The Hawk Tuah Girl: How an Internet Celebrity Allegedly Pulled One of the Most Infamous Rug Pulls in Crypto History

In the universe of memes and internet culture, the people who turn into memorable memes often end up living the circle of obscurity to overnight fame to oblivion. Rarely, do we see instances when a meme character gives it back to the internet and with such panache.

In the realm of memes and internet culture, individuals who become subjects of viral sensations often experience a whirlwind journey from obscurity to overnight fame, followed by a gradual return to anonymity. However, rarely do we witness instances where a meme character launches a bold counteroffensive against the internet.

Meet Hailey Welch, also known as the "hawk tuah girl" from Tennessee, whose nine-second clip explaining a sexual act through "hawk tuah" (or the sound of spitting) propelled her to internet stardom. Her exact words were, "you gotta give 'em that hawk tuah and spit on that t***!"

Welch's video went viral, transforming the 21-year-old from Belfast, Tennessee, into a national sensation. Rolling Stones Magazine featured her in an exclusive interview, hailing her as "the national hero we need."

Ahead of the 2024 US Presidential Elections, Republicans touted Welch as the perfect embodiment of a typical Trump supporter, while Democrats expressed their desire to secure her endorsement. Before long, Welch had her own merchandise and launched a podcast titled "Talk Tuah with Haliey Welch," embodying the quintessential internet celebrity.

On December 4th, Welch announced the launch of her meme coin, $HAWK, through her podcast. She assured listeners that this was "not just a cash grab" like other meme coins.

Haley made grandiose promises about her meme coin, such as "$HAWK isn't just a memecoin, it's part of the culture," and "it will redefine the crypto space." She relentlessly promoted it on every social media platform, successfully redirecting all the attention she had garnered towards this memecoin.

As the Hawk meme coin hit the market, its value soared, reaching a market cap of $490 million. Those who found this impressive, however, would be astounded by what followed. Just 20 minutes after reaching its peak, $HAWK crashed to a market cap of $60 million, marking a 90% drop in a matter of hours.

Experts like Stephen Findeisen, known as Coffeezilla, have labeled this entire scenario a rug pull. On the other hand, Welch has maintained that her team "hasn't sold a single token."

After the token got dumped, one user expressed their dismay, writing, "Hi, Hailey Welch my $35,000 that I purchased of $Hawk is now $2,000 after 10 minutes of buying. I am a huge fan of Hawk Tuah but you took my life savings."

In this attention economy, where everything can become meme material, people turned this scenario into a funny meme and compared their situation with the scenario.

me going to work knowing there is a 22 year old girl who said “hawk tuah” who made a million time my salary in 10 minutes by rug pulling a memecoin pic.twitter.com/POqUcut3S0

When you spend 40hours a week coding while a girl is out there making millions by saying “hawk tuah” pic.twitter.com/ZesBkSJaFL

People sarcastically trolled the girl that how they are working hard to earn money and these internet celebrities making millions in just a few minutes by taking innocent people’s money.

Just filed my report against @HalieyWelchX and the $HAWK team for rugging investors. Here's the link below to file a complaint https://t.co/3o2sniVyht https://t.co/ghatzK7L6d pic.twitter.com/Rjuj3LZqZB

Straight Tuah Prison pic.twitter.com/JK5OQ3qmQT

Now time will tell what is next in Hailey's fate—a prison podcast or a legal battle to clear her name.

The case of Hailey Welch, also known as "Hawk Tuah Girl," serves as a striking illustration of the power and perils inherent in the attention economy. In this era, attention equates to money, and if you can capture the attention of the masses, you can also acquire their financial resources.

While this incident may appear amusing on the surface, it also raises concerns regarding the potential dangers when celebrities leverage their influence to promote financial products without ensuring adequate transparency or understanding of the risks involved.

Also Read: HAWK Memecoin Collapses – Did Hawk Tuah Girl Dump It?