The Real Reason Behind Chrissy Teigen's Social Media Success

Along with being a model, a television host, and an entrepreneur, Chrissy Teigen is also a master at using online platforms. Frankly, there's a very good chance that you're one of the more than 13.4 million followers who read her posts on Twitter, and you're even more likely to be one of her over 33 million followers that check out what she's sharing on Instagram.

However, while plenty of celebrities manage to build up impressive and loyal online followings, Teigen is considered to be among the best of the best when it comes to stars on social media. In fact, Harper's Bazaar Singapore called her the "Queen of Twitter" while Style Caster deemed her the "Queen of Social Media." Glamour, meanwhile, noted that "when it comes to Twitter and Instagram, Chrissy Teigen is queen." Indeed, her tweets are so popular that when she steps away from time to time, many people are left wondering, "what is Twitter without Chrissy Teigen?"

So what's the secret to Teigen's social media success? Read on to find out!

While Chrissy Teigen's posts about her current life are pretty fabulous, she also shares throwback photos that her followers adore. For instance, just check out the image of Teigen that she shared on Instagram in August 2019 of herself and her mom when the star was a kid. Showing herself in a colorful outfit that was covered in polka dots along with her mom, who was wearing what we have to assume were era-appropriate shorts, Teigen wrote, "We came. to slay." She may not have been at the peak of her fashionable ways, but Teigen did look adorable. She looked just as cute in the pic which earned the caption, "I did not choose the perm life. The perm life. Chose me."

Admittedly, Teigen seemed to start refining her look as a teenager. That became clear when she popped up a pic of herself from high school. "Reminiscing about how I sucked at cheerleading almost as much as I sucked at doing my brows. Truly no idea how I made this team," she wrote while adding that her group cheered for volleyball and wrestling while another (better?) squad did their thing at basketball and football games.

Are you already amused? Well, then you'll also surely love the images from the star's early days in the industry. Take a peek at her prepping for a Sports Illustrated photoshoot or appearing as a briefcase model on Deal Or No Deal. Hey, everyone's gotta start somewhere!

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend met in 2006 when she was hired for his "Stereo" video, before they were married in 2013, according to InStyle. While they've always been buzz-worthy, they've become one of the most famous couples around, in part, because they entertain their fans with charming content about each other (seriously, how could anyone hate them?).

Peek at Teigen's Instagram posts, and you'll see them being sweet, stylish, and smoochy. You'll also see the playful wife shielding her hubby's bum while posting a video of him in the shower. Although can anything top Teigen trolling Legend over the fact that he looks like Arthur?!

They also tease each other on Twitter, like when Teigen joked (or admitted?), "I like to walk into john's deal meetings and say 'I'll do it for cheaper' and it's worked twice." She also dragged him, tweeting, "Yes, @johnlegend, I buy and leave all the phone chargers all around the house just so you can unplug them all and take them to work with you." However, she can also be sincere. "I do not normally brag about john, as it is my schtick to make fun of him always, but he flew from London to LA instead of London to DC to have dinner with me and watch Love Island UK because I haven't been feeling like myself lately. Just a few hours but it meant a lot," she wrote while making fans fall in love with them even more.

Chrissy Teigen is the mom of a daughter, Luna, and son, Miles, who are adorable kids, which means that they are popular on social media. Teigen shares all kinds of cute photos and videos of them on Instagram, like the siblings hanging out in a "special dinner tent," posing in a photo booth, and being a cute family with their mom and dad. Of course, the ever-honest Teigen also warned potential parents that "if u are thinking about having children, wonderful! But know u can't do sh** alone ever again ever." She offered proof by way of a photo of herself with her daughter standing under her robe!

Teigen also tweets about being a mom, backing up claims that she "locks herself in a room" to get some quiet time and sharing that her "sensitive" son is terrified of bubbles. She's also admitted that she "can't tell the difference between kidz bop and the real songs" and is utterly confused over the situation around the Easter Bunny. 

While that's surely relatable in one way or another to many parents out there — which is why they love to follow Teigen on social media — they'll also likely nod their heads when taking a look at her photo of a toy stroller with a roll of paper towel in it with the caption, "Finding random stuff like this makes me happy. [The] best part of having kids."

Chrissy Teigen's mom, Vilailuck Teigen, who's also known as Pepper Thai and appears as the bailiff on Chrissy's Court, is now a social media celebrity in her own right, which is a situation that was sparked by her daughter's posts about her. Vilailuck is divorced from Chrissy's dad and lives with her daughter and her family, which means she's often seen hanging out with little Luna and Miles, hanging out with her daughter, or hanging out in the kitchen. 

