Griffin Maxwell Brooks (born December 8, 2000) is an American college diver, TikTok influencer, and self-described "digital club kid" and

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

. A Division I diver and engineering student at Princeton University, they are known for TikTok videos focusing on comedy,

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

, and social justice through an LGBT lens, and as a figure in New York City nightlife, including working with event producer

Susanne Bartsch Susanne Bartsch (born 1962) is a Swiss event producer living in the United States whose monthly parties at the Copacabana in the late 1980s united the ''haute'' and ''demi-monde'', and made her an icon of New York nightlife. "Ms. Bartsch's name ...

. On TikTok, they have over one million followers and have been credited, along with

Chrissy Chlapecka Christine Nicole Chlapecka (; born April 11, 2000) is an American TikTok personality, activist, and musician. She is best known as a key figure in "#BimboTok", a TikTok subculture centered on reclaiming the bimbo stereotype and aesthetic in a ...

, as a key figure of "BimboTok", an online community seeking to reclaim the bimbo stereotype in a

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

and Gen Z fashion.

Early life

Brooks grew up in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, a community they have described as "semi- conservative". They are Jewish and were raised by

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

parents. Brooks experienced

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

both at home and at school and viewed diving as a respite from the loneliness of growing up

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

in such an environment. They matriculated at Union County Magnet High School, a small application-based public school for

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

students, where they first studied engineering.

Career

College athletics and study

A student at Princeton University, Brooks is a diver with the Princeton Tigers varsity men's diving team. During the 2019-2020 season, they advanced to the final on both the one-meter and three-meter dives at the Ivy League Championships, finishing seventh on the one-meter with a score of 292.25 and 11th on the three-meter with a score of 323.10. They also had high scores of 226.40 on the 10m dive at Princeton's Big Al Invitational; 327.68 on the one-meter against the Villanova Wildcats; and 369.32 on the three-meter against the Columbia Lions. After missing the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they returned for the 2021-22 season, in which they scored a season high of 336.83 points on the one-meter against the

Navy Midshipmen The Navy Midshipmen are the athletic teams that represent the United States Naval Academy. The academy sponsors 33 varsity sports teams and 12 club sport teams.Brown Bears and the Dartmouth Big Green. They once again advanced to the finals of the Ivy League Championships, with the Tigers placing second behind the Harvard Crimson and Brooks placing fourth with a 355.55 score on the three-meter dive and 7th with a 292.95 score on the one-meter. They were also one of five divers to represent Princeton at the 2022 NCAA Zone A Championships, placing 15th on both the one-meter and three-meter events (scoring 572.90 and 634.40 respectively). Brooks has been noted for their open

ness and gender non-conformity within college sports, such as their Princeton Athletics headshot during the 2021-22 season showing them with black eyeliner, a pearl

necklace A necklace is an article of jewellery that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans. They often serve Ceremony, ceremonial, Religion, religious, magic (illusion), magical, or Funerary ...

earring An earring is a piece of jewelry attached to the ear via a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear (except in the case of clip earrings, which clip onto the lobe). Earrings have been worn by people in different civilizations an ...

s, and pink-streaked hair. ''DNA'' wrote of Brooks, "By way of being a proud queer person, they are carving a very public stance against traditional notions of being an athlete." While Brooks has noted that teammates are largely supportive of their identity, they have criticized their treatment by opposing teams as well as the general state of queer acceptance at Princeton, saying in a December 2021 TikTok that "as a queer, and gender nonconforming person, I often feel unvalued, unwelcome, and sometimes unsafe here at Princeton University." They expressed support for fellow trans Division I swimmer Lia Thomas during the public debate her success sparked. Outside of diving, Brooks is a mechanical and

aerospace engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...

major. They have spoken of their commitment to pursuing an engineering career, saying "I might do, you know, 10 years of being a

and then I’m like ‘okay, time to be an engineer.'"

TikTok

Brooks gained popularity on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic, and by May 2022 they had over 1 million followers on the platform. Their content focuses on comedy,

, and social justice through an LGBT lens, including outfit of the day videos, humorous monologues, and documenting of their experiences as a college student and nightlife figure. '' Outsports'' described their content as "an effervescent collection of comedic relief, bold fashion choices and social justice stands", while '' The Daily Princetonian'' noted their "affirmational positivity, tongue-in-cheek confidence, and fiercely independent expression" and called them "a digital flagbearer for Gen Z’s

queer community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and soci ...

