One-Piece Bikini Not ‘Gaming the TikTok Algorithm’ as Well as Resident Had Hoped

The worst part of being assigned to write this feature is for sure the things that are going to be remarketed to me now because of my search history. 

In an era of flash-in-the-pan insta-fame and finicky one-hit TikTok wonders, it’s no surprise that people are more and more tempted to “game the algorithms” in an attempt to make a living as an influencer.

Supply Chain Issues Strike Again 

Tripping Falls resident Peter “Gooch” Coniglio was laid off from his job at the Paper Pond Playthings toy store in town. He decided to do a 180 and start his male modeling career. 

“Times are rough. My layoff from the toy store was inevitable, what with the supply chain issues,” said Coniglio. 

Local business owner Chris Hughes offers a different perspective on Coniglio’s recent layoff. “Supply chain? [laughs] — it was absolutely the out-in-the-open model glue sniffing. I went in there once to buy a Lite Brite and caught him with a tube stuck halfway up each nostril.”  

Lowered Expectations

Promisingly, Coniglio started his insta-modeling career with realistic expectations. 

“I’ll never be at the level of someone like Troy Steven,” said Coniglio. “But my female friends do this for a living and they say the secret to their success is wearing bikinis.” 

Last month, Coniglio posted some pictures of a recent photo shoot where he was wearing a “sexy” (his words) lime-green Borat-style mankini. 

“The posts did end up getting attention,” Coniglio says as he collects himself. “But it wasn’t the kind of attention I was looking for.”