Fans are always delighted to see the beloved mom pop up and are surely just as keen to read Chrissy's reaction to her mother's antics, like in 2020, when Vilailuck was perhaps a little too into her Halloween costume for her daughter's liking. Or look at the epically amusing (if staged) photo of Chrissy giving her mom a jealous look while her husband, John Legend, shares a sweet smile with Vilailuck. The caption read: "Shooting mom's MUCH ANTICIPATED cookbook/a telenovela entitled 'no es mi mama!!'"

If you're unaware, Vilailuck is just as quirky as her famous daughter. Thanks to that and the attention she's received on social media, she now has her own popular Instagram account with over 387,000 followers. In her bio, Vilailuck describes herself as a "culinary enthusiast, grandma, and mom of Chrissy Teigen," which is a pretty basic summation of an endlessly entertaining woman.

Along with Chrissy Teigen's family showing up on her social media accounts, there are also glimpses at the star's famous friends. You see other celebs on Teigen's feed like L.A.'s Finest actress Jessica Alba, the occasional Kardashian, and more.

Gabrielle Union even received an entire — and incredibly touching — "appreciation post" on Instagram from Teigen. "There is no one, no one like this woman," Teigen wrote in the caption of a photo that showed herself sitting beside and talking to Union at an industry shindig. "I cannot tell you how hard I work to find her at every event, knowing she will be the one to say all the best things, make me laugh from deep in my gut and ... just be normal and wonderful in a sea of weirdos."

Teigen continued by describing Union as someone who "tells it like it is, unapologetically," while also being "the most fiercely loyal human being" that Teigen has ever known. She continued by explaining that Union and her husband, Dwyane Wade, "are so, so lucky to have each other and we are so, so lucky to have them in this world." She then sent her love to Union, and, in turn, fans showed their love for the post. "So beautiful to see two [women] building each other up and supporting each other in a world of pettiness and shade. Thanks for being an example of a phenomenal woman," one person wrote, with plenty of others seeming to agree.

Chrissy Teigen loves to cook, and her followers love to watch her cook. Her Instagram stories tend to show her preparing her favorite recipes and latest culinary experiments. She's often joined by her mom, kids, and cookbook co-author, Adeena Sussman, as well as John Legend, who's there to either help out or to do a taste test when the dish is done.

Teigen also posts hunger-sparking shots of her finished delights. Just try not to drool over the image of her "herby, crunchy rice noodle salad," which uses "mint, basil, scallions, sambal, fish sauce, and red jalapeños" to please your palate. You'll also want to try her "one pan maple-glazed orange chicken" and her "super easy stuffed shells," not to mention the "twice-as-buttery twice-as-garlicy breadsticks a la schmolive barden." And don't forget "Lolli Pop Tarts" for dessert.

Teigen's food is so popular, that she has her own blog, cookbooks, and kitchenware line, all called Cravings. The venture even got its own base as the star was proudly finishing off Cravings HQ in the fall of 2020. "I cannot explain what this photo means to me," the star captioned a picture of herself posing on a countertop. "So many dreams come together. Every random idea, every silly night text to the team, the little blog from 14 years ago, all manifested there to feed you is fulfilled." That's one delicious dream!

Chrissy Teigen is a former model, so it's not surprising that she knows what looks good on her. She's also willing to share her stylish ways on social media. Of course, there are plenty of pictures of her wearing fancy outfits at industry events, and she's sure to acknowledge those who help her put together her slay-worthy looks. For instance, in February 2020, she posted a pic of herself on Instagram wearing a ruffled pink dress with large earrings, understated makeup, and her hair left down, with the caption, "Love to @hairinel and @novakaplan and @monicarostyle for late night glam!!"

Teigen is also willing to appear online in her laidback, casual attire. It should be noted, however, that she still looks fabulous even when she's simply hanging out at home. For instance, what she deemed "the dress of the summer" was a stunning, skin-baring piece that prompted one follower to call her a "goddess."

Teigen also pops up in gorgeous swimwear, unexpected attire (like tights with her hubby's face on the bum), and in matching outfits with her daughter Luna. And then there are her robes, which make up "an impressive collection of silky, satined designs, that as proven by her Instagram stories, can handle all sorts of activities at home," according to The Zoe Report. If you're a robe-lover, then you'll adore Teigen's "Wisteria-budded Wrap Dress," "Contrast-trimmed Cherry Red Kimono," and "Blush Floral Kimono." But which one is your favorite?

Chrissy Teigen's job appears to be pretty glamorous, which is why her followers love when she shares behind-the-scenes glimpses of her work. That includes when she appeared in John Legend's video for "Wild" and, in August 2020, shared a montage of clips that showed what happened in between shots, what happened behind the camera, what happened with their kids got in on the fun, and what happened when they got a little silly. "What a beautiful song with EVERYONE included," one Instagram user wrote in a comment, adding that making the video will "be a treasure for all of you and a wonderful memory to keep close to your hearts."

