Anjola Fagbemi doesn’t pay.
The 5-foot-8 beauty was once out to dinner when she randomly ran into a guy who gifted her several four-day passes — valued at $500 each — to the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, where she lives. Such freebies are common for the professional model and neuroscience ICU nurse.
“Tonight I’m actually going to a free dinner, and when I travel I get a lot of free drinks at the bar,” Fagbemi told The Post.
The 24-year-old, who has more than 36,100 followers on TikTok, recently went viral on the social media platform with a post detailing what her “pretty privilege” has netted her this summer.
On a solo trip to San Diego, a millionaire she met bought her a sunset dinner, breakfast, drinks and a $100 Uber to the airport, while an ice cream shop owner gave her surf lessons.
Back in Chicago, there were more free drinks courtesy of a man at the bar, and in a “first” for her, a couple. Then, in Athens, Greece, a man at the table next to her bought all her drinks.
“It was just a compilation of exciting things that I’ve been able to get for free, and it was interesting that it wasn’t, like, a common experience for a lot of people,” said Fagbemi of the TikTok, which has been viewed more than 2.7 million times. “I just thought it was a funny TikTok and it would be nice [and] lighthearted but it created a lot of discourse.”
“Tonight I’m actually going to a free dinner, and when I travel I get a lot of free drinks at the bar,” Fagbemi told The Post. LeiscterMitchell
The comments ran the gamut. Some related — “Hey, if they are giving why not take it”; some took umbrage — “Wild to think someone would share this and not think they’re arrogant” and some were concerned — “How are you not murdered or kidnapped yet?”
Science has examined the notion of pretty privilege in recent years. A 2021 research paper published in Personnel Psychology found a positive association between physical attractiveness and career success.
“Across a broad range of job-related decisions and evaluations, employees’ attractiveness is associated with more positive outcomes,” the paper’s authors wrote.
The paper also suggests attractive people have an advantage in the way they communicate, and that they may be socialized to behave and perceive themselves differently, resulting in “a greater sense of power” and “a more effective nonverbal presence.”
A 1983 article in the American Journal of Sociology referenced in the study found that attractiveness and interpersonal skills go hand in hand: attractive people receive cues from others that make them more adept socially.
“Thus, they get a double advantage,” the article said. “From status generalization and from learning social skills.”
Freebies are common for the professional model and neuroscience ICU nurse.LeiscterMitchell
While Fagbemi admits that her physical looks played a big role in her lavish lifestyle, she said her ability to carry a conversation is another important factor.LeiscterMitchell
While Fagbemi admits that her physical looks played a big role in her lavish lifestyle, she said her ability to carry a conversation is another important factor.
“There’s a lot of it that has to do with the initial approach [and being friendly],” she said. “I’m an extroverted person and my line of work [involves] talking to a lot of people… So I’ve learned how to talk to people.”
Fagbemi said that there can be downsides to the freebies and gifts — such as the Louis Vuitton fragrance from her “Aruba bae” she shows off in another TikTok. While not everyone expects something in return, some are interested in more than conversation.
“I’ve had people follow me from restaurants [and] waiting for me to be done then following me back to my hotel,” she recalled. “You have to be very cautious since you’re alone.”
Still, she’s more than OK with her pretty privilege.
“I do think it’s nice for girls to be able to say, ‘I’m pretty and I get things because I can.’”
The post I get festival tickets and drinks for free — because I’m pretty first appeared on Eatory.my.id.
