When Emma Chamberlain surfaced in the YouTube universe four years ago, she was just your average 16-year-old who had recently dropped out of high school and started creating YouTube videos. Now, Chamberlain is a very successful YouTuber, proud owner of a coffee business, and a fashion icon for many young adults. Perhaps the peak of her fame came this past month, when she attended the Met Gala — the world’s most exclusive fashion event.
So how did Chamberlain build her empire from the humble beginnings of her San Francisco home? It’s no small feat that Chamberlain, a YouTuber, was invited to the Met Gala, which invites only a handful of the most famous celebrities in the world. Taking a look at Chamberlain’s progression from small YouTuber to powerful influencer status might reveal the answer.
Chamberlain went viral with the video “we all owe the dollar store an apology” in 2017, which propelled her to sudden YouTube fame. The video, which was a Dollar Store haul, reflects Chamberlain’s casual and relatable video style: filming herself doing mundane activities, but adding commentary and humorous editing to entertain her viewers. From then on, Chamberlain became the queen of “Relatable Youtube.” She has since developed a distinctive style of filming and editing that is more authentic, relatable, and comfortable compared to other YouTubers. This is partly because she talks to her camera as if she is talking to her best friend, cultivating an intimate relationship with her viewers.
But even so, how was she able to launch herself into the kind of stardom that gets one invited to the Met Gala? Well, Chamberlain didn’t just focus on creating videos for the past four years; as a fashion enthusiast, she has also been heavily involved with fashion. Working with big-name sponsors such as Louis Vuitton, Hollister, and Pacsun, Chamberlain has launched her own clothing collection and has attended both New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week. Her partnership with Louis Vuitton was a turning point, introducing her to designer brands and elevating her style from the basic “trendy LA girl” look to more unique, classy, and polished.
With her personal style evolving throughout the years, Chamberlain has emerged as a fashion icon that many young adults look up to. Her Instagram feed, which almost only features OOTD pictures, provides her followers plenty of fashion inspiration to draw from. Along with this style evolution, Chamberlain has undergone a character evolution as well. While Chamberlain was initially focused on filming “challenges” or different activities with other influencer friends, she now focuses solely on vlog content. The result is a series of 20-minute videos depicting Chamberlain going about her day-to-day life and showing only the most ordinary, realistic aspects of her day. She is less of a social, energetic teenager and now more mellow, reflective, and genuine. In her more recent videos, she is refreshingly honest about her mental health and her exhaustion with socializing — a sentiment that everyone can relate to at one point.
Interestingly, this shift in content and character has been well-received by viewers. While Chamberlain’s content has changed, her popularity has expanded. It’s a little ironic because flashy stunts and collaborations with other YouTubers are what younger audiences usually gravitate towards. However, in Chamberlain’s case, choosing to create videos only about herself and her everyday life has resulted in increased success and popularity. It might be because she comes across as more genuine and compassionate, or because viewers are tired of watching videos of bubbly, happy groups of friends having fun all the time. Either way, Chamberlain has succeeded in capturing both the views and hearts of her fans.
Chamberlain may have started out with no real ambition about her Youtube status, but she has now accumulated a massive following and enormous influence in the entertainment, fashion, and even coffee industries. Her attendance at the Met Gala might be her biggest achievement for now, but with her reputation and popularity continuing to rise, she might accomplish even more impressive feats in the near future. What’s certain is one thing: at age 20, she has plenty of time to grow and so much to look forward to.