Unless you live under a rock, you've probably heard of TikTok, the popular app where people from all over the world share tips, tricks, tutorials, clothing hauls, recipes, and entertainment videos. But a TikToker known as Princess Glitterhead has taken the internet — and the For You Page — by storm with her unbelievable transformations.
While some folks have taken upon themselves to leave hateful comments accusing her of "catfishing," Princess Glitterhead, whose real name is Alicia, isn't afraid to clap back at trolls and defend her right to style herself however she wants. After suffering from a bad case of tooth decay during pregnancy, Alicia lost her teeth, which inspired her to embark on a journey of self acceptance.
Meet Princess Glitterhead
Alicia Hebner is known on social media as Princess Glitterhead. At first glance, you wouldn't guess she's taking TikTok by storm. But she’s been making waves on the short-form social media site, amassing over 1.6 million followers thanks to her epic transformation videos. But despite spreading a message of positivity and self acceptance, Alicia's TikTok is flooded with negativity and hate comments.
Online Trolls Are Lurking Everywhere
Social media stars are often targeted by online trolls and people who love leaving hateful comments. But none of Princess Glitterhead’s wholesome videos seemed to warrant the amount of negative attention they've gotten from online trolls.
It’s Not Easy Getting Ready for the World
Everyone, regardless of their gender, knows that it’s not always easy putting yourself together first thing in the morning. But busy moms find it even more difficult because they have a million things to do, from making breakfast for their family, packing lunches, and getting the kids ready for school. Who has time to get their face done in the midst of all the chaos?
The Beauty Community is a Beacon of Information
Beauty influencers offer a unique insight into the latest products, tips, tricks, and hacks of doing your makeup. But some of them live luxurious lives most people can't relate to. That's one of the reasons why so many folks are turning away from traditional "Instagram makeup" tutorials and subscribing to “normal person” beauty influencers like Princess Glitterhead. But there was one thing about her that was truly anything but ordinary.
She Focused on Her Personal Makeover
A lot of TikTokers are growing their following thanks to trendy dancing videos and fashion tutorials. Others choose to focus on becoming a better version of themselves, whether you accomplish it by finetuning your makeup skills and wearing extensions, working out, or loving your body as it is. Princess Glitterhead chose to do the latter, and that includes loving and accepting the fact that at 36 year old, she needs to wear dentures daily.
Most People Think Dentures are Only for Old People
When you hear the word "dentures," you automatically think of your grandparents removing their fake teeth before going to bed and putting them on first thing in the morning. But dentures aren't just for old folks. There are tons of reasons why people of all age groups might need to get dentures.
People Can Lose Their Teeth at Any Age
Some people can lose their teeth for a variety of reasons, regardless of how young they are. It can happen as a result of an accident or due to a health condition like gum disease. And if anyone understands that, it’s Princess Glitterhead.
She Knew She Could Make a Difference
With over 1.6 million followers on her TikTok, @princxssglitterhead, she knew that she could have a huge impact on the lives of anyone who's struggling with the same issue she had. So, she came up with an online challenge that attracted a ton of attention on social media.
She Encouraged Others to Show Off Their Dentures
As the number of followers on her TikTok account grew, she decided to do a TikTok challenge, which encouraged others to post videos showing themselves with and without dentures. But what was her angle?
She Wanted to Put an End to a Stigma
There’s been an ongoing stigma regarding people with prosthetic teeth, and Princess Glitterhead wanted to put an end to it once and for all. And there was a personal reason behind her tooth loss that surprised her friends and followers.
She Suffered a Terrible Loss When She Was 21
When she was 21, Alicia started losing her teeth. At first, she was baffled. She knew that as you age, it's pretty common to lose your teeth, but she was too young for this to be happening already. And yet, it was happening to her at a very delicate time in her life.
She Spoke About Her Tooth Decay
In one of her videos, she explained that during her pregnancy, her teeth started to decay from the inside out. It happened so fast that she didn’t even know there was a problem until it was too late.
It Was Like a Living Nightmare
Alicia was trapped in a living nightmare as her teeth started to break off at the gum line. In her videos, she discussed how this sudden change in her appearance made her feel very insecure.
She Worried About Her Love Life
As you can imagine, there were a million concerns going on inside her head. “I would never be respected. I would never be pretty. My husband might leave me. He married me with perfect teeth and within a year I was already missing teeth,” she shared with Buzzfeed. But she didn’t do anything about her dental issues right away.
