Emma Chamberlain in the Public Eye
Emma Chamberlain released her first YouTube video to the public on June 14th, 2017. Since then, the internet personality has amassed an impressive 11.9 million followers on the platform, making her a familiar face to viewers worldwide (YouTube, 2022). The themes of "vulnerability" and "authenticity" that Chamberlain displays in her videos can be credited as having helped her maintain her relevancy among her targeted audience of young women (Saganksy, 2021). Some of the strategies she employs to keep that demographic can be seen in her video titled What My Life is Really Like……. The footage follows Chamberlain's efforts of taking viewers along with her as she goes through her day. While the audience watches her, Chamberlain’s choice of font and editing keeps them engaged. Ultimately, the content and style of the video work together to help her express her message to viewers that she, too, is just like them.
To begin with, Chamberlain’s vlogging of her growing up has resulted in her channel becoming a site of comfort for young women (Women Wear Daily, 2021). In past interviews, she has mentioned dealing with anxiety, depression, and the pressure of perfectionism, which she shows in her videos (Saganksy, 2021). She hopes that the raw footage of her life she includes on her channel will allow young women to see themselves in her. This desire has impacted the themes she strives to showcase in her videos and has transformed her into a figure many can look to during their struggles.
Thus, since these themes have made her very popular, Chamberlain ensures she sticks with them. Being an influencer entails that every video one produces adds positively to their brand and comes across as entertaining (Lorenz, 2022). This idea means that YouTubers produce content they know will be successful and make them money. Therefore, like any other influencer, Chamberlain has continued pushing out relatable content to preserve both her online following and salary (Lorenz, 2022). Given this, Chamberlain’s videos will continue to be based on the themes of “vulnerability” and “authenticity”, so her channel continues to attract viewers (Saganksy, 2021).
With Chamberlain’s intended themes and audience in mind, it is clear why her videos like What My Life is Really like….. have such a personal feel. In this video, she takes viewers along as she takes meetings, goes grocery shopping, and even showers (Chamberlain, 2020). These up-close personal shots of Chamberlain’s life intrigue audiences, as the video garnered 10 million views and 412,000 likes (YouTube, 2022). Although the content in this video may initially shock viewers because of its intimate nature, it ultimately forces a relationship between Chamberlain and them.
Yet, it should be noted that Chamberlain sharing her life in this manner is part of a strategy used by many other influencers called perceived connectedness. Perceived connectedness is the idea that influencers share glimpses of their personal lives in a way that makes audiences feel connected, even if those glimpses are not genuine (Abidin, 2015). This idea means that even though Chamberlain shares real moments in her life, factors such as editing and consulting with talent agents can make them unreal (Lorenz, 2022).. So yes, this video is meant to depict Chamberlain’s life, but the purpose of its creation is to entertain viewers. The content of What My Life is Really like….. is not completely unfiltered, as Chamberlain chose the moments she wanted to document.
Given that Chamberlain is being paid for her content, the stylistic choices she chose for this video were meant to be appealing to her demographic. The first stylistic choice viewers notice in her video is her use of bold and uniquely styled font (Chamberlain, 2020). This choice was used in the video to exaggerate important words and thoughts of Chamberlain, as well as her merch and coffee brand. Chamberlain’s use of this stylistic choice ensures that the parts of her video she wants to spotlight receive attention from viewers.
Furthermore, Chamberlain also inserts footage of herself numerous times to clarify her words and advertise the brands of hers and others (Chamberlain, 2020). One might say this choice shows how Chamberlain’s resistance to having a perfectionist attitude translates into her editing decisions. She used this stylistic choice to make her audience feel more comfortable with her as a creator and what she was saying or selling. For the most part, the style of What My Life is Really like….. operates to make both Chamberlain’s video visually appealing and an effective tool to sell her brand to viewers.
