Macy Eleni is Giving Second Chances- and You Can Too
For content creator Macy Eleni, thrifting is more than just a hobby—it’s a way of life. With over 500K followers on TikTok, Eleni has become a go-to source for all things secondhand fashion. Her passion for thrifting has now been turned into a book, “Second Chances”, released just last month. The book not only shares Eleni’s thrifting tips and tricks but also highlights the importance of cultivating personal style.
It chronicles her journey from a small town in Ohio, struggling in a single-income house where fashion felt out of reach, to becoming a part of the larger fashion world she once thought was unattainable. Through thrifting, she found her unique voice and confidence, and now, she’s helping others do the same.
Influenced by early YouTube vloggers and vintage fashion from London, Eleni became even more determined to carve her own path. She began sharing her fashion insights through a high school magazine and honed her unique sense of style. Little did she know, this would become the foundation for her future in fashion. “I love watching people wake up to the superpower of thrifting,” she smiles. “Anyone with a killer outfit often says it’s thrifted. When you’re not buying straight off the rack, you have to get creative, think outside the box—and that’s where the magic happens.”
In the introduction of “Second Chances”, she describes her time figuring out style and fashion, recounting the early thrift trips she went on with her mother and uncle, and the new world of fashion online. The fashion side of the internet was her little secret; her escape from her hometown. She loved being in front of the camera. She loved fashion. And that’s all she knew- for now.
Eleni felt removed from the fashion world since living in Ohio, just gazing at glossy pages on her ceiling. “I was ripping the pages out of magazines and covering my bedroom walls with them, so I would get that inspiration, and go to the thrift store and find it,” she says in an interview with me. “I mean, it opened my mind up to all of the fashion and all of the pieces and trends that already exist. And I was just like, so hooked from then on.”
When the world was too overbearing, she turned to fashion. Free of judgment from mean girls, an egotistical father, and the mundane life of her hometown, she faced them all in a thrifted outfit. It wasn’t until 2020, when we all were stuck inside, that she decided to film a TikTok. Her first viral video, a thrift haul, garnered the attention of young adults just like her. It became a full-circle moment for her, where she found her people. Her love of her followers and caring personality inspired her book, “Second Chances”.
Now, with the release of “Second Chances”, Eleni is sharing not just her thrifting tips, but also the deeper, more personal journey behind her fashion story. The book reflects her path to self-confidence, navigating her struggles growing up in a single-income household, and using thrifting as an escape from personal challenges. The title, “Second Chances”, speaks to the renewal of clothes as well as her own personal transformation, symbolizing both her recovery and her journey toward embracing who she truly is.
From a small-town dreamer to a thriving content creator and author, Macy Eleni continues to prove that thrifting is not just a way to shop—it’s a way to discover, express, and reinvent yourself.