Introduction
New York – one of, if not the cultural epicentre of the world. Ever changing, it’s packed to the brim with creative talent and the beating hearts of more fashion, food, and lifestyle scenes than you could count.
It’s here more than anywhere else that you’d hope influencers would be free of the most dreaded, deadly label in social media – boring.
Yet that’s the word on everyone’s lips (and FYP) at the moment when it comes to New York influencers, after one rant went viral. Now it’s raising questions about the health of the whole NY influencing scene and what it means to influence at all.
If you made a list of essential influencer characteristics, ‘not boring’ would be the first (and possibly only) thing on it.
So, rather than making that list, we’ve gathered together 10 of the most un-boring influencers on our radar for your benefit, letting you skip straight to the part where you collaborate with the best and get great results.
The “New York Influencers Are Boring” Drama Explained
How did it start?
It only takes a spark to start a fire. @martinifeeny (with a modest 6.5K followers) took to TikTok to vent her frustration at the “boring af” New York influencer community. Of course, with a “no hate” caveat, she went on to say that she “hates all the new york influencers” for being “carbon copies of each other”.
“They all wear the same exact f—— bracelet. They all have the same exact f—— hand chain that someone else influenced them to get,” she continued. “Yeah, boring. Let me know if anyone agrees.”
Well, they did let her know. Feeling personally called out, NYC mega influencer Bridget Pheloung (@acquiredstyle, 1.5M followers) responded with a video mocking the original, before deleting it later.
While the original video didn’t name any names, this clash was enough to propel the debate into the mainstream. Users flooded in to agree with Martini or criticise her for perpetuating a stereotype of New York influencers.
What was the debate?
Martini’s main point was that a lot of the largest influencers based in the city all seem to shop at the same places and live similar lifestyles, indicating that rather than being trend setters, they’re actually the ones being influenced.
If these aren’t the ones shaping tomorrow’s opinions, why do they have such large following? Research by CORQ suggests that consumers do in fact have a growing appetite for so-called “beige content”, potentially as a source of calm, predictability and belonging in increasingly turbulent times.
For the influencers themselves, working in “safe” areas – whether in terms of the way they present themselves or their partnerships – could also be an implicit strategy to maximise financial return and protect their reputations.
Why was it controversial?
The conversation took on greater charge as the debate began to explore why these influencers were so dull/ beige/ safe. One user weighed into say “This is primarily because none of the mainstream N.Y.C. influencers are native New Yorkers”. Is the vitality of the city’s creative and media scenes eroding in parallel with the ability of its residents to afford to live there?
Mainstream NYC influencers may also have a diversity problem. While there are definitely exceptions out there, commentators are highlighting an underrepresentation of people of colour, of certain body types, and everyday working people among the influencer class. Martini weighed in on this by claiming well-known influencers tend to be “skinny and pretty so everything looks good on them but that’s it”.
There were plenty of users chiming in on the other side of the debate, criticising Martini for throwing shade when she simply needed to put more effort into finding quality creators, or complaining that yet again women are being pitted against each other rather than raising each other up.
We’ll let you make up your own mind on this one. One thing’s for certain though, there are plenty of not-boring NYC influencers out there, if you know where to look.
Here’s some of our top picks for TikTok talent in the Big Apple:
10 non-boring influencers
1. @mariamilian (136K followers)
In an age of influencers who can wind up focusing on trending fashion pieces from big brands, @mariamilian is a breath of fresh air.
Her approach to fashion is deeply entwined with New York, as she takes us along on her thrifty trips across the city’s flea markets and vintage stores. Not just clothes, either – she’ll turn up furniture and various curios alongside the criminally underpriced vintage pieces that she’s squirreled out.
She lives fashion like the rest of us normal people do – compulsively scrolling Depop, Vinted and eBay into the early hours, looking for the next gem. She’s got immaculate taste and is regularly digging out vintage treasures at prices that would make anyone cry (happy tears).
2. @chelseaasoflate (163K followers)
Chelsea is a NYC fashion girlie, but you won’t find a hint of the beige aesthetic here. Her motto? “Life’s too short for boring clothes”. She’s a born and bred New Yorker and isn’t afraid to make it known.
She’s a fashion influencer at heart, serving a hugely eclectic range of fits built around a core identity of boldness and colour. That fashion focus doesn’t stop her from bringing us into her everyday life in NYC, from finding a new apartment to vintage market trips.
Unlike so many fashion influencers, she doesn’t take herself too seriously. You can’t help but love someone who shows off their latest fits by calling themselves ‘fashion roadkill’ and giving us a satirical photo shoot of her splayed out across various curbs, stoops and steps across the city.
3. @shopcatsshow (698K followers)
Shop Cats is probably the most quintessential New York vibe you’ll find on social media platforms. If you’ve been to New York or are a New Yorker yourself, you’ll know that bodegas (and their cats) are a pillar of this city.
We might be slightly biased (because cats), but this is easily in the platinum, top tier of social media channels – period.
Comedian Michelladonna travels the city to hang out with these cats in a mini-TV show format, and every aspect of it oozes NYC charm. She’s hilarious, a New Yorker to the core, and interviews an equally charismatic range of bodega regulars – from shop owners to celebrities.
The production style is best described as user-generated meets variety show, with on screen animations and fun sound effects, and as well as a ‘hunter or gatherer’ game in every episode to test each cat’s killer instinct.
