Here's How Emma Chamberlain Really Got Famous

Emma Chamberlain is one of those influencers who is known for keeping it real and not trying too hard. These days, the megastar — who has more than 11 million Instagram followers and nearly 10 million YouTube subscribers — can be found at Louis Vuitton fashion shows, creating her own line of coffee called Chamberlain Coffee, or hanging out with famous friends. 

Chamberlain is in the thick of this new wave of influencers in their late teens and early 20s — the Gen Zers — who have decided to live their lives on the internet by posting about practically every aspect on social media. Despite this packed field of vloggers and TikTokers, Chamberlain has forged a path through the noise and come out at the top of it all. The teenager is basically everywhere, working with all the people, and doing all the things, which might make it easy to forget how it all began for her. But just like the rest of the successful influencers, it all started with the internet.

You know how the story goes: Find your niche on the internet and build your brand. For Emma Chamberlain, it wasn't quite so cut and dry. She started posting fashion and beauty YouTube videos in 2016, according to Distractify, but they just weren't taking off. Whether on purpose or on accident, though, Chamberlain started leaning into her authenticity and that's what stuck. She shared "haul" videos (a video showing off a shopping trip or opening packages of things you just got in the mail) and started to see some traction.

Whereas some influencers' haul videos are of the unattainable, Chamberlain's were real. They were what you'd expect a teenager to be buying with a teenager's budget, and her laidback attitude and genuine sense of humor started to draw people in. Once they realized this was her true nature, they stayed, and once they started to spread the word, Chamberlain blew up. 

She's super casual — though she's been a little more refined since her partnership with Louis Vuitton — and incredibly genuine, which is what has kept her followers and subscribers engaged. And it's safe to say her influence isn't just over her fans but other influencers as well. Once it was obvious that relatability could make you successful, more wannabe influencers followed suit and the trend has continued that way ever since.