If you’re a woman in your twenties or thirties on TikTok it’s highly likely that, if you don’t already follow@itsmetinx aka Tinx aka Christina Najjar, then, she has definitely appeared on your For You Page. Most likely dressed in a hoodie, sunglasses and leggings and speaking into a mini-microphone whilst in bed, by a pool or in her car, Tinx lets her followers in on her life - whether that means relaying the latest piece of celebrity gossip, the date she went on last night, or a comedy skit unpicking the passive aggressive hen do organisation process.
For her followers the mini-mic is just one small part of Tinx Culture, which is how she describes the community that has grown around her and the things she loves including: spicy margaritas, Nobu Malibu, good athleisure and savvy Amazon purchases. Tinx now has over one million followers on TikTok within just a year of posting her first video from her Los Angeles bedroom. She has become so influential that Mexican chain Chipotle has added the Tinx Bowl to its menu in the US, and she has found herself at the top of PR lists for Kim Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow and Miranda Kerr (who even hand delivered a basket of goodies to her home recently). She regularly sells out her recommendations, whether it’s Simple Modern cups or Parlovable slippers - such is the power of Tinx.
Speaking to Grazia on Zoom from her LA apartment, Tinx - who turned 30 this year - says that she first started making the TikTok content that she wanted to see. ‘I mean I always joke that I’m literally the oldest person on TikTok but it is for us millennials as well. I didn’t think there was a ton of stuff that fitted with my interest group, so I started making it.’ The videos which started to build Tinx’s profile were relatable skits about being in your late twenties, and gossip about breaking celebrity news stories. One of her first viral videos showed her driving to Calabasas to buy the Health Nut salad that the reality stars eat on Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
What has cemented her role as TikTok’s big sister is her honesty about all aspects of her life: whether it’s a failed romance with a friend, navigating dating, open discussions about mental health, body image, and even more open discussions about Botox (‘If you see my forehead and it's smooth it's because I have $1,000 of Botox in my face. That's why it looks like this, not because I drink a lot of water - though I do.’)
‘One of my main mantras is that comparison is the thief of joy,’ Tinx explains. ‘I think I spent so much of my twenties comparing myself to unattainable beauty standards on the internet. And so, as my platform grows, I feel as though I have a responsibility not to add to that in any way. I want to be as honest as possible. We do need people in the public eye who show it all: [my followers] don't want to see one side of it. So for example I’ll show that I eat healthily in the week, then get wasted at the weekend. Or one day I’ll work 18 hours but other days I’ll take a rest.'
She adds, ‘TikTok feels more authentic than the ‘Instagram’ lifestyle we saw in our twenties. It’s like, “Oh, I just got out of the shower. And I have a zit. But I have a funny thought to tell you. So I'm going to tell you.” I mean, unfiltered is such an overused word, but it's just sort of more authentic.’
Having turned 30 recently, Tinx has started trying to smash stereotypes about age that men aren’t subjected to. ‘It’s insane because my friends who all have amazing jobs, they have amazing friends, they go on holiday, they have great apartments, you know, and yet they just have this anxiety: “Oh, I should be married, I should be doing this. I should have three kids.”’ Pressure is the most powerful thing of all and you can just be whoever you want to be. I always say your twenties are such a mis-marketed decade. And I don't know who who the publicist is for your twenties, but they do a phenomenal job, because they're like, you should be rich, you should have a husband, but also have two homes and a job that you love. And you're like, I'm 23, I'm literally so confused. I don't know what I'm doing. Your twenties should be a growing period.’
Although she speaks with an American accent and was born to American parents Tinx is actually from London. She moved to the West Coast of America to attend Stanford university, and has since then made the US her home, living in both New York and LA (where she now resides). ‘I do consider myself very American but I also get so homesick for the UK. I miss Nandos!’ she says, adding that she is hoping to be reunited with her parents in August.
Despite the ‘just like us’ vibe Tinx gives her followers, her current life - filled with lunches at The Ivy, luxury facials and PR packages from Kim Kardashian isn't average (and she regularly acknowledges her privilege in her videos).
Having worked ‘19 jobs’ since she left college, Tinx says content creating is absolutely her passion - and it’s allowing her to live out this 'crazy' whirlwind which means she now gets stopped in the street for selfies. ‘I’ve turned this into a career, and I now have this community which I love so much, where they turn to me for advice and recommendations. I’ve always absolutely treasured my female friendships and I feel so protective over my followers.’
Now, Tinx is finding herself straddling her normal world and the world of celebrity. ‘Sometimes I have to think about who I mention in my videos because I know they might see it.’ She adds, with a smile, ‘I cannot say who but an absolutely enormous celebrity came up to me this week and said, “I just want to thank you for making that video”, because it was about someone that she used to date.
'It’s been a wild year!’
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