Madeline Argy Has Our Attention

Before Madeline Argy became the beloved TikTok creator who went viral in 2022 for sharing the horrifying story of how a worm ended up in her sister's leg and went on to amass millions of followers (over seven million at last counting) for her candid, confessional-style videos, she was just your normal college student. "I always saw myself as a professor or some kind of forensics specialist, which is very rogue and completely not what I'm doing now," Argy tells me from her New York City hotel room. At the time, the West Sussex native was studying linguistics as an undergrad at University of Kent and had big plans to get her master's degree and, if all went well, eventually her PhD too. But TikTok has a funny way of changing the course of people's lives, Argy's included. 

While accepting her near-overnight rise to fame hasn't been as easy for Argy as, say, divulging her innermost thoughts on the internet, the 23-year-old has found a way of putting it all into perspective. Her rule of thumb is this: The first time she experiences something that is out of the realm of possibilities of her previous life (e.g., sitting front row at fashion week), it has to be a random fluke. The second time she does it, however, is proof it's real and that it's just another part of her life now. "I guess you start to identify with these rogue experiences a little more," she says. In the year and a half since her first viral video, Argy's new normal has consisted of jetting around the globe for events like the Super Bowl, attending glamorous fashion parties, landing major brand deals, and partaking in editorial shoots like this one. 

At the end of the day, Argy's bread and butter is rooted in simply keeping it real with her fans. Whether it's sharing how she's navigating relationships in her 20s, her ADHD diagnosis, or a hot take on the rotten girl vs. clean girl aesthetic, Argy is authentically herself whenever she picks up her phone and records. It's why so many tune in each and every day to hear what's on her mind or see what she's up to next. Argy's brand of honest, unapologetic, and wholly relatable content has captured the attention of millions on their FYPs, including Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper, who invited Argy to be a part of her newly launched Unwell Network. The production shingle was created by Cooper as a way to cater to Gen Z audiences, and Argy and fellow TikTok star Alix Earle were its first talent signings. "I guess it's how all modern romances start. We just connected over Instagram DMs," Argy tells me of how she met the popular podcaster and entrepreneur. Under Cooper's guidance, Argy launched her podcast Pretty Lonesome in October. Each week, she invites listeners to be alone… together. New episodes drop Mondays, and at 30 to 50 minutes in length, they are like extended versions of Argy's signature mile-a-minute TikTok confessionals, ranging in topics from her ins and outs for 2024 to her recent trip to Los Angeles.

The podcast follows Argy wherever she is—her London flat, hotel rooms, or, most often, inside her car. Formerly "the green machine" and now a Mercedes SUV, which she received as a gift last year, Argy's car has long been a safe space for the creator. In her early TikTok days, she was a lodger, renting a spare bedroom in a family home to save money while at university. The busy home made it difficult to film anything. "I didn't want them to overhear me speaking to myself in my room and for them to think I'm crazy," she laughs. "They had a young daughter, so I really didn't want her to think I was crazy. I would go out to my car if I ever needed to film a video or do anything." The car was the only space that was completely Argy's at the time, and she spent a lot of time in it, adding, "At one point, there was a joke that I was secretly homeless and wouldn't tell anyone because they'd never seen me in a house, which was funny and not so far from the truth."

Now 20 episodes in, Pretty Lonesome has hit its stride. They've worked out some kinks, like Argy's tendency to jump quickly from one topic to the next and slowing down how fast she speaks ("I realized it's a bit hard on the ears when you are listening for more than 30 seconds," she laughs), and have a pretty good idea of what's resonating with listeners and what's not. While Cooper is more hands-off these days, she continues to be a sounding board for Argy and her team. "I just think she's got this amazing, very clear vision for things, which is helpful," Argy says. Naturally, Argy's already starting to think about what the next chapter of Pretty Lonesome could look like. "I think the next thing that I would love to explore is guests and conversations because I think there is only so much that you can actually say when you're by yourself, and it does get a little bit benign," she tells me. Whether those guests will be well-known figures, her close friends, or a mix of both, only time will tell.

At this point, fans are tuning in for more than just Argy's daily goings-on. They also want to know things like the brand of sweatshirt she's wearing (it's usually vintage from her neighborhood British Heart Foundation store or one she picked up at Urban Outfitters), her go-to coffee order, and the beauty products she loves. Whether she likes it or not, she has influence. When we put her up to the task of sharing the contents of her makeup bag, she pulls out Kosas's new BB Tinted Gel Cream, for which she is the new face. Kosas has been on rotation in Argy's routine in some form or another since she was a teen, so the partnership felt like a no-brainer for the TikToker. "It's exciting when you see that name in your inbox, and you're like, 'Oh wow, 18-year-old me would be so excited to see this,'" she says. Argy loves the hydrating tinted moisturizer for its lightweight feel and natural coverage because it doesn't hide her freckles or dark circles. The fact that it contains active skincare ingredients is another big plus. "It's so easy, and it's so quick, and it's so good for your skin that I feel it checks every possible box," she says. 

Argy wouldn't call herself a beauty guru ("Do people still say that?" she asks), but she does enjoy watching makeup tutorials like the rest of us. Amanda Steele was one of her favorite creators, and she used to love watching high school getting-ready routines on YouTube. As a homeschool student, she lived vicariously through the people. That's where she also first discovered Emma Chamberlain, who Argy admits played a big factor in her decision to get braces. "I remember there was a clip of her taking [her retainer] out in the morning, and it really, for some reason, made me want one," she chuckles. "I'm glad that I went and got one because my teeth were really bad."

Much like Chamberlain, Argy has become quite the fashion darling, too, with brands like Tory Burch, Prada, Versace, and Saint Laurent inviting her to sit front row at their shows. Though she's still partial to loungewear, she compares runway shows to creating Pinterest boards in real life, making mental notes of her favorite looks. One such outfit was an emerald-green bubble dress and structured jacket she saw at the Tory Burch S/S 24 show, which happened to be pulled for our shoot. "I was so excited when I saw it because I've been thinking about that dress every single day since I saw it on the runway, so I was excited to get to wear it. I might have to go get myself one," she says.

As our conversation starts to wind down, I ask Argy one last question: With all these life changes and career highs, have you had your "pinch me" moment yet? Her eyes light up, and she starts recalling her experience attending the Saint Laurent S/S 24 show that took place in front of a glowing Eiffel Tower. The last time she had properly seen the Eiffel Tower was with her mom when she was about 7 or 8. After a long, not-so-great day of being lost in the city, they finally came across the landmark, but by then, the excitement had worn off. Being back at that spot so many years later for an open-air fashion show, with all of the beautiful people and clothes, Argy had to stop and take it all in. "That was a very surreal moment," she tells me. "I took a picture for my mom to show her what it really looks like." 

This is no fluke—it's just Argy's life now. 

Photographer: Jeremy Choh

Editorial Director and Stylist: Lauren Eggertsen

Hairstylist: Christopher Farmer

Makeup Artist: Olivia Madorma

Manicurist: Emi Kudo

Art Director: Amy Armani

This story was originally published on Who What Wear US.