Emma Chamberlain is now known to be an unapologetically authentic interviewer for Vogue, but her journey of success did not start from here, and was very much self-built. 

Chamberlain grew up in the Bay Area with her dad, an aspiring artist who didn’t have much money.At the time, she was channeling her cheerleading career; she attended a private school, but didn’t feel like she fit in. She began a YouTube channel that didn’t have a very big following at first, but consistency eventually paid off. 

At the beginning, she focused on posting little vlogs with her friends, her school life, or telling personal anecdotes. This led to an immense breakthrough-the spark! Her channel took off, and she decided to take it full-time at the age of 17. 

With the immense and hasty rise to popularity, she decided to drop out of school, as it was not fulfilling her goals. Taking inspiration from her dad’s untraditional path, she found that further highschool education was not needed for the path she wanted to pursue. 

She moved away from home to Los Angeles to fully pursue this journey.

Her popularity did not just stop at millions of followers and subscribers. She began reaching out and networking through  other YouTubers at the time–many with more watchers than herself–the most popular of which was the self-anointed “Sister Squad” consisting of the Dolan Twins, and James Charles.

This mixture of her candid attitude, humorous editing, unfiltered streams of consciousness, and chemistry-filled group of creator-friends set her up for ample success.

This squad, however, came to an end and was eventually followed by Chamberlain’s social media hiatus.

After about six months, she returned to YouTube and began posting vlogs with increasingly less energetic titles. 

Before, her video titles were typically lively and entirely capitalized, implying an uplifting and energetic vibe. Titles like, “WHAT I’M WEARING THIS SUMMER” and “HOW TO ENJOY BOREDOM” are representative examples.  

But, these abruptly shifted to muted titles like “rotten”, “avoiding los angeles”, and “i don’t want to go home”. These encapsulate a more sullen connotation with all lower case and  implied negative phrases.

Within this tangle of simplistic video descriptions, she began posting videos of her opportunities with Vogue, bringing her to the Met Gala and Paris Fashion week. She also shared her numerous travels to destinations including Amsterdam, Italy, Miami, and New York.

The most notable shift in her career, though, is her current partnership with Vogue. These events expanded her fan base from just watchers of ten to fifteen minute videos, to critics watching her interview A-list celebrities. Despite her rise in fame, her personality stayed down-to-earth, and this approach allowed for a unique and welcoming way of asking these high status celebrities that made the viewers feel more connected. 

Since the beginning of her career, Chamberlain has posted thrift store hauls which reflect her style then and today. This Vogue association allowed for the combination of these vintage pieces she got for a few bucks, and high fashion designer products.

With the growth of her social media career, she has integrated another form of media into her empire. Her podcast “Anything Goes” further showcases her innermost thoughts where she explains personal experiences, struggles, and sometimes interviewing others.

With her range of audiences she reaches and tends to, she displays as an interesting and successful public figure should have: 

Versatility. 

Any group of people can watch her and have a laugh, whether it be watching her older vlogs, newer podcasts, or reading a magazine, Chamberlain’s career has brought her from her teens to adulthood and resulting in her overall success.