Scrolling through TikTok can be a whirlwind. The ever-changing algorithm that seems to read minds can bring users through a rapid change of emotions — and many have struggled with an inundation of seemingly-perfect influencers who make them feel inferior and insecure. One content creator + influencer who aims to shatter the illusion of perfection is Kate Norkeliunas. Kate, who is a Hoboken resident and social media star, has gained over a million followers on TikTok by being authentic, honest, and vulnerable about tough topics that others avoid — such as her past struggles with an eating disorder. She posts make-up free videos of her having casual conversations with her followers, aiming to create everyday content to give others a look into a normal life. Her down-to-Earth video of her eating Taco Bell is what first launched her to TikTok fame — although she now also chooses to feature local spots, like Antique Bar + Bakery and O’Bagel. Read on to learn all about Hobokenite Kate and her rise to TikTok fame.
(Photo credits: @katenorkeliunas)
Kate’s Social Media Philosophy
TikTok has added to the momentum of social media influencers and created a whole new platform for engagement. Influencers’ videos can get millions of views overnight, resulting in a large paycheck for posting branded content. Influencers have become the new celebrities, abandoning the previous barriers that withheld fame for only an exclusive few. While this trend has created entrepreneurship opportunities that never existed before, it can also lead to a certain toxicity that all social media users are aware of: the highlight reel effect. Creators may post highly-curated and produced videos and photos of their luxurious lifestyles, making viewers feel inferior and even insecure about their own appearance, income, and life choices.
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Enter Kate Norkeliunas. Kate’s social media philosophy revolves around authenticity, humor, and of course, food. She first gained popularity on TikTok after posting videos of her eating Taco Bell and talking to the camera. The irony of this would only become clear as she opened up online about her history with an eating disorder, when Taco Bell was actually one of her most feared foods. Her followers love her genuine content, where she shares pieces of her life as they come, talks about her history with body image issues, and is completely transparent about subjects many influencers avoid, such as getting lip injections and botox. Today, Kate has 1.9 million followers on TikTok, 264K followers on Instagram, and 15.3K YouTube subscribers.
Making Hoboken Home
As a kid, Kate moved around a lot. She was born in New York, then moved to Germany, Florida, Washington state, and then back to Florida because of her dad’s job working for Adidas. After two years attending college in Florida, she transferred to Marist in Poughkeepsie, New York, and graduated with a degree in fashion design. She chose to move to Hoboken in order to be close to her job in SoHo post-graduation.
(Photo credits: @katenorkeliunas)
She instantly felt at home in Hoboken. She sometimes felt overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of New York City, and was happy to find a more relaxed environment only a quick train ride away from her office. She loves Hoboken for the sense of community and knows that it just has something special that is hard to describe. It’s also impossible to deny that this side of the Hudson has the best views, and Kate is a big fan of the city skyline.
The Rise to Social Media Stardom
One of the most frequently asked questions Kate gets is about how she landed in this career path. It wasn’t always her goal to be a content creator and social media star. She originally downloaded TikTok just for fun and would post silly videos of her trying the dance trends or funny moments with her co-workers.
During the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, Kate – like most of us – spent hours watching YouTube videos. Many of the YouTube videos that she took interest in were muckbangs. Muckbangs are videos where viewers watch someone as they eat. It’s an admittedly odd trend, but muckbangs rake in hundreds of thousands of views online. Kate enjoyed the videos on YouTube, but she never really saw them on TikTok, so she decided to make her own. The videos blew up, and the rest is history. She continues to post videos showing off the amazing food she’s trying from local restaurants and national chains such as Chipotle, while talking about her day and sharing tidbits of her life with her followers.
@kate a lil pizza
While Taco Bell is what originally brought her into the public eye, it has been local businesses that give Kate a majority of her content. Scrolling through her page, you will find videos of her sampling Mr. Wraps, Antique Bar + Bakery, O’Bagel, Tenth Street Pizza, Napoli’s, Empire Coffee, and many more. Her videos are funny, engaging, and get hundreds of thousands of views while doubling as advertising for local businesses.
However, her page is much more than just food content – it has become a lifestyle page. She posts about exciting moments in her life, such as getting invited to fancy brand events in Manhattan or attending the US Open.
She will often post shopping hauls, showing off her favorite brands and styling the clothes for viewers to get a close look at each piece. Some videos are just her in her pajamas, with her hair in a messy bun, telling a funny story from earlier in the day. No matter the content, each video shows a genuine, relatable point of view from Kate. She is always being herself and told The Hoboken Girl that she finds it exhausting to try and be anybody else.
(Photo credits: @katenorkeliunas)
Since gaining a large following, Kate has been able to make this her full-time career. She left her office job in 2021 and is hoping to continue on this path. She told HG that she loves being able to make a living this way and hopes that she will be able to continue doing so.
When she’s not creating content, she loves going to some of her favorite spots in Hoboken, including Cafe Michelina, Augustino’s, Pilsener House, and Pier 13. She and her friends love to picnic in the Pier A and Pier C parks and take in the gorgeous waterfront views while enjoying their favorite snacks. Recently, she and her friends discovered Hive Athletics and joined a recreational kickball league, where they admittedly get a little rowdy and competitive – all in good fun.
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Kate’s ultimate goal is to be the person that she needed when she was younger and watching content online. She grew up with Instagram and YouTube, and she was constantly comparing herself to the unattainable lifestyles that were portrayed by influencers at the time. It made her feel bad about her body and made her believe that she was not good enough, and she knows that this is how many people feel when being bombarded with these posts online. Kate doesn’t put on a facade online. She posts with no makeup on, wearing comfortable clothing, and talks about normal everyday things that most people can relate to. Her content shows that you can just be yourself and still be cool. She wants her followers to remember that you don’t need to look a certain way or have a certain amount of money to have a great, fulfilling life.
(Photo credits: @katenorkeliunas)
You can follow Kate on TikTok, Instagram, and subscribe to her YouTube channel. She is excited to keep creating content and has hopes of expanding into the podcast space. We can’t wait to see what she does next!
