Kitty in Wonderland: Meet Kitty Lever
Written by Jamilla Philson
Kitty Lever is a multi-hyphenated model, writer, actress, stylist, and digital creator based in NYC. Kitty is not only known for her whimsical online persona but also for her “Can I Have Piece?” viral TikToks. When she’s not modeling or writing poetry, you can find her curiously pondering the philosophies of life, girlhood, and love online. Her eclectic approach to content creation has made her a digital sweetheart. I got the very special chance to chat with her and find out just what makes Kitty so magical!
Q1: Hi Kitty! Tell us a little about yourself, what you do, where you’re from, etc?
A: Hello! My name is Kitty Lever. My dad was in the military growing up so I lived in 15 different places; I don't really have a hometown at all. I moved [to NYC] from Tennessee in April of 2022, [but] I do not claim Tennessee as the place I’m from.
I do a bunch of different things in New York City. I'm a model, actress, stylist, writer, content creator...I never want to be limited to one thing. Although social media is kind of my full-time gig, I feel like I'm an artist through all of that.
Q2: What got you into content creating?
A: Like I said before, my dad was in the military growing up, and I lived in like 15 different places. I felt like I always used social media in the way that you were supposed to. I would do a year at a school, then move away, and I wanted to keep in touch with all my friends. I was constantly on the internet, constantly on Facebook, checking in on my friends and seeing how they're doing because I was moving around all the time. I was on Instagram as soon as it came out. In terms of content creation, I got on TikTok in 2022, the same year that I moved to New York City. Basically, I was living at home in Tennessee and I told myself that the only way that people that I didn't know yet were going to find me is by utilizing the algorithm and its ability to connect you with the people that are looking for you. I was working as a coffee barista in Tennessee at the time, and I just started posting. I was like“ this is my diary, I'm just going to literally post whatever on here.” I think when I moved to New York City I was at 1800 followers, and it’s grown so tremendously. I feel very lucky. I've been doing social media full time for only the last eight months. It’s definitely been a journey. I don't really even really like the term content creator.
Q3: I adore how whimsical and personal your style is as well as the textures and colors you play around with. How has your style evolved over the years?
A: My style has evolved tremendously but I have always been kind of spunky and expressive. In the beginning, I used to thrift a lot and sew my own pieces and slowly but surely just build this eccentric collection. I feel people compliment my style often because I think it accurately expresses who I am. It’s definitely evolved as I get older and [I’ve been] finding more pieces that have more quality. As I become more invested and I pay more attention to the fashion industry, I feel like I want to collect [certain] designer's pieces and it's less about buying the design and more about buying it [for] its integrity and [because I have] respect for the designers. I feel like my style has always been this collaboration of Alice in Wonderland, Vivienne Westwood, Marc Jacobs with subtle notes of Gossip Girl. [Which] was a very early influence for me so there's those undertones but mostly I just create outfits based on my mood.
Image courtesy of Kitty Lever
Q4: If you could steal a celebrity's wardrobe (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
A: If I could steal a celebrity's wardrobe alive, it would be Ms. Bella Hadid and dead would be Vivienne Westwood.
Q5: How has your career as a model influenced your other creative pursuits and vice versa?
A: When I went to NYC, I wanted to pursue fashion and the most viable option or path to that was to model. But [once] I became a model, I got interested in creative direction and then there was a year where I was a stylist assistant. On Instagram, within your own photos I think you're essentially modeling and I also feel like modeling is a medium in which I express myself but it's also how I attach deeper sides of [myself]. Something that really became a trademark, at least for me, on Instagram and changed my journey as an artist, content creator, model trifecta hybrid was doing different still images and layering text over it. I feel that is definitely from the foundation of modeling but also layers different elements of my artistry and my experience as a writer.
Q6: As I writer myself, I constantly peep your IG and am inspired by your poems and quotes. What inspires you to write and express yourself through this creative medium?
A: My favorite subject growing up was literature. I loved writing. I remember when I was in second grade I got in trouble for writing, like really descriptive stories. I was always just very vivid and very honest with my writing. I think that's even what I've noticed about my writing compared to other people's. When I read other people's, there is an honesty that's lacking [there]. Then, when I read something that is very honest and very raw I'm like this is real. It resonates so deeply with me and I express it and share it. I'm just sharing different parts of my diary. You don't do it for anything other than that.
