With Emma Chamberlain, anything goes

Taking a look at Gen Z's very own cultural icon

When it comes to the overall most influential Gen Z social media content creator, Emma Chamberlain certainly takes the cake. Miss Emma Chamberlain conquered YouTube back in 2018 and up to 2020. Although her popularity has dialled down since then, her impact on the world of teenage girls cannot be understated. She has surely earned her flowers for her impact on teenage girls' slang, fashion, culture, and even YouTube video style.

Photo: Vogue; Courtesy of Deon Hinton

But things weren't always like this. In 2001, Emma Chamberlain was born in San Bruno, California, to Michael and Sofia Chamberlain, an artist and flight attendant respectively. Her parents divorced when she was five, and she grew up as an only child. In an interview with Forbes, she mentioned that her family often struggled financially.

Chamberlain began her YouTube journey in 2017, after encouragement from her dad to find something outside of school that would give her excitement. She took his advice and began to publish videos about cooking, fashion hauls, vlogging, DIY-ing, etc., videos which quickly began to gain traction and attract a massive audience. Her first viral video was called We All Owe The Dollar Store An Apology, and her popularity skyrocketed from there.

IMAGE: COURTESY OF LEVI'S/MEGA; CHAMBERLAIN COFFEE; ADOBE. DESIGN: SASHA PURDY / STYLECASTER

Emma quickly became a beloved figure due to her quirky personality, relatability and funny editing style peppered with voiceovers, voice effects, and random camera zooming. After moving to LA from the Bay Area once she became really popular, she formed a close friendship with other popular content creators at the time, including the Dolan Twins and James Charles. Together, they called themselves the "Sister Squad." While they eventually grew apart, their friendship played a significant role in boosting all of their YouTube and social media careers.

Like many popular YouTubers, Emma Chamberlain has had her share of controversies. There was the fox-eye trend and blackface controversy she was embroiled in, as well as seemingly charging people $10,000 for an Instagram DM (which her team managed to clear up). All in all, Emma surely has experienced the highs and lows that come with having a huge platform, with millions of eyes watching, and critiquing (justly or not) her every move.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, via Getty Images

Nowadays, Emma stays booked and busy. She works with high-fashion brands and companies like Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton, and Vogue, she has even hosted the Met Gala thrice (with some hilarious moments to show for it). She also has her own podcast, anything goes, as well as a successful coffee business, Chamberlain Coffee, which might I say is extremely on-brand for someone who inspired many of my generation’s iced coffee addictions.

Emma withdrew from YouTube for a while, understandably so after years of constant filming and editing, for a well-deserved hiatus. Now, she uploads videos less frequently, sometimes, every few months, now with a more laid-back than when she first graced our screens. There is an air of maturity to her now, representative of the end of an era, the end of teenage naiveté, and what some may argue was her charisma. An era that many of her OG followers have reached as well. Regardless, Emma Chamberlain has left her mark on modern history. Who knows? In the next 100 years, she could be in history textbooks! For now, thank God we have the internet to relive her greatest moments.