Mackenzie Thomas on ‘Downton Abbey’ Fan Fiction, Niche Video Diaries, and Rejecting Virality
Words: Sihaam Naik | Photography: Anna Koblish
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Mackenzie Thomas is redefining girl blogging. As a writer, artist, and bona fide child of the internet, she’s cultivated a digital world that feels like hanging out with your funniest, most chaotic friend. Best known for her viral diary TikToks that have racked up over 100 million views as well as for starting the Uncut Gems meme, Thomas has an online presence that oscillates between hilariously candid and deeply introspective.
Whether she’s posting webcam videos on YouTube talking about her distaste for cauliflowers, promoting her PMDD essay in the campiest way possible (an IG live, of course), or turning her CVS tattoo into an emblem of nostalgia, Mackenzie has mastered the art of blending hyper-specificity with universal relatability. Aged 26, she grew up in New Jersey and now lives in New York City where she “does whatever she wants” (in her own words).
I catch up with Mackenzie over Zoom, where she appears momentarily in a pink silk bonnet, freshly moisturised from her skincare routine. She speaks animatedly, her signature silver manicure catching the light as she gestures. It’s immediately clear why she’s the CEO of Mackenzie Thomas Industries (her elaborate inside joke with fans that involves her own fictional enterprise that doesn’t really exist): her eloquence and charm shine through, even though shitposting feels like second nature to her. For Polyester, we dive into the evolution of her internet lore, her love for documenting memories on YouTube, and how she’s finding peace in slowing down.
Sihaam: As a person who works at Mackenzie Thomas Industries, do we have free healthcare?
Mackenzie : Of course. I wouldn't want it any other way. I no longer keep a journal or diary because adult life is so boring, and half of the things I would write about are problems with my insurance.
In your seminal video “Bowl of Chickpeas” [a video diary about an unfortunate chickpea recipe that was supposed to rock her world], you mentioned that you're a hard worker and “try”, which describes your internet presence. You have such niche internet lore, from Date Mackenzie to your zine Personal Heaven. You're always online. What's been your relationship with the internet from the start to now?
I was blessed when I was a kid to have a babysitter named Morgan, who was a scene kid: a proper ‘I'm at Hot Topic every single day’ scene kid, and she taught me how to use the internet. When she would come and babysit, she would show me episodes of Invader Zim on YouTube. I already knew at that point - I was not supposed to be at school, and I was made to be on the internet. Lately, I miss when my babysitter had control of it because now it's in my hand. It’s not this special ritual anymore of coming home after a really hard day and being able to log on and talk to my Tumblr friends about Downton Abbey fanfiction. It's not that anymore, and I'm trying to edit my life to get back to that place. But it's really hard.
In a video in response to a hater, you once said that you were just being a “real person”. You're just chilling. Do you feel like it's a performance, or are you just being your truest self online?
If you're doing something in front of anybody, it is a performance. But I do a lot of the things that I do because it makes me laugh and I find it easy to cross from real life onto the internet. I don't feel pressure to act a certain way because I'm going to be an old lady looking back at all of this, and I want to see myself, and that's what I care about. I care about catharsis and nostalgia for nobody else but myself.
You mentioned you don’t journal that much anymore. Is your private YouTube channel your personal diary now?
I have a private YouTube account that nobody knows about. I posted the best of that account on my Instagram. Maybe I'll make it public one day, but I am looking forward to watching it in my 40s.
How does that differ from journal entries?
Substack is great for flexing my diaristic reflexes because I put out a post every month that's just notes from the previous month. This is my first year doing it, but I'm almost done with a full year of writing about every notable thing that's happened to me during 2024, and I'm excited to go back and read it.
What was your experience acting in Trivial Pursuit, written by Molly Soda?
I'm going to have to really carefully pick my words because they are deeply emotional to me. I wouldn't be making the things that I make if I didn't see Molly Soda’s work on Tumblr. I'm really thankful that she's my friend now because I don't know if I would have found these modes to create if I hadn't found Molly Soda’s work.
She is a once-in-a-generation artist, and her aesthetic and her everything about Molly. We're all influenced by Molly Soda, but a lot of us don't know it. I was able to work with her, Maya Man, and Maya Martinez, who is a brilliant artist and an amazing playwright. I think the play is amazing, but practising the play was even better. We just all met up every week and ran our lines and fucked around like it was just wonderful. And I really hope we can do it again because it's a play that people need to see.
So, the concept of the play is that three girls make a mood board…
They’re having a vision boarding party. But it has a real Molly [Soda] touch. It's about the want to keep on wanting, the want to do that alone and the kind of threats that come up when you want. The theme is wanting under the lens of the digital age that we're in right now.
What's your favourite vessel to blog on? An iPod Touch, a shitty, grainy webcam, or an LG Xenon?
LG Xenon would be no help. iPod Touch is good, but a grainy webcam MacBook photo booth is just so classic, like apples or Marilyn Monroe. I have so many hours of me just talking to my webcam that I should extract from my old computers, but there's something incredible about holding a computer in your hands and talking to it or having it on your desk and talking to it. They make people look amazing.
The OG face tune, if you will. What are you currently working on?
I have some stuff for you to read. That's really all I feel comfortable saying because I have talked about things too much in my personal life, and I feel like I am jinxing it. So, some more stuff for you to read.
The internet itself is so vast. Do you think that's why you're an artist who wears a lot of caps?
The internet was just the best platform for me to make things. I was a really artistic kid. I was always singing, drawing, making videos on camcorders… I just wear many caps because I don't think I could be any other way. When people ask me what I want to be, I just say I want to be Mackenzie at large. I want to do all of it. And I think I can, and I think I will.
