TikTok creator @celesteriemersma shared a video that has amassed 6.3 million views and nearly 900 comments as of publication. In the video, Celeste described some of the things she did when she was younger to get male attention and online validation.
Celeste described herself at the time as a “low-level pick me,” but emphasized that she no longer behaves that way. She explained that she would have a friend take a photo of her and post it to Snapchat as a Yes/No poll with the question, “Can she pull you?”
@celesteriemersma My pick me tales #grwm #pickme #storytime
♬ original sound - celeste
The question was aimed at men, with Celeste using their responses to gauge how many found her attractive. She said men would respond to her friend’s Snapchat story with either “YES” or “NO.”
Celeste said she and her friend could spend up to an hour taking photos and choosing the best one to post on Snapchat. She wanted to find a photo that she felt showed off her appearance and would encourage people to vote “YES.”
She also admitted that she emphasized her physical appearance in the photos in hopes that a man would ask her on a date, although she said the online validation was a bonus.
Celeste Says the Attention Did Not Give Her the Validation She Wanted
Celeste went on to describe an experience involving a man she was attracted to who voted “NO” on one of the polls featuring her photo.
She said she was upset by his response and had her friend message him on Snapchat to ask why he had voted that way. According to Celeste, the man did not give her a specific reason for his answer.
Still, she said she used her friend as a middleman to try to convince the man that he had made the wrong choice by voting “NO.” Celeste said she and her friend posted similar polls more than once, all in an effort to get the validation she was seeking.
Ultimately, she said the attention did not provide the validation she wanted and that she has since moved beyond that period of her life.
Viewers largely focused on how supportive her friends were, with some praising Celeste for reflecting on her younger behavior and recognizing how much she has changed.
Another commenter pointed out how genuine her friends were for entertaining her behavior. They wrote, "You had the most tolerant friends in the world."
A separate commenter wanted to know what prompted her growth out of this attention seeking phase. They asked, "Can I ask at what point you opened your eyes to that and what made you grow out of it?"
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the details of Celeste’s story, which are based on her account shared on TikTok. Celeste, who posts under the handle @celesteriemersma, was describing her own experiences and behavior from when she was younger.
