For those of you who don’t know, EBC is an internet icon. Aside from being my favorite influencer and internet public figure, there’s more to her than just a pretty face. Elizabeth Bay, formerly known as “ebc.jpg” and commonly known as “Lily B Chapman”, is most famous for her on the spot TikTok sewing skills and hilarious (and wayyy too relatable) Instagram memes.
Aside from her hilarious social media accounts, she has a holy grail email list (that I am a dedicated reader and subscriber of), and she always finds a way to influence my daily life. As a writer myself, I naturally want to start by talking about the email list and her writing.
As someone who has always enjoyed writing but was never exceptionally good at it, I had a hard time finding a writing style that worked for me. I was always too expressive for news reporting and too opinionated for journalism. My writing was also too personal and emotional, something that I pride myself on, but that has hurt my grades in the past.
Once EBC started sending out her email list, I realized that her writing was very similar to mine. She finds a way to draw her reader in and keep them reading throughout the entire email, even when talking about off topic and crazy ideas. By reading her work, she helped boost my confidence in my own writing style and I learned to embrace the fun, emotional way that I write (hence the style I am currently writing in). She also showed me that ANYONE is worthy of an awesome email list and solidified that future goal of mine was achievable.
Elizabeth Bay, my shitposting hero in a short ruffled skirt, has had an impact on me beyond just making me laugh on social media and validating my writing skills. She’s taught me a lot about life and how the ways we approach it impact our quality of life. Here are some of her less obvious teachings that have helped me become a better (and funnier) person.
1. Social media isn’t private, but you can control it however you want
EBC recently entered a relationship (you ever read this, hey Boots!) and proved that the ultimate single girl can also be the ultimate relationship girl. She spent months seeing Boots and found a way to keep us involved in her life, but not involved in her relationship. By giving him the adorable nickname of Boots, we were able to laugh and learn from the stories she tells us about her dating life, while still keeping his identity secret from her thousands of followers.
2. Life is meant to be lived
Recent world traveler, EBC lived multiple lives in multiple countries this past year. From Vietnam, to Paris, Taiwan, Japan, Italy, and multiple states across America, this woman has traveled more places in 5 months than I have in the past 22 years of my life. But no matter where she might be, she finds a way to provide us with the most interesting and hilarious content. Despite the differing directions she’s traveling in, her direction in life is always moving forward. I learned that no matter where you are, you can still continue achieving your goals and aspirations.
3. She validates (more than just my subpar writing skills)
Mental illness? It’s relatable to our generation! Going through a breakup and hate all men? She supports you queen! Anything life seems to throw at EBC, she takes it like a grain of salt and somehow turns it into a funny, relatable, life lesson meme. She deals with a lot in her personal life, and by being transparent with her audience, helps us to understand that these situations are NORMAL, our emotions are VALID, and that this is all part of the human experience. Everyone understands your 20s are the most confusing part of your life, but she finds ways to make us feel seen and teaches us that it’s ok to take a break and laugh.
EBC is an influencer and gets brand deals, but what is different about her is that her opinions are REAL. She cares about us beyond being followers and knows how her word and opinion travels across such a large audience. Because of this effect, she makes sure to always give true opinions to her brand deals and never recommends something that she wouldn’t use herself. Recently, a lot of influencers are taking part in glamorous brand deal trips and straying away from the original content we originally followed them for. I continue to be such a big fan of EBC because although her audience/following is growing, she continues keeping her original content and doesn’t overshadow her accounts with crazy brand deals.
In conclusion and if you couldn’t tell from this article, I love her. It feels like a fun, middle school celebrity crush, but I truly adore the positive impact she has had on my life. I love influencers just as much as the next confused 22-year-old consumed by TikTok and other social media platforms, but can’t help noticing the positive effects it has had on my life.