From Amish Life to Online Stardom: Lovina Zook's Journey as a Social Media Influencer

Lovina Hershberger Zook, a 23-year-old who left the Amish faith five years ago, has become an unlikely social media star, amassing around six million followers with her recipes and stories about Amish life. Originally from a conservative Amish subgroup, she grew up speaking a dialect of German known as "Pennsylvania Dutch."

Although no longer Amish, Zook continues to observe many of their traditions at home, including making her own modest dresses. Online, she is known for cooking traditional Amish dishes, ranging from the very simple to the unconventional, like a coffee soup made with hot milk, instant coffee, sugar, and saltine crackers.

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I've only had an Amish cheeseburger; I have never had a grilled cheese!

She also prepares dishes like an "Amish cheeseburger," which is essentially two pieces of homemade bread with cheese grilled in a cast-iron pan, a dish non-Amish people would recognize as a grilled cheese sandwich. Zook often navigates cultural differences, sometimes unaware of terms or traditions unfamiliar to the "English," as the Amish call non-Amish people.

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Like, I knew people worked on their computers. But I didn't know what a laptop was. And then I bought a laptop, like, a couple years after I left the Amish. Apparently it's a laptop computer. And now I just call it a computer … Why is it called a computer? That's a weird word. Computer. I don't know why, sometimes I say words and I'm like, 'Why is it called that?'

Zook had no prior experience with technology like phones or computers before leaving the Amish community. She recalls buying a laptop a couple of years after her departure, initially unsure what a "laptop computer" was. She finds some English words peculiar, questioning their origins.

When asked what becoming a social media star would have meant to her growing up Amish, Zook laughed, stating it would have meant "nothing" because she didn't know what social media was and would have been scared. Her online journey began by sharing not just food but also insights into the culture she left behind. Her most-watched video, a tutorial on how Amish women style their hair, has garnered over 50 million views on TikTok. Reflecting on her upbringing, Zook said, "We just live our life. We're like, 'Ooh, I know there's people who live different lives. I know there's people with electricity. But that's wrong. And so, I'll just, like, stay Amish and I'll live an Amish life.'"

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Nothing. Because I didn't know what social media was. I would've been scared, because I would go, 'What is social media?'

Zook's parents are committed to preserving a balanced childhood for her, dividing her days between studies and exploration.

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We just live our life. We're like, 'Ooh, I know there's people who live different lives. I know there's people with electricity. But that's wrong. And so, I'll just, like, stay Amish and I'll live an Amish life.'