It’s official – Becca Bloom, the TikTok influencer with over four million followers – is married! The content creator, best known for being the face of the #RichTok trend, tied the knot with software engineer David Pownall in a lavish ceremony that took place on August 28 on the picturesque Lake Como. Many followers familiar with Bloom – real name Rebecca Ma – have been eagerly anticipating the nuptials, which is estimated to have cost over US$6 million.
Bloom has been sharing photos and videos of her glamorous life in recent months. In one viral clip, she stares into the camera as a carousel of palatial mansions fills the screen – estates so vast they could easily pass for boutique hotels. In her clip, titled “Houses We Almost Bought – But Didn’t,” she quips, “Our fortune teller said no,” scrolling past one particularly extravagant property in a video that has now amassed more than 19 million views.
Bloom’s house-hunting adventures are a world apart from the typical real estate journey: these are homes likely priced in the hundreds of millions. Yet, for her audience, it’s less about sticker shock and more about aspiration, a peek into a life few will ever experience. Her TikTok feed reads like a dossier of the ultra-wealthy: unboxings of rare Van Cleef & Arpel jewels, glimpses of couture wardrobes, private chef-prepared meals, luxury transport, and even how she pampers her pets. It’s a portrait of a lifestyle defined not merely by wealth, but by extravagance meticulously curated.
Bloom’s candid, unapologetic approach has helped ignite a new social media phenomenon: RickTok. The hashtag has now inspired over 90,000 videos, with creators offering their own windows into ultra-luxury living. Yet, intriguingly, despite the jaw-dropping price tags, the content rarely feels ostentatious. There’s a sense of “quiet luxury” – a subtle flex rather than a brazen display – echoing the understated indulgence dramatised on shows like Succession and Gossip Girl.
It’s a trend that shows no signs of fading. Beyond Bloom, figures like Skyelar Chase and Jamie Xie are carving out their own corners of the platform, blending aspirational content with the allure of exclusivity.
What is RichTok, Exactly?
Ask five people what RichTok is and you’ll get five answers, each one reflecting a different facet of the trend. Some say it’s about wealth flaunting. Others insist it’s parody. Many creators themselves admit it’s a bit of both.
Dr. Emily van der Nagel, a lecturer in social media at Monash University, captures this range well. She has been studying the hashtag closely and notes that RichTok defies neat categorisation. “Looking through the hashtag myself, I can see mixed content – some with images and stories of luxury brands, restaurants, and experiences; but also advice on how to become (or appear) wealthy, as well as satirical videos on how appearing wealthy doesn’t always mean someone is really rich,” she tells BurdaLuxury.
Her observation gets at the heart of RichTok’s slipperiness: it’s less a single genre than a continuum of wealth performance, spanning sincerity, aspiration, and parody.
For creators like Benjamin Bryant, who has amassed 130,000 TikTok followers by documenting ultra-luxury travel experiences, the appeal is precisely this breadth. “I think it’s so popular because it lets people ‘try on’ a rich life,” he explains to BurdaLuxury. “On my TikTok, a 12-second glide across a private overwater villa pool or a luxury seaplane shot does three things at once: satisfies curiosity, fuels aspiration, and decodes the unspoken ‘wealth codes.'”
Bryant’s phrasing – “try on” – is key. The very idea that wealth can be sampled virtually, without financial commitment, is what gives RichTok its stickiness across audiences who may never step into a Dior spa or Aman resort.
Zoë Cullen, a PhD student at the University of Michigan, frames this even more starkly. For her, RichTok isn’t only entertainment, but education. “Maybe more intriguingly, #RichTok functions as informal cultural education. These clips offer crash courses in affluent social codes – how the wealthy speak, dress, travel, and carry themselves.”
This makes RichTok less about voyeurism and more about learning. It is a kind of TikTok finishing school, where viewers pick up elite codes through repetition and immersion.
Private aviation executive Jolie Howard, CEO of L’Voyage, sees this play out in her sector. She notes how content demystifies a space once shrouded in secrecy. “From our perspective, the interest in private travel has increased because of the visibility of private travel, particularly for the newcomers and new entrants into the market,” she tells BurdaLuxury. “They can learn how to use it. They can learn how people do things.”
Howard’s point underscores RichTok’s role as a user manual for aspirational lifestyles – whether the goal is flying private or simply understanding how to navigate a Michelin-starred restaurant.