Hence, Chamberlain’s content, combined with her style, puts forth a strong message that she is an average person. Influencers are ordinary people who happen to document their lives for a living (Abidin, 2015). This notion means that the job of an influencer is to be a relatable and trustworthy person, someone like Chamberlain. Whether it is in her contemplating her decision to wear a black hoodie while brushing her teeth or her sharing of her acne struggles, Chamberlain delivers a message to young girls that they are not alone (Chamberlain, 2022). In short, while it is hard to turn a blind eye to her video’s advertisements and capitalistic nature, Chamberlain successfully communicates that her content is curated towards young women, a population she is a part of.
In essence, Chamberlain has made a name for herself in the YouTube space by making videos that make young women feel seen. The content, style, and message of What My Life is Really like….. is a prime example of what viewers expect and like to see from her. At only 21 years old, Chamberlain has contributed significantly to the growing call for honesty and genuineness in the media. As the internet continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see if she changes as a creator and what those changes will mean for young women everywhere.
Works Cited
Abidin, C. (2018, February 28). Communicative ❤ intimacies: Influencers and perceived interconnectedness. Ada New Media. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://adanewmedia.org/2015/11/issue8-abidin/
Chikhoune, R. (2021, March 11). Emma Chamberlain on bad habit and the power of content. WWD. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/emma-chamberlain-on-bad-habit-and-the-power-of-content-1234774992/?sub_action=logged_in
Post, T. W. (2022, August 25). Niche internet micro celebrities are taking over the internet. Independent Online. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/international/niche-internet-micro-celebrities-are-taking-over-the-internet-5ae149cc-aa95-4321-82a6-9d9c2a566c07
Sagansky, G. (2021, May 14). Emma Chamberlain talks anxiety, Burnout, and perfectionism. Vogue. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://www.vogue.com/article/emma-chamberlain-talks-anxiety-burnout-perfectionism
YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/
As someone who has been a fan of Emma Chamberlain for years, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog post! You made strong connections to Abidin’s piece on communicative intimacies as it relates to Emma Chamberlain’s filming, editing, and all-around content style on YouTube. I appreciate your acknowledgment that a lot of her choices are less real–whether managed by agents, edited, or targeted. I also wonder if we can take on an even more critical stance toward Emma Chamberlain’s strategic use of perceived connectedness. Although meant to highlight features of reality TV, the themes in Ouelette and Murray’s Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture can be applied to the analysis of Emma Chamberlain’s tactics to build her following on YouTube. Similarly to Reality TV shows, Emma Chamberlain uses authenticity as a selling point to attract young women and build her brand as a relatable influencer. Furthermore, when we watch her videos, we choose to ignore certain details that make Emma Chamberlain less relatable. Our willingness to suspend our awareness of manipulation here is similar to how Reality TV viewers mindlessly enjoy the plots and characters of their favorite shows (Ouelette & Murra). For example, when we watch Emma casually stroll down the streets of Venice, Italy, we opt to forget, at least just for a second, that she traveled to Italy for the Venice International Film Festival, where she wore a “Valentino gown and Cartier jewelry”– a trip and wardrobe that the typical viewer cannot relate to (Clark). On the other hand, it’s also likely that the emergence of Reality TV has made Emma more comfortable with surveillance, causing her to feel more comfortable being honest and open with her daily routines and whereabouts.
ReplyDelete–Ella Blank
https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/emma-chamberlain-venice-film-festival/
I also love Emma Chamberlain’s videos and enjoyed your analysis of the juxtaposition between themes of vulnerability, relatability, and “realness” in her content against more artificial, unrelatable elements like partnerships with big brands, talent and PR agents, and exclusive and expensive trips. As her personal brand has grown, Emma has even been able to leverage her influencer status to launch her own merchandise lines and coffee company. Ultimately, Emma has been remarkably successful in maintaining, even with her skyrocketing fame, a type of “realness” in her brand, emanating a comfortable coolness that other influencers now seek to emulate.
