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HIGH OCTANE
I am YouTube star Supercar Blondie – men used to bully me over my love of cars but now I have 70million fans online
GETTING behind the wheel of some of world's fastest cars, hanging out with celebs, and having 70million fans online - YouTube star Supercar Blondie appears to have it all.
Alex Hirschi created the number one motor-focused social media account in the world - showing off her incredible passion for all things high octane.
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Raking in sums of up to six figures per post on social media, appearing on Top Gear, and rubbing shoulders with F1 drivers, she is a powerhouse in the motoring world.
And she said she still has to "pinch herself" over her success as some of the biggest stars in the world "slide into her DMs" for car tips.
"I have always loved driving and loved cars," Alex told The Sun Online.
"Living in Dubai I got to be around some pretty incredible cars so my interest piqued.
"I really wanted to share what I could see here with the world and it just started as a hobby.
"But when I saw that so many other people loved seeing these cars as much as I did, I started to take it more seriously.
"Quitting my career, I just went for it to see what would happen."
But before Alex created the number one motor-focused social media account in the world, she suffered bullying and being shunned by the male-dominated industry.
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Pushed to prove herself, the 36-year-old was able to harness a previously untapped world of car-enthusiasts by showcasing vehicles in a digestible and fun way in snappy educational videos.
But by simplifying the complicated high-tech specs of the world's most expensive cars, she also caught the attention of those who couldn't tell a Ferrari from a Porsche.
Aided by her cheerful personality, zeal and eye-catching looks, Alex's content allows the automobile industry to be accessed by everyone.
In just four years since leaving her job as a radio presenter and focusing solely on hobby, Alex now has grown online community with more than 70 million people and has 25 staff.
And despite all the other glamour, for her the best bit is still just getting to drive these incredible machines and hanging out with other petrolheads.
"The best times honestly are when I’m not filming. When I can just enjoy the drive for me when I can meet people without it being on camera," Alex told The Sun Online.
But at the beginning, Alex was treated like an unwelcome outsider and had choose not let the judgement of others weigh on her.
Entering the male-dominated automotive world with not much more than boundless passion, this ended up with Alex commonly being cruelly looked down on.
She told The Sun Online: "I felt hugely judged in this space when I was starting out. I didn’t just feel judged, I was judged.
"I was almost always the only woman in the room at car events.
"There would be lots of whispering when I walked in the room and a lot of bullying behind the scenes. It wasn’t fun.
"Not only was a judged as a woman in this space; but I also wasn’t a car expert."
"I was talking about cars in layman’s terms so that we could all understand and be a part of this world.
"The car world was always so intimidating. I wanted to open it up to more people but it was a hard slog, to begin with."
With millions of people viewing her content, she also opens herself up to harsh criticism spouted from outspoken keyboard warriors.
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She said: "I have lots of negative comments. It just comes with the gig."
"When I started out it really affected me and I even had to see a therapist to try and get through it.
"That helped a lot. I also took a break from reading comments. Now it really doesn’t bother me."
From the outside, Alex's extraordinary life looks picturesque, often jet-setting from one extravagant - and often hot - location to the next, but Alex says she's catering to the masses.
She said: "There are lots of hard times because social media is 24/7, there’s always someone awake ready to watch somewhere in the world so you don’t get 'working hours'. I work all the time."
"The gig always looks incredible because the most exciting stuff is obviously the stuff we want to share.
"No one wants to see the hard yards behind the scenes because let’s be honest, social media is geared towards uplifting entertainment."
But pushing herself past her limit has made her realise that at times she needs to slow down.
The vlogger said: "I had a bit of a breakdown two years ago because I was travelling 300 days per year.
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"I never got to see my family my friends or my dogs. I was exhausted. Then Covid hit and it was a blessing in disguise for me so I could take a break.
"That’s when we started building the business and hiring others to help. I’m close to my family so that really helps, knowing people are there to love you and support you."
With eight million YouTube subscribers, almost 10 million on Instagram and 45 million on Facebook, she now the first to share a glimpse inside multi-million pound vehicles.
She said: "It still blows my mind."
"I have to pinch myself when some of the biggest stars in the world slide into my DMs, to ask if I really got to drive that car or my thoughts on what they’ve just bought. That’s cool," she told The Sun Online.
Her channel has been recognised for its rapid growth with awards such as the Shorty Award for Breakout YouTuber in 2020, named Influencer of the Year by Esquire Magazine Middle East and included in the top 50 most influential women in the Arab world.
Her platform allows people from all over the world to share a common interest - but and she's grateful more women are taking their own step into the automobile industry.
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She said: "It feels amazing. It’s so cool to see people communicating over my platform to people from the other side of the world who they would otherwise never get to meet.
"My audience means a lot to me. It’s like having a support system of millions of people, it’s incredible."
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