Who is Annika?

The Annikaof It All

Hi, I’m Annika. I’m autistic, I make videos about my life, and I believe autistic people should be at the center of conversations about autism.

Okay, tell me more ↓A Chat with Annika · Coming soonSee what I’m developing →Both live conversations and written responses are still in development.

Annika smiling against a pink studio background

Annika smiling softly and looking to the side against a pink studio background

Currently: looking hot & multitasking

Autistic. Honest. Still figuring it out.

The whole point

I love my life.I love myself.And I love being autistic.

— Annika

Hi. It’s me.

I started posting because I wanted to show up as myself.

Annika taking a mirror selfie in a pink hoodie and blue pants — Most nights at home: pink hoodie, fuzzy socks, an audiobook playing, maybe cleaning or talking with my roommates—and usually thinking about what I want to make next. My apartment is one of my safest places to relax and be myself.

I was diagnosed as autistic as an adult. I started creating content in November 2025, and the first video I posted was my diagnosis video. Since then, I’ve shared the honest, vulnerable, funny, and imperfect parts of learning how to live unmasked.

Annika Unmasked is not a character or a polished version of me. It is simply me sharing my experiences, talking through what I’m learning, and connecting with people who recognize themselves in it.

20 years oldUW–Madison studentWisconsin girlAutistic creator

A few things that are very me

Light pink, alwaysYoga & mindfulnessCzech was the first language I learned

Late-diagnosed. Not suddenly autistic.

I remember walking into kindergarten and thinking:I do not belong here.

I felt like an alien on Earth. For years, I felt weird, bullied, ostracized, and unable to understand why moving through the world seemed to work differently for me. I would not understand until adulthood that I was autistic.

Diagnosed. Okay…what now?

I went looking for autistic people.

After my diagnosis, I wanted more than a label. I wanted lived experience: how other autistic people ate, built routines, handled sensory needs, understood relationships, and learned to live as themselves. Social media helped me find that recognition.

What unmasking looks like in my actual life

Stimming when my body wants to move.
Saying no to social plans when I am overwhelmed.
Being honest about being autistic in my relationships and everyday life.
Building routines—down to the grocery store, food, and meals—that help me care for myself.
Feeling more comfortable, genuine, calm, and at home in myself.

What I care about

The stuff that matters to me.

These are the ideas underneath what I post, what I say, and the community I want to be part of.

01 · Autistic people first

We should lead the conversations about our lives.

Autistic people are experts on autistic experience. Our voices should shape how autism is understood.

02 · Honest, not perfect

Learning out loud is part of being honest.

I will not always have the perfect words. I care about listening, accepting thoughtful feedback, and continuing to learn.See how I handle feedback →

03 · Autistic joy

Being autistic is not the sad part of my story.

Autistic life can be difficult, funny, tender, overwhelming, beautiful, and deeply joyful—all at the same time.

04 · More than one voice

I am not the voice of autistic people.

I am one autistic person sharing my life. The conversation needs people of different races, identities, disabilities, and support needs.

Black and brown autistic people, LGBTQ+ autistic people, physically disabled autistic people, and autistic people with different support needs all belong in the conversation.

Right now

Student, creator, and always learning.

I’m studying Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. My education has shaped not only what I talk about, but how I talk about it.

My classes have pushed me to think more carefully about systemic racism, disability rights, the power of language, and the responsibility that comes with sharing ideas publicly. I’ve also found an accepting student body, supportive professors, and a campus I genuinely love.

Where I’m from

Wisconsin, always.

I’m based in Madison, sometimes in Milwaukee, and very much from Wisconsin.

Annika lying on a blanket in the grass beside Lake Mendota at Memorial Union in Madison — At Memorial Union in Teejop, on the shore of Lake Mendota.

I live and study in Teejop

The UW–Madison campus is in Teejop (day-JOPE, or “Four Lakes”), the ancestral homeland of the Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk) people, who have been connected to this place since time immemorial. The Ho-Chunk Nation was forced to cede this territory in an 1832 treaty and remains a living, sovereign Nation in Wisconsin today.

I recognize the sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation and the 11 other First Nations of Wisconsin. Acknowledgment should lead to learning, so I hope you’ll explore the resources below.

Historical map of the lakes, Ho-Chunk villages, and campsites in Teejop

Learn about this map ↗

Map of Ho-Chunk villages and campsites in TeejopFrom UW–Madison’s Our Shared Future primary-source collectionRead the map’s history and context ↗

Straight from my page

Annika’s Picks

A few of my favorite TikToks—the honest, funny, vulnerable, and still-figuring-it-out parts of being me.

Annika’s pick · 01

POV, you’re too attractive to be autistic

Someone says I don’t look autistic. My answer: that’s because I’m really hot—and apparently socially inappropriate again.

Annika’s pick · 02

Why I don’t like to be called high-functioning

How the label can put the responsibility to function on a disabled person, while support-needs language asks what support society should provide.

Annika’s pick · 03

What happens when we search autistic creator on social media?

A reminder that I am one white, low-support-needs autistic creator—not the whole spectrum—and that our feeds need many autistic voices.

Annika’s pick · 04

Why am I so happy that I’m autistic?

A very happy-stimming moment about autistic joy and what it feels like to be completely, comfortably myself.

That’s the Annika of it all

I’m not here to perform a perfect version of autism. I’m here to be myself.

Find more of my life, thoughts, and perspectives as an autistic adult on social media.