The Untold Truth Of Stassie Karanikolaou

Kylie Jenner's Instagram followers will recognize blonde bombshell, Stassie Karanikolaou, from popping up all over her page. How could you not? They love "twinning" in matching outfits after all. She was even spotted with Bachelorette fan-favorite Tyler Cameron back in fall 2019. Nevertheless, there are still some people thinking, "Who is that?" Plus, most people know her as "Stassiebaby" because that's her Instagram handle. Well, that and the fact that "Anastasia Karanikolaou" is a tough name to spell and a mouthful to say.

Just like Jenner, Karanikolaou is from Calabasas, Calif. In a June 2019 Instagram post, Jenner revealed they've been friends for nine years. Giving Jenner stans some hope, it should be noted that Karanikolaou was a fan of the reality TV star before they became friends. In fact, they met at a promotional event Jenner hosted at a Barnes & Noble. She shared that very first photo in an Instagram Story in 2019, writing, "It all started when I met this beautiful bomb ass blonde at Barnes and nobles. This was our first pic together before we were friends." 

Eventually, they reconnected through mutual friends and became actual friends themselves. These two are so close that they twin on much more than just outfits. They even have matching tattoos in honor of Jenner's daughter Stormi Webster, which was confirmed by Allure in May 2018.

Being known as "Kylie's best friend" is cool and all, but there is much more to Karanikolaou than that.

While some people are wondering who Kylie Jenner's close pal is, she actually has a very captive audience of her own. Stassie Karanikolaou has 7.5 million followers on Instagram. She also has 499K subscribers on YouTube. This means she's racking in those influencer checks, endorsing curling irons and hosting product giveaways in the comments section of her posts. Beyond that, she's leveraged her social media presence to collaborate with some brands. She has her own collection with the swimsuit brand TJ Swim. She has modeled for the Philipp Plein clothing line.

Karanikolaou is even a member of the "Good Squad," which is the group of models that represent Khloé Kardashian's Good American line. In an interview on the brand's website, Karanikolaou shared her career aspirations, declaring, "In 5 years I'd like to see myself more prominent in the fashion and beauty world. I would love to do a lot more modeling and many more different campaigns. But most importantly I would love to help change the world we live in. I think we need a serious change for the better and I would love to be a part of a revolution that will accomplish that."

There are a lot of eyes on Karanikolaou's social channels and her reach is growing day by day, so those goals seem very much attainable. 

Stassie Karanikolaou has been very open when it comes to the topic of enhancing her appearance. She got a breast augmentation because one breast was a whole cup size larger than the other. The influencer dished on her decision in a 2017 interview with Harper's Bazaar, telling the magazine, "I was very open to sharing — plastic surgery is nothing [to] be ashamed of."

Karanikolaou also acknowledged the misperception associated with the procedure, saying, "A lot of people think plastic surgery is only for cosmetic reasons, to change something you're insecure about. All my comments were saying, 'you're so insecure, you're so insecure,' which is the complete opposite. If I was insecure, I wouldn't have showed it. I wanted to show people that there's nothing to be ashamed of —  that it's so common for girls to have this issue and you can do something to fix it."

In 2018, she got her breasts done another time by the same doctor, documenting the experience on YouTube. Again, Karanikolaou was very honest, telling her subscribers, "I just lost a lot of weight so my boobs kind of shrunk." When she changed her mind and decided to go with a smaller implant, she made a video for that experience as well.

While Karanikolaou gained attention because of who she's seen with, she's maximizing that exposure by being so open. Her following is growing, and before you know it, more people will know how to spell "Karanikolaou."