She Refused to See a Dentist
In spite of her emotional state and physically deteriorating condition, Alicia refused to see a dentist because she was scared of them. But then the situation got even more dire and she had to take action.
She Spent $10,000 on a Restoration
With only seven of her original teeth left on top, she faced her fears and went to the dentist to do a full restoration. But this set her back $10,000, and it was only a temporary solution.
Dental Work Did Nothing for Her
Waiting until the very last minute to see a dentist didn’t help matters either. “I neglected myself at times. I couldn’t get ahead of what was happening. I would go get fillings and root canals that would break right out,” she told Buzzfeed. The process was also financially draining.
Insurance Didn’t Help Much
“My insurance wouldn’t cover any of it. They only cover a new partial every eight years and my teeth fell apart faster than that. So, we root canaled and crowned all my remaining upper teeth," she explained to Buzzfeed.
The Dental Work Was Far From Over
She added, "I also got two three-piece cemented bridges to fill my eye teeth gaps. I hated that you could see metal when I smiled and that my bridges and crowns had to be made to match my natural teeth. I just had to be able to accept the fact that I wouldn’t have a perfect smile no matter what I paid or had done."
She Was Forced to See Her Dentist Again
The condition of her teeth only got worse during her second and third pregnancies. This forced her to visit the dentist again. Only this time, she wasn’t going for a full restoration. This time, she was going to get dentures.
Things Got Worse After Baby Number Four
"When we had baby number three and baby number four, my upper bridge abscessed, causing my whole face to swell up. I only had six lower front teeth left and they were rapidly decaying, chipping, and breaking. Always hurting," she told Buzzfeed. In the end, dentures seemed like her only option, but could she afford them?
She Didn’t Think She Could Afford Dentures
"It was a miracle that I walked into my consultation in the first place. I went to get future information for dental implants — believing I wouldn’t be able to afford snap-in dentures right now." But there was a silver lining in her harrowing situation.
Her Dentist Helped Her Out
Although she was initially concerned that she wouldn’t have enough money for the procedure, she learned that her dentist offered their patients financing options. And there was even better news on the horizon because what she was getting weren’t conventional dentures.
She Would Never Be Without Teeth Again
"When he told me I could SLEEP in them and that I would never have to go without my teeth, I was SOLD. It was the scariest thing I have ever done, BUT I knew it could be the best decision I ever made," she explained. Under the circumstances, this was a dream come true. So, two weeks later, she prepped for surgery.
She Didn’t Keep It a Secret
A lot of young people in her situation would have kept their fake teeth a secret from the world out of embarrassment. But Alicia didn’t feel the need to keep quiet about the struggles she had endured. She took charge of her health and life and she couldn't be prouder of the outcome of her situation.
She Talked About Her Dentures on TikTok
In 2020, she started embracing being a young mother who just so happened to wear dentures, and she started making videos about what her experience had been. TikTok users fell in love with Princess Glitterhead more and more with each video.
Her Videos Were Seen by Millions of People
Millions have seen her videos and so far, she’s got over 12 million likes on TikTok. Clearly, people are quite fond of how candid she's been about the whole situation. Her followers praise her for finally taking charge of her life and facing her fears. Alicia is an open book and she loves to tell the story about why she lost her original teeth at such an early age.
She Didn’t Eat Properly
"I don’t think I ate properly. I wasn’t as healthy as I should have been. So the baby had to strip things out of my body that I didn’t know I didn’t have… mostly calcium from [my] teeth," she explained in her TikTok Video. And her genetic makeup didn’t help either.
She Was Genetically Predisposed
Although it doesn’t happen to all pregnant women, Alicia was genetically predisposed to extreme calcium loss while pregnant, which led to the extreme deterioration of her teeth. But she feels that pregnant women need to be aware of this.
Dental Issues Are Common During Pregnancy
The CDC claims that 60 to 75% of pregnant women suffer from gingivitis because of hormonal changes. This increases the risk of developing cavities and other forms of dental issues, which is what led to Alicia's sudden loss of teeth.
She Thought Her Life Was Over
At first, she feared her life would be over because she didn’t think anyone would ever treat her with the respect that she deserved. So, in her video she talked about how she threw herself on the ground in her yard and fell into a terrible depression.
She Saw the Light at the End of the Tunnel
Although her condition had left her emotionally wrecked, she eventually lifted herself up and decided to share her story in the hopes of helping others who are going through a similar condition. And most people loved her for doing this.
She Posted a Glow-Up Video That Shook the Internet
Her videos are often fun and informative, but one of her videos showed how she went from not wearing any makeup or teeth to full-on glam. And this put her on everyone’s radar as TikTok’s most popular catfish.