In China, however, the picture is more complex. Ashley Dudarenok, the founder of ChoZan and Alarice, points out that RichTok has not taken root on Duoyin, TikTok’s Chinese twin. “Given Beijing’s recent emphasis on promoting a more ‘oval-shaped society’ and its disapproval of conspicuous displays of wealth, wealthy individuals in China typically avoid flaunting their luxury lifestyles on social media,” she tells BurdaLuxury. “Such displays can provoke jealousy, invite online backlash, or even lead to offline complications.”
Her insight highlights the cultural contingency of RichTok. While in the West it thrives as an algorithm spectacle, in China it is even more subtle – replaced instead by whispers of discretion, philanthropy, or cultural patronage.
Who Are the RichTok Creators?
At the forefront of this trend are a handful of TikTok creators who have mastered the art of performing wealth online, each in their own distinctive style. Becca Bloom blends playful humour with fashion-forward content, making luxury feel approachable without ever losing polish. Skyelar Chase injects energy and visual flair into her videos, fusing dance, trend-driven edits, and style to create content that is both aspirational and entertainment.
Jamie Xie offers a window into high-end lifestyle experiences, from designer wardrobes to curated travel escapes, inviting viewers to vicariously inhabit her world. Chloe Abeth focuses on elegance and wellness, crafting content that balances aspiration with reliability, particularly for audiences seeking beauty, style, and lifestyle inspiration.
Aesthetic storytelling is Mei Leung’s forte, as she combines subtle visual cues with lifestyle and fashion content, creating a quiet yet compelling display of refinement. Chloe L., meanwhile, experiments boldly, blending fashion, beauty, and art with trend-conscious creativity that keeps her audience engaged and curious.
Together, these creators exemplify the spectrum of RichTok: part education, part entertainment, part fantasy. They don’t just showcase wealth – they decode it, offering insights into luxury codes and experiences that viewers can admire, emulate , or simply enjoy from afar. In doing so, they transform RichTok from a hashtag into a nuanced cultural moment, bridging aspiration, style, and social media storytelling.
Why Viewers Are Drawn to the “Quiet Luxury” Aesthetic
What makes RichTok so magnetic is not just the wealth on display, but the way it’s framed. Unlike Instagram’s golden age of logo-heavy selfies, RichTok trades in subtler cues – what has been dubbed the “quiet luxury aesthetic.”
Bryant, whose most popular clips feature little more than a private boat gliding toward a spa island, believes this is a direct response to digital oversaturation. “The loud flex feels dated; the younger audience responds to materials, service choreography, space, and silence,” he says.
Cullen adds a psychological layer. “Pure aspiration certainly draws viewers in… but when your own financial future feels uncertain, watching someone else ‘living the dream’ becomes both a measuring stick and a form of vicarious possibility.”
For Gen Z and Gel Alpha, raised in an era of economic precarity, RichTok serves as a dream ledger – a scrolling record of alternative futures.
Van der Nagel stresses that the format matters as much as the content. “Luxury destinations, purchases, and clothing are all visually appealing, which makes them great content for TikTok. Visual signifiers like expensive cars, watches, and jewellery; luxury hotels; flying private planes all communicate quickly that the TikTok is going to address wealth in some way.”
This immediacy is crucial. TikTok’s algorithm thrives on content that delivers a hit of recognition within seconds, and luxury provides just that.
The aesthetic has also been reinforced by wider culture. Sofia Richie Grainge’s 2023 wedding (featuring that gorgeous Chanel dress) was amplified on TikTok and hailed as the “ultimate quiet luxury moment.” Similarly, Succession turned cashmere polos and understated Loro Piana coats into memes – not because they shouted wealth, but because they whispered it.
Howard confirms this shift in her client’s travel patterns. “It’s not just about how much is spent – it’s about the experience itself, the exposure it provides, and the understanding of the culture behind luxury travel.”
Her emphasis on “exposure and understanding” positions luxury less as consumption and more as cultural fluency – perfectly aligned with RichTok’s role as both education and aspiration.
How it Reflects Shifting Values in Wealth Signalling
Luxury, at its core, is about signalling. What changes is the code. RichTok suggests the new signals are privacy, exclusivity, and restraint.
Bryant has seen this shift firsthand. “My best-performing clips don’t scream money, they imply exclusive access. That softness reads as power because it suggests relationships and privacy, not logos and brands.”
Cullen points out the algorithmic mechanism that makes this stick. “A user who lingers on one luxury post may be algorithmically nudged toward increasingly polished, high-end content. Over time, tastes can be recalibrated upward: what once seemed extravagant becomes normal.”