Michelladonna is just the powerful personality this channel needs, but it’s clear that a deep love of New York sits at the heart of this TikTok sensation.
4. @turtlewithhat (1.5M followers)
There’s no danger of the comedic duo behind @turtlewithhat being generic, particularly as they’re technically relationship/duo influencers – an increasingly popular category that manages to fall into familiar patterns a lot of the time.
Izzy Perez and her girlfriend Emma Fuente bring their trademark mix of satirical, meta-ironic and plain off-the-wall content to the streets and sites of New York, as well as their apartment. They frequently go out of their way to make fun of TikTok relationship trends and challenges, and it’s easy to sense the love of filmmaking that underlies their creative approach to content.
5. @aiyannace (2.8M followers)
Aiyanna doesn’t have the word boring in her dictionary. In fact, if you opened a dictionary to the word ‘extrovert’, a picture of her would likely be there. Her videos are essentially vlogs of her living her life in New York City, doing whatever it is that she wants to do without any mind for social awkwardness or consequences.
Her videos are hilarious, her social anxiety seems to be non-existent and her first-person hand-held camera style is an absolute constant to the point of being trademark. Aiyanna isn’t an influencer, she’s just unapologetically herself. In a world of pre-screened, constrained and scripted influencer personalities, that’s a rare treasure.
6. @subwaytakes (925K followers)
Kareem Rahma, creator of ‘Subway Takes’ on TikTok, probably doesn’t even think of himself as an influencer. We at the Goat Agency think that’s often a characteristic of the best influencers, because their passion, their project, or their personality are #1. Being an influencer is an organic outcome of who they are, rather than a career choice.
His social media show is dedicated to controversial, thought-provoking or just plain funny conversations, all held on the New York subway (complete with mics clipped to metro cards). Kareem chats to salt of the earth New Yorkers, celebrities and influencers with the same openness and humour.
Conversational, meaningful – this is content you always feel happy about seeing on your feed.
7. @antonibumba (909K followers)
Antoni Bumba would definitely have a star on any New York influencer walk of fame. She single-handedly set off one of the biggest (and best) TikTok viral trends 2021, “the BBL effect”, and no-one does it better to this day.
Antoni is bigger than ever in 2025, blending a mix of pop culture parody, sharp social commentary in comedic wrappers, and approachable vlog-style videos about everything from life in the city to how her makeup routine has changed now she doesn’t have a beard.
Antoni is a case study in how not to let the homogenising pressure of influencer life draw you into stasis. In an interview with Vox, she said “I don’t want to become one of those people who does so well in their career, but doesn’t have a personality and has never touched grass a day in their life”.
It’s so true – often, in the process of becoming successful, influencers can risk losing touch with the foundational characteristics that got them there.
8. @scotfknlouie (166K followers)
Scot Louie is a New York native who describes himself as a ‘wardrobe stylist first’, but is also a chef and author.
You might expect a haughty, distant, polished social media presence based on the above, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Scot feels like a friend, sharing everything in their life from vlogs to cooking, gossip and makeup.
He makes content that isn’t about flattering presentation or positioning himself as a brand – he’ll talk about gym struggles and times when he was wrong, or just get silly. It’s real, it’s often sassy, it’s authentic.
9. @vivianyrl (16.8K)
@vivianyrl brings a blend of seemingly disparate worlds to TikTok: science and fashion, served with a side of New York City cool.
As both a model and a scientist, this is an influencer with few counterparts. It’s not often you come across a TikTok titled “one week of lab outfits” (and there’s not a lab coat in sight). Vivian is just as likely to take her viewers to the lab store cupboard as she is into NYC nightlife scene, and it’s a great mix.
One constant in un-boring influencers is passion. Whether it’s for fashion, aesthetics, events or experimental science, Vivian has it in spades.
10. @atiyacwalcott (152K followers)
This one is a recommendation from @martinifeeny herself, the originator of the “NYC influencers are boring” debate.
Fashion model and content creator, Atiya is dedicated to innovative, achievable fashion and brings a highly personalised, consistent style to her channels. There’s a tightly defined vibe – mostly shot against the same grand, minimal backdrop, it is undeniably artistic while remaining approachable. Many of her clips feature her posing in different outfits on a platform with a face-on close up superimposed, a simple yet surprisingly effective approach to demonstrating a fit which is specifically suited to the social media platform.
Atiya appreciates the tools (editing, music, ease of distribution) that social media offers and combines it with her core focus – impeccable style.
Concluding thoughts
The ‘boring’ debate is ongoing, but one thing is clear. If you’re going to work with influencers, they need to be interesting. That normally means they need to be individual, remarkable, creative and fun. But, more than that, it means people who are ahead of the curve; they’re creating the trend, not following it. They’re moving the conversation forward.
By trying to minimise risk, avoid controversy or guarantee maximum ROI, are we at risk of losing touch with (or even destroying) the actual tastemakers? In our effort to catch trends, are we all – influencers and marketers – creating a social media culture where being derivative is rewarded over being creative?
Being not-boring means not playing it too safe. But that’s risky! We hear you say.
Don’t fret. At the Goat Agency, we specialise in bringing the connections, the strategy, and the experience necessary to drive real creativity and innovate – all without undue risk to your brand.