Toothless TikTok Catfish
Alicia used the hashtag “Toothless TikTok Catfish” to share a video about her morning routine and compare what she looks like without makeup, extensions, or her dentures. Soon enough, her catfish transformation video left her followers speechless.
She Glowed Up for Her Followers
In the video, she demonstrated how she put a wig on after showering and drying her natural hair. And then she primed her face, swiped on some foundation and concealer, and started building up a fabulous glam look. But this was only the beginning of her transformation.
She Shared Her Favorite Products
Alicia started her transformation by filling her brows in with a NYX eyebrow pencil. Then, she applied MAC’s Pro LongWear concealer in key areas around her face. She then reached for Wet n Wild Photofocus foundation, which she blended in with a Real Techniques sponge. Once she was done sculpting her face, it was time to make her eyes pop.
She Used Falsies to Finish Off the Look
No makeup would ever be complete without some mascara. But Alicia took it to the next level and applied a beautiful set of falsies. Once she was done framing her eyes, she moved on to her lips. She applied NYX’s Sand Beige liner to her upper and lower lips and then finished her look with Morphe’s setting spray.
Most of the Feedback Was Positive
Most of the comments on her videos were pretty positive and uplifting. In fact, a lot of folks were grateful to her for being so honest about what she had gone through and how she got back on her feet. But not everyone was happy for her.
She Was Trolled for Her Videos
While some people praised her honesty, others criticized her incredible transformation. Some claimed that her look wasn’t realistic and that she was selling a lie. Others claimed that it should be illegal to catfish people like that. Surprisingly, a few commenters made ludicrous claims that she had used witchcraft to undergo her transformation. But she didn’t take the insults lying down.
She Wasn’t Fazed by the Criticism
She has continued to fight the good fight with her “with or without” challenge and wants anyone who's watching to be proud about their dentures, despite people telling her that she looks like a different person without teeth.
This Princess Clapped Back
In response to her 1 million follower count on TikTok and some of the criticism she received, she wrote: “I’m a happily married mom of 15 years with four kids and I wear makeup for ME. I’m also a makeup artist with the same right as everyone else to wear it.”
Teeth Are Still Essential
On Instagram, Alicia captioned a photo: “No but truthfully - teeth are a very big part of a persons face. We need the support they give so our faces don’t appear to collapse. Even though I have #snapindentures on #minidentalimplants doesn’t mean my face won’t look different with no teeth. Everyone’s face will look this way if you get your teeth pulled. It’s universal- therefore impossible for you to shame me for it.”
Don’t Hate on Dentures
“We don’t have to hate ourselves for needing dentures, no matter what the reason. There is no reason to feel shame for fixing something about yourself that will improve the quality of your life,” she told BuzzFeed.
People With Dentures Deserve to be Loved
“Our children deserve parents who smile at them. We deserve to feel love and be happy. We have the power to make this decision the best thing we ever did for ourselves,” she added. But she had no idea how powerful her message was— at least, not right away.
She Moved People With Her Videos
In spite of some of the hate, Alicia, aka Princess Glitterhead, has managed to move her followers with her inspiring videos. She even reportedly made one follower cry tears of joy. But this TikToker wasn’t finished getting showered with praises just yet.
Fans Posted Positive Feedback
One follower commented on her video: “You go girl, it’s confidence not many of us have.” Another follower wrote: “I love it, this is wonderful. Thank you for showing us. Love your confidence and love for yourself.” And another follower jumped in and added: “Thank you for being so courageous and sharing the real you.” This goes to show that positivity and empowerment are contagious.
She’s Become the Voice of Reason
Alicia is constantly writing eye opening captions on Instagram that help her followers open their minds. In one post she wrote: “Nobody gets to decide how you dress. What makeup you wear. How you do your hair. It is sad to me how many people are so deeply bothered by something that washes off and isn’t permanent.” But she still had a lot more to say.
She’s Sad that People Criticize Those Who Want to Look Good
She went on to say that she feels sorry for people who are so bothered by the way someone else looks. "It’s sad how many point out “if you were confident you wouldn’t need makeup”.” But she’s not worried about her husband leaving her. She's been with him since she was 18 and they have a very solid relationship.
She Has a Great Support System at Home
Despite her initial fears that she was going to lose her husband, he remained by her side all these years, and they now have a beautiful family with four lovely daughters who undoubtedly look up to their mom for being such a brave soul.