Emma Chamberlain Explains Why You Haven't Seen Her Online Much Lately

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At this point, finding out Emma Chamberlain is part of a viral cultural moment is basically expected; I mean, her Jack Harlow “love ya” at the 2022 Met Gala alone was one of the most iconic clips of the year and a massive testament to the star's relatability and candor—qualities she possessed even six years ago when she began filming YouTube videos.

In past six years, Emma has catapulted into stardom, both on the internet and IRL. Today, she runs an eponymous coffee business; has a Spotify exclusive podcast called “Anything Goes;” and is the face of multiple fashion houses and brands, including Lancôme, Louis Vuitton, and PacSun. But despite the many ventures that make up Emma's entrepreneurial endeavors, it's her sui generis aesthetic discernment that remains at the center of her media empire.

Enter: A serendipitous partnership with Canon—whose devices Emma has used since day one.

As the brand's press release puts it, “The campaign explores the evolution of Chamberlain as a creator, from starting her YouTube channel at 16-years-old with her dad’s Canon EOS Rebel T2i camera, to transforming into a multi-hyphenate powerhouse leading a beloved coffee brand, hosting red carpets and managing more than 35 million followers across platforms, while capturing it all with Canon.”

Not only is Emma the inspo behind the major campaign, but the brand is making it possible for others to follow in her footsteps by releasing a new Content Creator Kit as well.

Emma herself hopped on a call with Cosmo to chat about what the campaign means for her, how her content has shifted over the years, why she hasn't been online as much lately, and how she would describe her own much-copied style.

Hi, Emma! Tell me more about this partnership. You've described it as a “full circle moment” for you; what do you mean by that?

This was truly a no-brainer for me. It was an offer that came through and I was like, duh! Canon is one of those brands that has been with me since day one in a way that is so powerful for me.

I 'm not a camera expert, right? I definitely wasn't when I started, but I 'm still not now. Yet the content that Canon has allowed me to create has felt high quality and somewhat even professional at times.

Totally! Looking back on your career, one of the first videos you ever made was called City Inspired Lookbook, which showcased you wearing outfits in San Francisco after your dad brought you there. What was it like filming that, in the early days?

So that video was filmed on my dad's Canon T2i, and he had been using that for photos actually. He had never used it for video, and he was using it to shoot images for his paintings because he paints paintings. But he was like, “Let's figure out how to use it for videos.” We had no idea what we were doing.

The video didn't turn out perfect by any means, but the fact that we could even turn it on and get it to start filming is kind of incredible, because cameras are not easy to use—or a lot of them out there aren't. But Canon cameras are. We were both kind of rookies, but we made it happen.

How has the work you most enjoy filming shifted over the years?

I would say in the beginning, I was mainly documenting my life in a way that was not necessarily artistic. It was more focused on just getting as much footage of my day-to-day life as possible and filming in a way that almost felt like the person watching the footage was with me. I guess that is an art of its own, right? Making video feel real, in that way. But that was not something I did intentionally.

It was sort of something that happened intuitively, whereas now, I 'm much more excited about making my videos feel a bit more dreamlike in the sense that the shots are set up really thoughtfully and there's more attention to detail there. It just feels more beautiful. I 'm at a place in my life where I 'm really seeing the beauty in things for the first time. As a young person, I was really...I was moving fast. I was moving fast, and I never really stopped and just took a look at the view. Not to be corny, but it's true.

How you would say the ins and outs of your job have changed in that time?

Well, I started out simply making YouTube videos and that was it. But since then, I've definitely explored other categories. I 'm doing a weekly podcast now; It's probably the thing I 'm working the hardest at this point. It's just one of my favorite ways to communicate right now.

And I 'm doing a lot more things on the backend, I would say. Even, for example, my brand Chamberlain Coffee. I 'm working on that constantly, on a daily basis, but it's not like I 'm necessarily sharing that or it's something that's public knowledge. It's just something that's done and hopefully felt through the brand.

I think there's a lot more stuff that happens behind-the-scenes that's not necessarily public, which has been kind of nice, to have a little bit of time to myself. What's been nice about that is that I've been able to contemplate what's next for me video-wise. Because that's a medium I really love and adore, but I just did it so much for so many years that I needed to take a step back and be like, Okay, wait a minute. What are we going to do now? Because it's like, I 'm not excited about this anymore. What's next?

And I 'm still figuring that out. A lot of what I do, too, is create images. So that's something I've been getting much more, like, Oh, I want to take cool photos. That's something I 'm excited to explore, and mainly those things will live on Instagram.

That's amazing! Is there an up-and-coming content creator or influencer you really admire?

That's a good question. No one necessarily comes to mind, but I would say that's because I 'm not really consuming content in the same way anymore.

That's understandable!

Yeah, I 'm off TikTok. I don't have the app. When it comes to YouTube content, I 'm kind of all over the place. I 'm not really watching individual creators. I 'm watching educational things or people who are a specialist in something talking about something that I 'm curious about. So I 'm not really consuming content in that way anymore, which is interesting.

I think that might be why I 'm sort of hungry to shift my own content, because as a viewer, I 'm just not as... I don't know. I 'm not really drawn to influencer style and vlog content, but maybe that's because I have made that type of content for so long that it doesn't really work for me because I know the ins and the outs of it.

Very fair. I would love to end by asking, what three words would you use to describe your style? Whether it's your fashion looks, the vibe of your home, or the aesthetic of your videos.

I would say first word—wait, I have to Google this to make sure I 'm using the word right. I would definitely say eclectic. That was the word I had to Google. [Laughs] I knew it was right, but I just had to make sure, because I really do mix. I 'm all about just mixing and matching and making it feel me through taking things from different eras and styles and then making it feel cohesive. So that's definitely one word.

I would also say...I would say warm. I like to wear outfits that feel sort of warm and fuzzy. I don't know how to explain it, but I 'm drawn to things that make me feel safe in some way, and with clothing that can be through colors that feel rich. Or it's through the silhouettes; I tend to feel more comfortable in clothes that are more baggy and comfortable.

And in my home, I like things to feel cozy. But also ever-changing, because I don't feel like I need to stick to one thing.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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