ReplyDeleteA major downstream effect of the power Emma has cultivated is her ability to essentially create trends, especially among her target audience (usually teenage girls). Paradoxically, Emma’s tendency to do whatever she wants – regardless of how “cool” that thing might be – often ends up driving the next trend. Many trendy moments – oversized scrunchies, dressing like a 90s dad, doing things alone, and happily – originate from or were supercharged to trendiness by Emma.
This echoes the idea of subcultural market doctrine (Powers, 2019). It’s hard to pinpoint what subculture Emma belongs to – many have caricatured it as “quirky white girl" – but regardless, she possesses a very specific life philosophy and aesthetic that fit the definition of subculture. And yet, the trends that she has started have rippled through the market at large, driving teenage girls en-masse to purchase scrunchies, rolled white ankle socks to wear with their shoes, and Chamberlain Coffee. Whether this type of trendsetting is good or bad is debatable but, regardless, I think Emma has been a refreshing step back from the ultra-curated influencer world.
- Elizabeth Chen
Powers, D. (2019). On trend: The business of forecasting the future. Chapter 3. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press. (Annenberg Reserve HF 5415.32 P695 2019)
Emma Chamberlain has become a truly fascinating influencer, as she curates content to convince viewers that they are getting an unfiltered look at her life. She always starts the newest fashion trend, but Chamberlain’s main goal is to make herself seem normal and approachable through videos that feel more like a personal call.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Benjamin, new forms of technology put situations that would normally be “out of reach” directly into audiences’ hands. Chamberlain exemplifies this dynamic, as her phone/video camera allows her to create videos that give people a glimpse into aspects of her life that would normally be private. For example, she has many videos of herself just talking about her life or getting ready for the day. In this sense, technology has a profound impact on how we view art, and it becomes the method by which new types of content reach their audience.
In “The Perils of Ladycasting Podcasting, Gender, and Alternative Production Cultures,” Wang discusses the ways in which women with informal podcasts are cast aside and not regarded as doing real work. Instead, the real “podcasters” are the men who are backed by formal organizations. Emma Chamberlain is fighting against this stereotype for media, as she turned Youtube (and her other forms of social media) into an informal forum where she can do everyday tasks and bring millions of people along with her. By building a profitable brand on her seemingly casual productions, Chamberlain is making way for other women to follow suit.
Benjamin, W. (1936). The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. New York: Schocken Books.
Wang, J. H. (2021). The Perils of Ladycasting: Podcasting, Gender, and Alternative Production Cultures. Project MUSE. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/2978795
Commented by: Sophie Poritzky
Hi Jayde,
ReplyDeleteNice job on your blog post! I have watched many of Emma Chamberlain’s videos over the years, and I enjoyed how you highlighted the unique way in which she is vulnerable, transparent, and real with her fans through her videos even as an influencer with nearly 12 million YouTube followers. While Emma’s theme of “authenticity” typically drives fans to enjoy her work and continue to watch her content, there were a few other things you mentioned in your blog post I would love to touch on. You discussed topics such as “YouTubers produce content that they know will be successful and make them money” in addition to her videos being of capitalistic nature and being composed of advertisements. Reading this has me thinking of Adorno and Horkheimer’s culture industry as Emma Chamberlain, and her content is proof that popular culture consists of machinery (radio, tv, etc.) that produce standardized goods for mass consumers. In other words, they would believe that Emma’s YouTube channel is nothing more than a product created and distributed to manipulate viewers and feed into capitalistic ideas. While Emma Chamberlain’s videos have the refreshing element of feeling genuine and raw, she still at the end of the day, is being asked by companies to promote products since they know she will be a beneficial endorser, influencing masses to invest in products she promotes. Additionally, the success of her coffee company and clothing lines trace back to her videos’ popularity and the fact that she has used YouTube to connect with fans and encourage them to spend money on goods and products particularly slapped with her brand on them. I think it’s an interesting concept to think about since after all these years of watching her videos, I never considered that angle prior to taking this class. Great job again!
- Lauren Krasilovsky
Work Cited
Adorno, T. and Horkheimer, M. (1944). The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception. In Dialectic of Enlightenment (pp. 1-12).