Scrunchies are making a big comeback, partly because of Chamberlain. Wikimedia Commons
With 5 million YouTube subscribers and 4.8 million Instagram followers, Emma Chamberlain has become a household name, at least to teens. Her refreshing habit of blurting out the first thing that comes into her head while vlogging has won her legions of fans in the span of a year, and her popularity just keeps growing. But numbers of kids are placing such blind trust in a celebrity they don’t know that they are purchasing clothes that blurred on the screen, so they aren’t even sure what they look like.
Part of Chamberlain’s fame is due to her age. At 17, Emma is a true Gen Z kid, someone who understands the boom and bust of teenage popularity and social media dependence.
The only difference between her and most teenagers is her ability to take an ordinary day, film it, and turn it into something you want to watch.
Growing up on a steady diet of screens and social media, many of us consume videos such as Emma’s. They take real life and somehow make it seem more intriguing than it is, turning basic tasks such as making dinner into an adventure. While to most people this is mundane, to Emma it is an excuse-an excuse to jam, have fun and laugh over her lack of skills in the kitchen.
She is the girl that millions of other 17 year-old girls turn to for a laugh on a hard day, advice on how to text a crush, and of course, for fashion inspiration.
Effortless and wearable is the vibe her clothes give off, consisting of staple pieces dressed up or down to fit any occasion. So when she decided to launch her own clothing line, High Key, exclusively on the app Dote, teenagers rushed to buy her line.
But there was a twist.
Instead of photos showcasing how flattering the clothes were, you got images so pixelated you could’ve been buying anything. The only thing clearly visible was her face, the name of the item and the price tag.
Not a single piece of merchandise was visible, yet every item was sold out in under two hours during the early launch, and the products moved almost as fast during the official launch.
Part of of Chamberlain’s appeal is her laid-back style. She takes easy to wear pieces such as her signature tank tops and reworks them in different ways. The same tank top can be worn with jeans, a skirt and any variety of sweaters and accessories, allowing people to incorporate the same piece in multiple outfits while keeping the look fresh.
The more complicated piece of the puzzle stems from idolization. Teenagers look on social media platforms to find people and things that interest them. Once found, a quick follow will flood these followers’ feeds with picture-perfect images.
It is at this point things can spiral out of control.
What once was curiosity turns into obsession, with teenagers immersing themselves in a false sense of intimacy with complete strangers. We know the odds of us meeting these celebrities are slim, yet so many of us can’t help but emulate them.
After all, if she’s popular and pretty and famous, so why can’t I be?
Taking Chamberlain’s style is a defense mechanism. Wearing things that are so widely known and popular shields us from the ugly realities of judgement. If 4.8 million people like her and her clothes, then it must be acceptable to wear them. It is a way of conforming and doing what is cool without creating an individual identity.
I’m not claiming that buying celebrities clothes are bad. In fact, I think it can be a great way of exploring different fashions before settling on an individual style. But too many teens never develop an individual style due to their fear of being judged based on clothing and instead copy their favorite celebrities.
The next time you buy clothes, I want you to think. Am I buying this because I like it, or because I think other people will? And if the answer is the latter, put it down, fold it, and step away.
If you don’t, soon enough you might find yourself purchasing a twenty- five dollar scrunchie set. Or at least you think it’s a scrunchie set. Who can tell through all the pixelation?
