Since the Victorian Era, women have faced inequalities within their marriages and society. They were viewed as housewives and were often delineated as maternal or a caregiver.
However, there was an immense distinction between gender and racial roles during that time, where middle-to-high-class White women were considered privileged if they were bored.
This boredom stemmed from the fact that they had everything they needed to be taken care of for them, even the domestic household duties.
The reason why I bring up the topic of the Victorian era is to connect the way privileged White women lived to how Emma Chamberlain has often presented herself online through her podcast “Anything Goes”.
Most people are familiar with how Chamberlain became one of the biggest influencers online. It came from her unique content, showing her viewers that it’s okay to live a normal life, you don’t need to go out every day, staying in your bed sometimes is normal, and there’s no need to put constant pressure on yourself to get things done.
While I definitely have my fair share of enjoyment with Chamberlain’s media, it’s also valuable to recognize that influencers like her are in a completely different tax bracket than “regular people”.
That blame does go on the general public for constantly pushing influencers to show that they have a “normal life”. This was something that also happened throughout the Revolutionary period, where people switched from writing about the aristocracy and wealth to romanticizing the life of the working class.
Hearing her talk about this boredom in her life and having these epiphanies could be perceived as a little irritating. While she might have all these valid feelings, people like her–in her position of privilege–will never truly understand the life of a person in the working class.
Her own fans have started to notice these discrepancies, making her lose that sense of relatability that people had watched her for. I think it also has something to do with how much she promotes the idea that you don’t have to go to college to be successful, because while that may have worked out for her, that is not true for everyone. If it were, then every single person would be in the same tax bracket as her or Jeff Bezos.
She was even disproven in one of her episodes when in an interview with the founder of Bodie, a men’s luxury brand. She asked him if he thought college limited his creativity.
He answered no, and that it actually helped him learn a lot–not academically–but about perspectives, which he used to fragment his own unique ideas. So yes, I agree that you don’t necessarily need college, but saying that it doesn’t benefit you would be untrue. In many ways, it prepares you for the real world.
However, some might argue that saying she needs to attend college is an elitist standpoint; college is a privilege, and not everyone has the option to go. Still, I don’t think this is true– her podcast could improve with some structure and research, especially if she is trying to incorporate personal stories.
Beyond the college topic, within these rants of not wanting to do the basic day-to-day activities, she says that if you feel like you don’t belong somewhere, then just leave. In reality, not everyone has the option to do that, and at some point, you’re just running from your problems.
The way she talks makes it seem like she’s diving in deep, but it’s just surface-level. She’s not really coming to any sort of conclusion.
Given all this information, what I think would broaden Chamberlain’s beliefs is a better sense of community. Whether that comes from attending college, moving to a new place, or even just surrounding herself with genuine people, she could gain a new outlook on life.
She definitely doesn’t need it, though, Chamberlain has stated multiple times that she hasn’t checked her bank account in years. So, it’s inferable that she has enough money accumulated to help her in whatever aspect of her life she needs help with.
Then again, it’s important to never rely on people who obviously live in an entirely different world, so while Chamberlain might just need a sense of community, it’s important to find your own individualism.