Keeping an Eye Out For Nosebleed Fitz
Make it stand out
Conquering the Internet From Carlisle
It was towards the end of 2019 when I first scrolled upon Nosebleed Fitz on my For You Page. TikTok was still a baby, and so was Bella. Only 17 but with her signature unruly black hair, she grinned at the camera clutching a quiche, declaring proudly that it wasn’t burnt and that “quiche Wednesdays” would be going ahead as planned. It stood out in a sea of videos congested with dance trends and before and after makeup reveals; here was an androgynous icon with an unexpectedly broad Cumbrian accent.
“That was the start of it all.” Fitz laughs, when I bring the video up. She’s got the same striking presence on our video call a year on from the quiche debut; donned in a casual vest and her now-red hair up in a messy bun, she’s still filled with a presence that instantly makes me feel at ease. Fitz’ presence is grounding and down to earth – a million miles away from her newfound career as one of the UK’s biggest and most distinctly recognisable TikTok creators.
Whilst the world spent lockdown scrolling and watching, Bella Misandria Wardle Fitzgerald spent it creating the future she’d always dreamed of. In 2020, her channel rocketed to 500k followers, gaining millions of views and gaining Hun royalty Charity Shop Sue and Allison Hammond as fans. She’s best known by her online name, NosebleedFitz, a relic from her “sad Tumblr days.”
“It’s nothing that fancy, actually.” She says when I question the origin of the name, “It’s just this song I like called Nosebleed and Fitz is short for my second name. I always wanted a name that could be neutral on social media, something gender neutral that I could use like a brand rather than my name.” Fitz told me in her pre-TikTok days she spent her teens yearning for Instagram fame – striving for a way to get her own creative freedom before finally her TikTok took off during her time at college.
Now her TikTok has seen Fitz turn into a superstar, she never returned for her second year of college and swerved off a job at Marks & Spencer. Stacking shelves and submitting coursework becoming instantly off-brand for a full time influencer such as herself.
“I think my videos resonate with people because we all just sit in bed chatting shit.” She explains, “The only difference is I’m posting it on TikTok and not a private Snapchat. We’re all living the same life.” It’s hard to disagree: There’s an authenticity to Bella that’s irresistible – a witty young woman not phased on whether she’s posting to millions of people done up to the nines or in bed with no makeup and a t- shirt on.
Fitz’ TikTok fame finding a huge rise in following during a global pandemic makes her wonder if lockdowns have played a part in forcing everyone to amuse themselves with the mundane. Fitz’s “just sat about” content arrived at a time where the global population were all sat about too – making her incredibly relatable. “It’s probably at least half the reason for TikTok’s rise and mine personally, because for the entire lockdown you’re either watching videos or creating them.” She muses, “Everyone needs something to watch and some people need to create, so TikTok combines the two.”
The app is built to binge on – scrolling video to video couldn’t be easier and it’s notoriously easy to lose hours to the algorithmically cultivated FYP. Fitz divulges that her favourite videos are “alt TikTok, British humour videos and cooking stuff too.”
I’m reminded of TikTok food icon I love, BeckiJones4: a plus size ray of sunshine from Ellesmere Port who fills her feed with videos of her enjoying whatever the hell she wants to eat and ignoring anyone who tells her to eat otherwise. “She’s an angel!” Fitz grins. “I want to go for tea at Becki’s.”
We move onto music: Fitzgerald puts a lot into her musical output, Soundcloud bedroom rap with provocative lyrics at the forefront all delivered in that trademark Cumbrian accent. The fact she doesn’t change her accent when laying down vocals on tracks is exciting - it’s rare to hear someone use their native regional Northern accent in this kind of music, similar to Aitch’s signature Manchester drawl that stands out in the charts due to its Northern nature.
“They don’t, and I don’t know why. Why not have a Cumbrian accent singing something like City Girls? I think that would make it more of a bop.” Fitz confirms that her TikTok success is helping her towards her dream of pop domination and she defiantly asserts to me that, “Music was the idea first, that’s always been the original goal. I just want to stress that. TikTok came second.”
Over the last twelve months, Bella has shared her gender identity and transition on arguably the most popular platform in the world. Surprisingly, the reactions haven’t been as TERF filled as one may expect from a notably transphobic Tory society. “It’s been about ninety nine percent positivity.” Fitz enthuses, “Honestly, I didn’t expect any other reaction because I already had a congregation of lovely people. And literally, it’s not a question, you know? If you don’t like it then you’ll unfollow me, and that’s it. If you leave a nasty comment on one of my videos, you’ll stick out. Everyone’s just so nice. It’s been bloody lovely.”
Fitz tells me she gained confidence to transition through watching other trans content creators on TikTok and I ask how she feels about her position as a role model to younger viewers and I sense her flinch slightly.
“I couldn’t look at myself as a role model. I understand there’s people who look to me for direction. Even if I don’t do the best thing, I’m always trying to, because at the end of the day, I’m only nineteen. I’m going to make mistakes in my time, they’re inevitable.”
The pressure of being a role model is understandable and reminiscent of an old interview with Britney Spears: When asked what her younger fans might think of her sexy image, Spears rightly states that it’s not her job to parent people’s children. You can be inspirational but you don’t have to be their teacher.
“I don’t think you should idolise people too much. It’ll impact the both of you.” Fitz continues, “If you idolise someone, you put them under such scrutiny. Everyone’s so lovely on TikTok because if I do or say something questionable, they’ll let me know. I want to keep that energy, it’s what we need.”
Still, Fitz finds the faults with TikTok lie not with its audience, but with the creators of the app and its algorithms. “They have the right idea but they’re putting it in the wrong place. A lot of people are getting deleted, and its mainly people of colour, disabled people, working class people, queer people. I’ve had loads of trouble with posting and bans.” She derides, “Whoever decides the guidelines and algorithms needs to sort it out.”
Fitz tells me she recently made a new account and had major issues with the blank canvas for you page that greeted her. “It was cis, heteronormative content of course, but also misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ stuff. Why is that the default?” It’s a valid point, one that speaks volumes about the lack of diversity in coding when these algorithms are created by people who use their own unconscious bias as default.
In April, Fitz hit her GoFundMe target of £20,000 to privately fund the expenses of her transition, entirely funded by fans who supported generously to assist with the costs. Since reaching the goal, Bella has shared her platform to support others’ transition funds: “I got a lot of messages asking me to share stuff for people, so I created a queer thread on Twitter of everything, so it’s all in one place and people can get easy access to give support and make that change.”
Alongside reaching her goal, Fitz recently headlined National Student Pride alongside queer icons like Munroe Bergdorf, Lawrence Chaney and Nick Grimshaw – an experience she saw as really rewarding which gave her more opportunity to speak to other sex workers and queer creatives. A community she is not only a part of, but a leader in, even if she doesn’t acquaint herself with role model status.
A lot can happen in a year, and if anyone knows that it’s Bella Fitz. 2020 changed everything and hopefully 2021 will be just as jam packed with positive progressions for Nosebleed’s career. Fitz has her fingers crossed for more music, mayhem, a big move to Manchester and continuing to make the internet worth being on.
Words: Harrison Brocklehurst | Photography and Art Direction: Mitchell Severs | Styling: Martha Morgan Burns | Hair: Fran @ Frantastic Hair | Makeup: Alex Ogden | Assistants: Charlotte Amy Landrum and Eden Young
