Alex Lee, aka #AlexFromTarget, is pictured in his room in Frisco. His newfound fame isn't always fun, he told 'The New York Times.' (Cooper Neill/The New York Times)
Alex from Target is really trying to get back to his normal life, he tells the New York Times. If only his hundreds of thousands of fans would let him.
Alex Lee is the 16-year-old Frisco student who was photographed bagging groceries at SuperTarget. The photo went viral on Nov. 2 because many of his young fans thought he was cute, and #AlexFromTarget’s Twitter followers skyrocketed from 144 to 735,000 over the next 10 days.
Here's the photo that made Alex famous. (Twitter)
A social media company called Breakr tried to take credit for the photo’s popularity, but Alex has said publicly he’s never heard of the company. Buzzfeed says there’s “no proof” the Los Angeles company was behind it.
So perhaps this is truly an example of how normal people can become extraordinary on the internet. Alex even appeared on Ellen.
The experience has had its drawbacks for this hometown guy, Alex says. “I’m kind of scared to go in public,” he told The New York Times.
Here’s the worst of it, according to the Times:
“Thousands have taken to social media to call Alex names (including vulgarities) or fabricate stories about him being fired. Twitter is littered with posts that denigrate his looks (e.g., ‘Alex from Target is so damn ugly’) or spew envy at him (‘Alex from Target is a nobody who doesn’t deserve fame’).
“There have even been dozens of death threats on social media and in private messages (‘Alex from target, I’ll find you and I will kill you’).”
Regardless of his fear of leaving the house, he will be back to work at Target. And security measures are in place to ensure “the safety and security of our team members and our guests is one of our top priorities,” says Target Corp. spokeswoman Molly Snyder via email.
But you can bet he won’t be out on the floor, bagging groceries, if the Times is correct. #AlexFromTarget might be #AlexInTheStockRoom for awhile.