‘Baddies’ take over Brown’s Island in new community walk
Baddies walking at Brown's Island on Aug. 23. Photo by Kieran Stevens.
Daijah Hinmon, Contributing Writer
Social media influencer Molly Bish introduced “RVA Baddie Walk” to face a hard reality many Richmonders share: making friends has been difficult since the COVID-19 pandemic
Bish joined TikTok in 2020 for fun, but after having a viral moment on the app, she started to take it seriously. Her content was mainly Richmond-focused, a mix of vlogs and wellness videos. Locals messaged her in search of friends in the area.
Bish decided to make a TikTok video calling all Richmond “baddies” to come together and enjoy the outdoors.
The “RVA Baddie Walk” on Aug. 23 was an event created for people who wanted to put themselves out there and find community, according to Bish.
“There is so much opportunity for community, and if there’s one thing about Richmond, we are some unique, cool individuals,” Bish said.
Bish noticed that a similar theme in the comments of her videos about the event was how difficult socializing has been since the pandemic.
“I think we’ve all, in a way, become socially awkward,” Bish said. “Humans aren’t meant to be alone. We are meant to find each other, and that’s not just in romantic relationships, but platonic as well.”
The goal of the event was to aid people in building their social skills back up and form friendships with other Richmonders, according to Bish.
“There’s been so many times where I see everyone else really finding a community in Richmond, and I think I maybe held myself back from not joining it sooner,” Bish said.
Events like the Baddie Walk are perfect for people who work from home who do not get the opportunity to see others often, attendee Heather Healy said.
“I thought it had such a great turnout,” attendee Gem Abadam said. “I just moved to Richmond about six months ago, and I thought this was a great opportunity to meet new people and see new sights around Richmond.”
There are two more events planned; on Sept. 6 at 10 a.m. and Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. Locations have not been determined, but fans can vote on the Baddie Walk Discord to decide on the walks’ locations.
