Why Jewish TikTok star Ellie Zeiler embraced modest dressing after years of risqué Instagram outfits

Ellie Zeiler shot to fame on TikTok in March 2020 when she was only 16 during what she calls ‘peak Covid,’ quickly gaining comparisons to fellow viral superstar Charli D’Amelio.

The content creator then moved to Los Angeles on her own at 17, posting makeup and fashion videos while finishing high school online.

Ellie, who grew up in San Diego and now lives in New York, proudly identifies as Jewish online, which has led to dealing with anti-Semitism in her comments section and real life. 

The now 20-year-old influencer has amassed 10.6 million TikTok followers and 1.7 Instagram followers. 

‘The truth is, TikTok has been very good to me,’ Ellie told DailyMail.com during a visit to the New York City office,’ adding that she has a ‘love/hate relationship with the platform’ because of the ‘hate’ she’s experienced. 

‘With everything going on in the world, and obviously being more proudly Jewish, they’ve done such a bad job of protecting me and Jewish creators,’ Ellie revealed. 

‘I’ve had so many calls with them about it, and really yelled at them,’ the creator continued. 

Ellie spoke to the DailyMail.com about her experience growing up on the now banned platform, her journey to dressing more modestly, and the anxiety and pressure she faced as a teen creator. 

Ellie Zeiler shot to fame on TikTok in 2020 when she started posting videos during the Covid quarantine and followers thought she looked exactly like fellow superstar Charli D’Amelio

The content creator moved to Los Angeles on her own at only 17, posting makeup and fashion videos while finishing high school online

The content creator moved to Los Angeles on her own at only 17, posting makeup and fashion videos while finishing high school online

Ellie, who grew up in San Diego and now lives in New York, proudly identifies as Jewish online, which has led to dealing with anti-Semitism in her comments section and real life

Ellie, who grew up in San Diego and now lives in New York, proudly identifies as Jewish online, which has led to dealing with anti-Semitism in her comments section and real life

Ellie said TikTok ‘is not controlled, and that’s probably the reason why it’s being taken away,’ joking that ‘it’s like when you can’t control a classroom.’

‘I started when I was 16, and so I’ve just known that it’s a platform for hate,’ Ellie said. 

When she first started posting, she would light the Chanukah candles but wasn’t outwardly religious – but once people she started catching on, she began getting anti-Semitic comments regularly.

Ellie was attending in-person classes at UCLA for two months when the October 7 atrocities happened and ended up leaving the school because of the anti-Semitism she faced.

However, the hateful rhetoric has escalated since Hamas claimed 1,200 lives.

Ellie became more religious, started posting about keeping Shabbat, and eventually, moved to Israel to attend a seminary program in Jerusalem, which was a shocking departure from her glamorous life in Los Angeles. 

She decided to go to seminary to study religion because while she grew up with ‘this American dream’ of becoming ‘a girl boss,’ she found herself struggling with anxiety despite seemingly making it. 

‘My life felt so empty and I literally would wake up with crippling anxiety every single day,’ Ellie admitted. 

Ellie attended The Daily Front Row Fashion Media Awards at The Rainbow Room on September 8, 2023 in New York City

Ellie attended The Daily Front Row Fashion Media Awards at The Rainbow Room on September 8, 2023 in New York City

Ellie attended a Vogue event on September 7 in NYC to celebrate the start of New York Fashion Week

Ellie hit The Daily Front Row's Seventh Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards at The Beverly Hills Hotel on April 23, 2023

Ellie at a Vanity Fair event on March 24, 2022 in Los Angeles

Ellie’s style has evolved over the years, with her showing skin during her early years in Los Angeles 

Since returning from Israel, Ellie has been focusing on her jewelry line, Jane Jewels, which is a way for women to outwardly show their religion by wearing Star of David necklaces or evil eye bracelets

Since returning from Israel, Ellie has been focusing on her jewelry line, Jane Jewels, which is a way for women to outwardly show their religion by wearing Star of David necklaces or evil eye bracelets

During her time Israel, she started dressing more modestly and shared the journey with her social media followers. 

‘I fell into this mindset that my worth came from my body,’ she said about her time in Los Angeles, where she regularly attended red carpet events and was friends with her Gen Z influencer peers.  

‘All I saw growing up was Instagram and women showing their bodies,’ Ellie continued, mentioning the ‘Kardashian era,’ and saying there was ‘no chicness or modesty.’ 

She realized she was ‘never going to be fulfilled’ by the revealing way she was dressing while she was studying the concept of modesty. 

She felt like she was stuck in a rat race, and if she didn’t achieve certain things, including ‘beauty, fame, and money’ then she was ‘nothing.’ 

Once she moved back to the United States, Ellie was faced with a decision – she knew she wanted to don more chaste clothing, but wasn’t sure how that would translate to her daily life and her audience.

She said it was ‘a lot of pressure’ at first, because people thought she would swap her designer style and wear long skirts every day. 

Ellie said dressing modestly was 'a lot of pressure' at first, because people thought she would  wear long skirts every day

Ellie said dressing modestly was ‘a lot of pressure’ at first, because people thought she would  wear long skirts every day

In January 2024, Ellie visited Maya Regev, 21, in the hospital, after she was kidnapped and held hostage. She had to turn off her comments after posting the video on TikTok

In January 2024, Ellie visited Maya Regev, 21, in the hospital, after she was kidnapped and held hostage. She had to turn off her comments after posting the video on TikTok

The Jewish influencer has started Tzniut Tuesdays, which is the Hebrew word for ‘modesty’ or ‘privacy,’ when she specifically wears more covered-up attire

She ended up finding a middle ground and started Tzniut Tuesdays, which is the Hebrew word for ‘modesty’ or ‘privacy,’ when she specifically wears more covered-up attire. 

Since the switch, she’s seen her social media following change, going from 50/50 male and female when she was posting thirst traps to 80 percent women when she made the shift to more covered up ensembles. 

Since returning from Israel, Ellie has been focusing on her jewelry line, Jane Jewels, which is a way for women to outwardly show their religion by wearing Star of David necklaces or evil eye bracelets. 

With the end of TikTok, she’ll be focusing on Instagram and YouTube, where luckily, many of her followers have already joined her.   



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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk