Why faceless content creators are the new viral sensation

Victoria posts several times a week on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, documenting her daily life. She vlogs her Target runs, films her hair care routine, creates baking videos, and more, all without ever showing her face.

“I feel like a lot of content creators who show their faces experience this pressure and judgment about their appearance or their identity,” says Victoria (@elysian.living), a woman in her 20s from New York City who asked to be invited by her name only to protect her identity. “I never really wanted to put my face out there.”

Since launching his account in January 2023, he has amassed an audience of more than 1.9 million followers on TikTok and 2.2 million on YouTube. One of her most popular videos on YouTube, which shows her preparing a bath, has more than 80 million views.

Victoria is just one member of a burgeoning class of creators who become famous without showing their faces. These faceless influencers constitute a rapidly emerging category of the creator economy. They are forming major partnerships with brands and, in some cases, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue per year. Their rise signals a broader shift in how creators approach privacy and personal boundaries, and redefines what it takes to succeed as an influencer.

“We're seeing a rise in faceless content as more and more shy people try to become content creators,” says James Nord, founder and CEO of Fohr, a New York influencer marketing firm. Social media users also appreciate videos. “You can only look at a certain number of strangers per day,” Nord notes. “There's something refreshing about seeing videos that aren't focused on a face.”

Unlike traditional influencers who often build their brands around a personal image and personality, faceless creators emphasize the aesthetic and functional aspects of their content. They intentionally keep their identities hidden, and some even hide their faces in their profile photos. The most common faceless influencer categories are home organizing, product reviews, and lifestyle content, where videos are almost always shot from the influencer's point of view.

You've probably already seen their videos in your feed. Most videos feature a woman's hands expertly stocking the pantry, fixing shoes, or unlocking the car and taking it to the car wash. The videos are often hypnotic and aesthetically driven with consistent color schemes and sometimes include a voiceover narrating the footage on screen.

“It's a way to enjoy content without feeling like you have to invest in someone's personality,” says Monica Brady (@midwesternmama29), a TikTok content creator who has amassed more than 4.4 million followers without showing her face . “People like watching people clean, they like watching people shop, and they don't really want to hear people talk or see their faces.”

As social media is flooded with fast-paced, attention-grabbing videos, faceless content can feel refreshing, users say. “Faceless videos are less aggressive; there's a simplicity to them that's a big difference from other videos on the platforms,” says Nord. “As most videos on social media are becoming louder, more extreme and brighter, faceless creators are like a refreshing balm.”

Caroline Moss, founder and host of Damn, thanks, I just bought it!a podcast and product recommendation community, says it loves consuming content from faceless creators. “I think [the videos] divide content very well on Instagram,” he explains. “They usually just show the hands moving and all the spaces where they create content are very clean and organized and put you in a trance.”

Faceless creators are heavily female, and the vast majority of accounts on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are run and followed by women. Kandice Breinholt (@kandicebreinholt), a mother and faceless creator from Utah, says she started her account in 2021. “I decided to do it partly because of insecurity, but mostly for privacy,” she notes. She includes a photo of herself and her children in her Instagram avatar, but other than that she protects her identity.

Lois Chartrand (@lifewith_lois), a faceless creator from Nebraska, points out that she doesn't even post her face on Instagram Stories. As a mother, she says she likes that being a faceless influencer means she doesn't have to do her hair and makeup and be in front of the camera. “I don't want to be completely ready to shoot a video,” Chartrand says. “I don't even like being in front of the camera, I think it's very embarrassing to be seen.”

Many women note that although the faceless influence eliminates a lot of scrutiny, followers still judge the parts of you they can see in videos.

“I feel like I'm a role model for what I do,” Chartrand says. “There were a couple of times I stopped doing my nails and mine [Instagram] The rollers don't work as well. People will actually come after you if your nails are not in good order.

Even faceless content creation still requires a lot of work. While avoiding makeup and hair can save time, planning, shooting and editing content takes a lot of effort to promote it to an ever-growing audience. “It takes a few hours to make a 30-second or so video about something that seems very simple,” Chartrand says. “It looks like I filmed the process, but I actually thought about every single movement I needed to make, for every single angle. So it takes quite a bit of time.”

Faceless creators often make their videos using a neck mount for their phone. The footage, shot outwards without showing the face, is then edited into flowing content that tells a story or highlights products. The advent of wearable recording devices, like Meta's new Ray-Ban smart glasses that record high-quality video, has made it even easier to create faceless content.

Because videos from faceless creators are usually product-focused, creators have become a valuable resource for marketers looking to reach new audiences. “Faceless creators have become the modern QVC,” says Kai Watson, director of Palette MGMT, a talent management and marketing firm. “They show the products they are buying, how they use them and generate significant revenue from the platforms.”

The rise of TikTok Shop and Amazon's affiliate marketing programs, which allow creators to earn money through the products they promote, have also helped faceless influencers monetize directly. Watson says that because many of these faceless creators feature products so heavily in their content, they are well positioned to launch their own product lines. “Being a creator is not just about expressing yourself, it has also become a way for millions of people to earn a living,” notes Eric Wei, co-CEO of Karat, a financial services company for creators.

There are some disadvantages to being a faceless creator. Anonymity means creators can't access some of the perks of being famous or micro-famous, like free meals or VIP invites. A faceless aesthetic account is also easier to copy than a front-page, personality-driven one.

At least one high-profile faceless creator, Kaeli Mae McEwen (@kaelimaee), who has amassed more than 14.6 million followers on TikTok through her videos about the minimalist “clean girl” lifestyle, has recently begun to show his full face in multiple videos. So far fans have responded positively. “kaeli mae you are glowing,” one person commented on a recent “get ready with me” video.

For those looking to get started with faceless influencing, there are a growing number of online courses and guides. Brittany Carey, 34, a faceless influencer from Victoria, British Columbia, sells a $55-a-month course called “Faceless & Filthy Rich,” aimed at “shy girls who want to learn how to make money incognito.”

“People say, 'How can someone log into an account that doesn't have a face?' “Carey says. “But on the anonymous side of things, communities are much stronger than on face-to-face accounts. They are not about how your body or face looks. There is no visual comparison. It's just a human connection.

This story appears in the Oct. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to sign up.