However, there are also the less glamorous moments related to Teigen's job, like when she shared a shot of herself with her legs up in the air while someone applied makeup to her limbs. She addressed the seemingly awkward moment in the caption, writing, "When I was young, makeup was just for the face." Granted, she's also shown work being done on her face, and it seems to be just as intense at times.

And then there are all of the other ins and outs of Teigen's career that she's happy to share, like working with a sizable crew on Chrissy's Court, filming (and "get[ting] roasted") in her home, and doing a dance after winning an award at Brandweek. She certainly makes work look like it's fun!

Along with giving social media users a look at what her work is like, Chrissy Teigen also gives her followers a look at what her life is like behind the scenes. That means sharing everything from a grocery shopping trip ("We don't get to go to the store often but if there's time for a late night Ralph's run, boy we make the most of it.") to a trip on a fabulous vacation (OMG look at that water) and everything in between.

What exactly is everything in between? Well, for this star, that includes getting some exercise ("Worked out for 5 mins today! Proud because according to math, 5 is more than 0."), introducing the world to her pets, and paddling around a pool on a shark (or is that a whale?) floatie while accidentally splashing her daughter in the face and then falling off oh-so ungracefully. Her fans found the latter video pretty darn amusing, leaving comments like, "Lolzzz." Another follower added their own take on the situation, writing, "Whatta great mom. [You're] not ashamed to post this kinda silly funny moment, and [you] guys will laugh it together when [your] kids are grown up by seeing this video. Cherish for the moment."

Chrissy Teigen isn't afraid to be honest about her political leanings. That's why she posts about her support of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, even appearing with John Legend (and Luna!) on stage at an event for the Democratic politicians during the 2020 election. When Biden and Harris were announced as the winners, Teigen took to Instagram to write, "Democracy restored, faith renewed." She also posted a pic of herself enjoying the post-election revelry with others in the streets, and her joy was clear. She also tweeted about the moment, writing, "Everyone is so beautiful and so happy I'm crying."

In fact, Teigen is so active on Twitter when it comes to sharing her political beliefs and posting about her thoughts on politicians that Donald Trump — who once referred to her as Legend's "filthy mouthed wife" — blocked her on the social media platform during his presidency. 

Although, it turns out that was ruled to be illegal, which prompted a response from Teigen, who tweeted, "Well, well, well, we meet again @realDonaldTrump." Granted, that was in May 2018, and in November 2020, she posted that she was "still blocked" by the now "ex-president." Although we're sure she's not too bothered by that fact.

Chrissy Teigen has used social media to open up about parts of her life that others might choose to keep private. That includes her posts in 2018 about "baby Miles getting fitted for a little helmet ... for his adorable slightly misshapen head." She tweeted, "So if you see pictures, don't feel bad for him because he's just fixing his flat and honestly he's probably gonna be even cuter with it somehow." She was right about that!

Teigen was just as open in May 2020 when she revealed that she was having her breast implants removed. "They've been great to me for many years but I'm just over it," she captioned a topless (and censored) photo of herself. She followed that up with a post in June announcing that "surgery went perfectly!"

However, Teigen's most achingly open post included photos of her in the hospital after losing her third child, Jack, in September 2020. While some people think Teigen shares too much, the star herself posted a response that she wrote for Medium about the situation, explaining that "these photos aren't for anyone but the people who have lived this or are curious enough to wonder what something like this is like." She added, " These photos are only for the people who need them. The thoughts of others do not matter to me."

Being a public figure who actively uses social media means that Chrissy Teigen is the target of what seems like an unfair share of criticism. She's been harassed over everything from how she feeds her kids and how she shows off her body to using IVF to conceive. While some stars refuse to engage trolls and do their best to ignore them, Teigen is totally willing to take them on at times.

For instance, when it came to the IVF issue, in January 2017, one person asked the star (via HuffPost), "Did you give it a minute to try naturally or are you avoiding 'the act?'" Teigen replied to the woman in a now-deleted tweet by writing, "Hi Linda, thanks for asking, you complete witch. I tried for about 9 years. Anything else, let me know!"

Teigen also addressed those who troll while tweeting in September 2020. "So many of you are little thieves [of] joy. You police what makes people happy until they don't wanna share anymore," she wrote. "You do it to me and I should be happy and successful enough to not have it bother me and it does. Imagine what you do to anyone else. That is super sad." Fortunately, it looks like the trolls won't stop Teigen from posting about the things that make her happy, which is just what her followers want to see.