Part of creation is to share even if nobody saw it, just allowing other people to know that they're not alone or [helping them] find something that resonates with them. I love when people share. I've never seen anybody post something that was a piece that was vulnerable and been like“ oh why’d they post that.” I'm always so drawn to it. Authenticity and vulnerability are things that people are naturally just really drawn to. My love language is words of affirmation but I think it's a lot deeper than that; I think words are everything. Words mean everything. Posting and expressing it through poetic mediums, I feel like it's what I have to do. It’s my duty as a human on this earth and as well as a commitment to myself as an artist. Artistry is meant to be shared, and I couldn't even imagine a life where I was creating things and not allowing people to see them.
“Artistry is meant to be shared, and I couldn't even imagine a life where I was creating things and not allowing people to see them.”
Image courtesy of Kitty Lever
Q7: What advice would you give to creatives wanting to move to New York (or big cities in general)?
A: People always ask me how I did it and I'm very reluctant to give advice because it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I remember the day that I moved to New York City, I was living in Tennessee at the time and I was like“ I would rather sleep on a bench in Central Park than wake up another day here” and it's not because I hated my family but it had everything to do with the fact that I felt like my life was meant to be doing something else. I had to be in New York City and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I worked a whole bunch of different jobs. It was a very stressful time. Thankfully I'm at a point now where I'm financially able to support myself, but in the beginning it was really, really hard and it's hard for me to almost even recommend it to somebody unless you're do or die about it. There's so much hustle and there's such a grind here and you really have to want to make it in New York City. It’s about craft, patience, and being good at letting go and knowing that rejection is just forward momentum. Rejection to me is like“ at least you love yourself enough to have tried.” Rejection sits with me for about two seconds and then I'm literally on to the next. I never stay where rejection leads me because it's constant all the time. I've gotten so good at handling it because I think it's just part of the ride, you know?
Q8: What keeps you sane outside of your work in the social media sphere?
A: Working out and hanging out with friends. Honestly, even my artistry keeps me sane, social media still keeps me sane, I feel like it's all about how you use it. I will never be one of those people that’s like“ social media is harmful and horrible,” [because] sure if that's how you use it, if that's how it affects you. I feel like it's all about the person that has the phone in their hand. Also my homeostasis is insanity. Like, it's so chaotic all the time that that is my me being sane. What keeps me sane [is] when I'm insane. I love to read too, I love to write. Fortunately, I've created social media as a place where I share so many different parts of my life. But honestly hanging out with my friends keeps me sane. When I'm with my friends, my phone is down. I don't have pictures of my friends because my phone is down; I don't rely on my friends to take any photos of me. I'm fortunate enough to have hired somebody to help me with all of my video and photo content, so when I'm with my friends and with my family, I am locked in to my present moment, which is such a gift that I have been able to afford.
Image courtesy of DSquared2 FW 2006
Q9: What are your favorite niche pieces of media that you’re into right now (music, art, books, or films)?
A: That's such a good question. Obviously Alice in Wonderland. I feel like that's just been a constant. I'm also into theatrical modeling on the runway. I was watching Brittany Murphy close out Dsquared2 show (Fall 2006 Menswear). You have to watch it because she pulls out all the stops. It's very theatrical and I love this performative element in modeling. I feel like that's where modeling and acting are meeting and it is like, peak artistry. I'm into Troll dolls right now [also]. I just think they're so funny looking. This sounds so crazy but I’m also into figurines of creatures. Also absurdism in general, I was really thinking about that whole movement and in terms of art [and] doing things because it's absurd. It's a completely valid and viable reason why you should do something. I'm really into absurdity in everyday art. I feel like it allows my inner child to just go crazy. My Instagram story is my favorite place to post different things because I feel I can just let my brain run free there.
Q10: What are your goals for the new year?
A: My goal permanently is always just to become 1% of a better artist every single day and I think my goal is to really enter the acting space. I just want to keep the momentum going. I don't really set crazy goals outside of manifestations. If I showed you my goals from 2022, I don't even think I hit any of them because I mean they were templates and roadmaps. I feel like your goals are [there to] help you on your journey towards something but you have to be able to pivot. Trying to lock in to your goals I feel is almost like a curse; it could be a bad thing because you have to be able to be like“ okay this is not the way they need to go” and take a little turn. In terms of fitness goals, maybe my goal is to do a pull-up this year. I've never been able to do a pull-up in my whole life, so that's a goal of mine.
