Haliey Welch - "Phlegm Fatale" in Good lord, this is a book

This linked story is very well written, and it articulates popular sentiment very well.

www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hawk-tuah-girl-haliey-welch-interview-1235057659/

The story compares her appeal with that of Dolly Parton…

but it might be a bit more Ellie Mae Clampett.

(although Donna Douglas was already 30 when Beverley Hillbillies first aired)

The thing is, now we’re in the age of the internet where we can indulge ourselves at a whim in somebody so authentic and real as is Haliey Welch.

So far we the public don’t know a great deal of how it came to be that 9-month-old Haliey came to be living with her grandmother Janie, and still does to this day at age 21.

In tiny clips, grandma Janie sounds just as sincere as does Haliey and despite the perceptions of some, grandma Janie really does have a lot of what America/society wants from Haliey.

Of course there are female critics who don’t generally like what they perceive Haliey to stand for, based on her original video. And it’s always been fair to say that women are none too fond of the hawk-tuah sound in its most popular setting… (near to a likely-ill-mannered male clearing his throat too near to other people).

I say that Haliey does need the “Hawk Tuah” element… but only so far as it defines her uniqueness in searchable/noticeable words on the internet. Had she somehow uttered the word “Pookie” as her most memorable video-taped response, its generic use all over the place would cause Haliey to fade away much earlier than she will now.

Make no mistake that the main appeal to Haliey Welch is that she exudes “happy” and “comfortable”. You could phone hundreds of young females from southern Tennessee and know that same warmth just from their voices.

The “comfortable” vibe comes from their small-town remoteness, where perhaps everybody really does know each other, and they don’t need to have their guard up as a regular routine like we do in the city.

The “happy” vibe is extremely a function of their accents, and it may not be true at all… but those of us from far away have long allowed ourselves to perceive it from the warmth of their voices.

So now, take that warm and care-free vibe, and put it in front of a video camera in central Nashville… and suddenly it’s a chance for those of us who live on the coasts to witness a sweet and thorough dose of southern charm and appeal as we so seldom get to otherwise.

As you know, they don’t allow such drawl on the 6 o’clock news, but I am certain that if it were Haliey’s voice delivering the 6 o’clock news, even if only on the radio, it would make the world feel like a much happier place, even in these divided times.

A whole lot of the appeal really IS relative.

I read a foreign journalist attempt to summarize the Hawk Tuah Girl, and they included:

” …with an American accent…”

Editors and proof-readers certainly couldn’t argue that - but it highlights nothing of the allure.

I am rooting for Haliey’s fame and eventual fortune, and I am sure her path ahead will surprise us all… and in some way it will continue to sound so, so happy.