the same time, I feel like these kids are much more self-aware with everything from skin care to how to hold yourself in front of a camera. I feel like they all know how to do it! Doing some of this stuff on their phones and having access to information, whether it’s making videos or any of the extra things online that requires these girls to teach themselves to do a trick, in that sense, they’re so much further ahead. I would never have wanted to live in that social media world growing up, but at the same time, I feel like there’s a lot of benefits to it as far as accessing information and educating yourself in various situations.”
Now that you’re in the spotlight more, is there anything you’re doing differently in terms of anti-aging and skin care?
“I’ve always been into taking care of my skin. I don’t have an extensive routine, but it is a routine and like with anything, consistency is super helpful. My main thing is I drink a gallon of water a day. I’ve done that since my early 20s and I’m almost 50. I feel like I’ve always done a good job making sure my face is clean and moisturized before I go to bed. The one thing that I have done is gotten more facials, I think I’ve had three of them in the last few months. They were so great so I think I’m going to keep doing that.”
You are big into nutrition. Why is a plant-based diet important to you?
“I like to call it plant focused because I’m going to be truthful and say that there are moments, I do love a good cake, but I’m probably 98 percent plant based. I started just paying attention to the food industry and where food comes from, and that was probably 10 years ago. So, I’m just more conscious of buying more locally and shopping at the farmers market, that kind of thing. I was a pescatarian for a long time, but about three years ago I was in a competition where I did workouts and at a completely plant-based diet and I won. I felt so great, I never felt heavy, and I had way more energy.”
What are your go-to makeup and hair products?
“I have little bitty eyes, so I always need my mascara. I love Benefit’s Roller Lash. Maybelline’s Superstay 2-Step Liquid Lipstick for a little bit of color and a little bit of moisture. It stays on forever without drying my lips out. I also am obsessed with Unite hair-care products. I’ve been using their products and they’ve been a game-changer for my hair.”
You host a podcast with your husband, and you have a Hulu show coming soon that is centered around your family. Are you set to become the new Kardashians?
“We’re super excited about our podcast. It’s a place for us to talk about everything that’s going on in our family, but we’re also excited to bring on other parents who have kids going through the same thing in social media, music or the gaming industry. We also have our show coming out on Hulu later this year here. It’s kind of a behind-the-scenes documentary of the whole family and nothing is scripted. The cameras are just rolling so you get a real view of what is really happening. As far as us being the new Kardashians, we hear people say, ‘They’re trying to be the Kardashians!’ a lot. I don’t think we could ever recreate the Kardashians; I mean they paved the way. From the business side, we are learning a lot and while we don’t know them personally—I mean, the girls have met some of them—we’d love to talk with them and learn from them. At the end of the day, we’re just families that care for and love each other, so I’d love to learn from them about how you go through that in the public eye while trying to grow a business and have a lot of fun along the way.”