This algorithmic inflation means that RichTok doesn’t just reflect desire; it amplifies and accelerates it, normalising ever higher standards of exclusivity.
Van der Nagel underscores the variety of codes in play. “Other hashtags and trends on TikTok, such as ‘quiet luxury,’ also exist and aim to represent more subtle elegance. Not every trend. or style appeals equally.”
Her reminder is important: while RichTok dominates, it’s part of a constellation of trends. What unites them is a shift away from the overtly branded toward the atmospherically coded.
Howard notes that this extends to behavioural adoption. “As we noted, the lifestyle itself needs to be adopted – and all of these creators play a key role in helping people understand and embrace that lifestyle more broadly.”
For her, RichTok isn’t just entertainment; it’s onboarding.
Globally, then, RichTok marks a pivot: wealth is increasingly about what you don’t show – whether that’s discretion in China or seclusion in the Maldives.
What Role Irony, Detachment, and Soft Power Play in Gen Z’s Relationship with Luxury
If millennials have adopted hustle culture, Gen Z has adopted irony. RichTok exemplifies this: viewers can both covet and critique in the same breath.
Bryant notes how this manifests on his own posts. “They can enjoy the fantasy and critique it in the same comment thread.”
This is RichTok’s genius – it allows Gen Z to engage aspirationally without appearing earnest. Irony becomes a protective buffer.
But Cullen warns of the risks. “Many ‘rich’ creators are staging wealth they don’t actually possess… yet even when the wealth is fabricated, the emotional impact on audiences remains real.”
The danger, she suggests, is that aspirational irony doesn’t always inoculate against harm. Even staged opulence can recalibrate expectations and corrode satisfaction with ordinary life.
Van der Nagel emphasises TikTok’s satirical texture. “Videos like ‘how to find a rich husband in London’ with someone giving advice, or ‘how a trillionaire starts his morning’ with a man waking up in a bed littered with cash are playful ways to suggest that it’s easier to represent wealth than to actually be wealthy. Of course, conversations about money with younger viewers should include the lesson that things you buy or rent or pose with or take photos of don’t represent wealth in a straightforward way,” she explains.
Such parody keeps RichTok palatable, blurring critique with participation.
How Luxury Brands Are (or Aren’t) Adapting to This New Visual Language
For luxury brands, RichTok presents both a challenge and an opportunity. They are no longer the sole narrators of their story.
Cullen explains how this shift is changing value itself. “Social media is undeniably reshaping luxury marketing… a handbag’s value increasingly depends on how well it photographs and its ability to generate engagement.”
A product’s value can be increasingly enhanced by its success on digital platforms and algorithmic reach.
Van der Nagel argues that brands need to embrace this reality. “To stand out in a crowded marketplace, luxury brands need to tell a story visually throughout experiences with their products.”
She suggests that luxury experiences – from showrooms to packaging – must now be designed with TikTok’s lens in mind.
Bryant offers advice from the content side. “For creators like me and brands I work with, that means storytelling that whispers: class, quality, craft, and service, not showing off.”
His insight points to a future where brands collaborate with creators not for logo placement, but for atmospheric storytelling.
Howard underscores the demand for depth. “With this new travel trend, people are spending more time and money, seeking a deeper understanding of how life unfolds in another country – it’s as much about experiencing the culture as it is about enjoying comfort.”
Her point suggests that brands that fail to offer cultural immersion risk irrelevance in an era where surface-level flexes no longer resonate.
The Rise of RichTok
RichTok isn’t slowing down. If anything, its codes are bleeding into every facet of luxury.
Bryant frames it as a structural shift. “We’re moving into a privacy premium era. Expect more demand for low-density design, private transfers, and off-menu access. People will pay for time, curation, and seamless logistics.”
Cullen captures the paradox. “Mystery and exclusivity, once central to luxury appeal, translate poorly to platforms that reward transparency. Young consumers expect brands to reveal their processes… but exclusivity remains powerful, just deployed differently.” This is the needle brands must thread: balancing transparency with mystique.
BurdaLuxury’s Lens
RichTok isn’t really about being rich. It’s about understanding the performance of wealth in a digital economy where algorithms dictate aspiration. For some, it’s entertainment. For others, it’s cultural education. For brands, it’s a strategic puzzle.
What’s clear is that luxury in 2025 is less about volume and more about frequency. It’s not the loud logo but the soft whisper that resonates. It’s not the display of ownership but the choreography of access. And in a world where everyone is watching, the most powerful thing of all may be the ability not to be seen.