." Brooks, who self-identifies as a " bimbo", has been credited alongside

as a leading figure in "BimboTok", a TikTok community reclaiming the archetype in a queer and

anti-capitalist Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and Political movement, movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. In this sense, anti-capitalists are those who wish to replace capitalism with another type of economi ...

context. In one February 6, 2022 TikTok, Brooks gave a humorous "marketing pitch" to "

yassify ''Yas'' is a playful or non-serious slang term equivalent to the excited or celebratory use of the interjection "yes!", carrying LGBT or queer cultural associations. ''Yas'' was added to Oxford Dictionaries in 2017 and defined as a form of excl ...

" the racing company NASCAR, suggesting the name "YASCAR". In response, the company chose to partner with Brooks for

Pride Month LGBT Pride Month is a month, typically in June, dedicated to celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride. Pride Month began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests in 1969, and ha ...

on a YASCAR marketing campaign and line of merchandise promoting LGBTQ acceptance. Discussing the campaign with '' Outsports'', Brooks said, “In the midst of corporate pride being a point of fair criticism, it was sort of refreshing to have a point of contact with queer people at a really big company whose fanbase is typically not that embracive of queer people."

Nightlife and fashion

A self-described

and "digital club kid", Brooks is a figure in New York City's nightlife and fashion scene. Since summer 2021, they have worked with event producer

, including co-hosting events with her, making regular appearances at her Manhattan parties, and running her TikTok account. They are known for their eccentric fashion sense, which they have described as " eclectic, flashy, over the top ..Some might say camp." Brooks began clubbing after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, beginning with an anniversary party for Lady Gaga's ''Born This Way'' album where they wore a Gaga-inspired look. These parties also marked Brooks' first in-person interactions with their TikTok fans, which they described as "pivotal for me. I had never been in a space like that where the idea of standing out was celebrated”. In May 2022 they attended the Met Gala afterparty, where they were noticed by musician

Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...

. In September, Brooks made their New York Fashion Week debut at the ''Vogue'' World show wearing a Stella McCartneybr>Mylo
outfit, where they introduced themselves to ''Vogue'' editor Anna Wintour. That same month, Brooks attended the

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

x VOGUE World afterparty atop

The Standard The Standard may refer to: Entertainment * The Standard (band), an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon * ''The Standard'' (novel), a 1934 novel by the Austrian writer Alexander Lernet-Holenia * ''The Standard'' (Tommy Flanagan album), 1980 * ...

, also attended by Lil Nas X,

Ansel Elgort Ansel Elgort (born March 14, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He began his acting career with a supporting role in the horror film ''Carrie'' (2013) and gained wider recognition for starring as a teenage cancer patient in the romantic dr ...

Caroline Trentini Caroline Aparecida Trentini (born 6 July 1987) is a Brazilian model. Early life Trentini was born in Panambi, Brazil. Trentini is the youngest daughter of Lourdes and Jacó Trentini, who died when she was one year old. Her older sisters are ...

, Jeremy O. Harris, and

Stuart Vevers Stuart Vevers (born 17 November 1973) is a British fashion designer. He graduated from the University of Westminster in 1996. His first job was at Calvin Klein, followed by Bottega Veneta, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton, where he worked with Mar ...

; Brooks was photographed with fellow TikToker

Davis Burleson Davis Burleson is an American social media personality. He is the host of Fallen Media's TikTok interview series, "What’s Poppin? With Davis!" and appears on Sirius XM TikTok radio. Life Burleson's first job was a DoorDash driver. In March 2020 ...

. In November, they attended the Humane Society's To The Rescue! gala wearing a dress from sustainable fashion designer Collina Strada; the event was hosted by Andy Cohen at Cipriani 42nd Street, with other attendees including Justin Theroux, Amy Sedaris, and Cory Booker.

Personal life

Brooks identifies as non-binary, gay, genderfluid, and transfeminine and uses they/them pronouns.

Notes

References

External links

* * * *
Griffin Maxwell Brooks
on Princeton Tigers website {{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Griffin Maxwell American TikTokers American divers 2000 births Living people LGBT TikTokers American socialites Non-binary comedians Genderfluid people People from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey Princeton Tigers men's swimmers LGBT Jews Jewish American swimmers American anti-capitalists American non-binary sportspeople LGBT divers LGBT people from New Jersey