Best known for her characters as Britney, Tiffany and Aunty Shirley, Amy Dirks is the TikTok comedy queen who has captured our attention.
The TikTok Tea
Dirks spilled the tea with us on her TikTok experience.
How did your TikTok career start?
It was completely accidental. I was bored during lockdown, waiting for university to announce what would happen next. I only created my account at the beginning of lockdown, which is when I introduced the Britney and Tiffany characters. I never expected it to go as well as it did.
What has the response to your videos been like?
It has been very overwhelming because there’s so much love. People message me to tell me that I’ve helped them through a depressive episode or when they were feeling down. Sometimes I cry at the kind messages I receive because I never thought that I’d help people by making jokes.
How do you plan your content?
I gain inspiration from speaking to people and watching them - that usually sparks my ideas.
I have a notebook that I write my ideas in, and then I film it from there.
How did you come up with your characters?
Britney and Tiffany weren’t planned characters - those were names that came to me as I was filming and it just stuck. I didn’t plan a character description but Aunty Shirley was a planned character. I realised that coloured aunties and grandmas all speak the same way and I find it very entertaining.
What is your favourite type of content to create?
I enjoy doing content about coloured boys and coloured uncles. My hair is short, so it’s easy to get away with looking like a boy, and I always wear oversized clothing. Getting into the character is very easy. I have a lot of guy friends and I’ve easily picked up their mannerisms and body language.
Do you want to continue creating TikTok content in future?
I will continue but the rest of my life is picking up and I don’t always have time to film and post. When I do have time, I try to film content in bulk and then spread out the posting.
What is your advice to aspiring content creators?
Always be yourself. It’s important to put yourself out there. Be consistent and confident in being yourself; it’s what your audience will love you for. Pray and thank God for bad days and good days.
Quickies:
Heels or sneakers: Sneakers
Fav sneaker brand: Puma
Tea or coffee: Tea
Celeb crush: Dylan O’Brien
Relationship status: Single
Fav takeout meal: KFC dunked wings
Fav series of all time: The Big Bang Theory
Fav TikTok account: Michaill Bailey
Something you can’t live without: My mother
Dream dinner guest: Miley Cyrus