Patia Borja is an American Internet celebrity. She is best known for creating the Instagram meme account @patiasfantasyworld.

Patia Borja
Born1992 or 1993 (age 31–32)[1]
Alma materSchool of Visual Arts (dropped out)
OccupationInternet celebrity
Years active2015–present
Known for@patiasfantasyworld
Websitepatia-borja.com

Life and career

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Borja was raised in Jacksonville, Florida as an only child to an immigrant mother.[2] She became a popular user on the microblogging website Tumblr under the name MaisonMartinMarijuana, which prompted her to move to New York City with other Internet friends in 2010 at age 17 to attend the School of Visual Arts for graphic design, though she dropped out after her first year. In 2015, she started the Instagram party blog Bundle Update, which featured pictures of people using cocaine and was eventually shut down.[3] She also did sex work through Backpage.[4]

Borja launched the Instagram account @patiasfantasyworld in 2017 as a private finsta. She eventually made it public and it began to gain followers after Borja publicly criticized a white art curator for wearing cornrows. By 2020, the account was an Internet meme account owned by her and two other friends—River Moon and Laina, who joined in December 2019—and focused on posting ironic and irreverent memes, such as deep-fried screenshots of Facebook posts and tweets from Black Twitter.[5][6][1] In 2020, during the George Floyd protests, the account began posting more politically charged content, including the "Fantasy World Master List of Resources on How to Dismantle Systemic Racism", a database for resources about systemic racism.[7] The account grew in followers from 20,000 in December 2019 to 100,000 in June 2020.[8]

Borja modeled in the campaign for underwear brand Parade's collaboration with Juicy Couture in December 2020 and in the second part of Mugler's spring 2021 collection video in March 2021.[9][10][11] By 2022, @patiasfantasyworld had almost 600,000 followers.[12] As of 2023, Borja also works as a DJ.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b Tyner, Ashley (June 14, 2020). "Welcome to Patia's Fantasy World". Garage. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  2. ^ Van Gaal, Czar (October 15, 2020). "The Thought Leaders Issue: Patia Borja". V. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Guzman, Ivan; Arauz, Lydia (May 1, 2020). "Inside Patia's Fantasy World". Office. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  4. ^ Borja, Patia (May 19, 2023). "Adrienne Raquel and Patia Borja Talk Strip Club Culture in the South". Interview. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  5. ^ Lothian-McLean, Moya (September 20, 2021). "Patia Borja: 'Sometimes we want to laugh rather than Instagram be a triggering thing'". i-D. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  6. ^ Macias, Ernesto (September 3, 2020). "Patia Borja's Guide to Making It to 2021 in One Piece". Interview. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  7. ^ Blacksher, Devine (June 16, 2020). "Patia Borja Wants You to Educate Yourself". The Cut. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  8. ^ Marine, Brooke (June 5, 2020). "How a Meme Account Became a Central Voice in the Anti-Racism Movement". W. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  9. ^ White, Brooklyn (December 9, 2020). "Parade and Juicy Couture's Underwear Collab Is A Match Made In Heaven". Girls United. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  10. ^ Wallner, Bryan (March 22, 2021). "Why Are All the It Girls Obsessed With This Watch?". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Wally, Maxine (March 31, 2021). "Hunter Schafer & Patia Borja Join The Supermodels at Mugler". W. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  12. ^ "Patia Borja on the Burden of the Blue Check". Cultured. December 7, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Lent, Caitlin (February 22, 2023). "@PatiasFantasyWorld Would Like You to Know She's a Barb for Life". Interview. Retrieved January 13, 2024.