Does Emma Chamberlain Need To Go To College?

Emma Chamberlain once stood at the peak of YouTube fame — she was the paragon of authentic content, the queen of quirk, and an icon to teenage girls all over the world. She started with vlogs and thrift hauls and worked her way to hosting the Met Gala with Vogue. But has the world’s most relatable influencer become out of touch? 

Recently, there has been a discussion on social media about Emma Chamberlain, specifically her podcast, Anything Goes. The podcast has run since early 2020 and was rebranded from her Stupid Genius podcast, which first aired in April of 2019. 

Just to preface, this article is not intended to hate on Emma Chamberlain at all. I have been a fan of Chamberlain’s videos since 2018, and any and all criticisms about her or her podcast are largely constructive. Much of the social media discussion shares similar sentiments, and has opened up a larger conversation about influencer advice and the creator-audience relationship. 

some backstory

I first came across this debate on my TikTok For You Page, where user @glizzzabeth (Liz) discusses how Emma Chamberlain’s most recent podcast episode has aligned her with much of the current online discussion surrounding Anything Goes.  

“Emma Chamberlain’s advice does not apply to everyone and shouldn’t be seen as blanket statements,” Liz says. This video has over 450k views, but her follow-up video has garnered even more attention, with 1.8 million views. Liz’s second video goes further into detail about her viewpoints, and how Emma’s pessimistic views about love, relationships, and growing up, are not all that realistic. 

Commenters agreed with her sentiments, with user @skyybie writing “yes exactly, it is not all doom and gloom.” Viewers agreed with this statement and echoed it in the comments. 

Some, however, took a harsher approach. One user wrote, “These are all discussions [Emma] can be having in gender, women, & sexuality course.” Others suggested that she should read Anna Karenina and another called her “Echo Chamberlain.” These criticisms are cruel, but they bring me to my next point. 

Does Emma Chamberlain “just need to go to college?”

Much of the criticism about Emma Chamberlain’s podcast centers around the “great philosophical epiphanies” she conjures out of seemingly simple facts. The podcast is recorded from the comfort of her bed, completely by herself. While this is meant to create a sense of authenticity, much of her advice comes off as slightly privileged and cliche. Chamberlain often gets “deep” on Anything Goes, but much of this “philosophy” is surface-level. 

Many believe the reason for Chamberlain’s superficial observations is a lack of formal education, as she graduated high school early and didn’t attend college. However, proponents of this belief have to understand that Emma Chamberlain is not the first person ever to forego a college education. Many well informed people didn’t attend college, so what’s the issue in Chamberlain’s case? 

Does anything go?  

Emma Chamberlain’s brand was built on being relatable, which was very successful when she was 16 and making coffee in her mom’s kitchen. However, as her career has taken off and she has grown up, this “brand image” no longer works. Her lifestyle is no longer relatable to most of us, but her attitude towards most topics, especially on the podcast, remains the same. When she makes a latte with a $700 espresso machine in a pristine white kitchen with a double-door refrigerator, it’s hard to feel like I relate to her. 

Chamberlain’s videos seem more up-to-date with her current lifestyle, featuring travel videos and “vlogs,” that are closer to artistic short films than day-in-the-life videos. They’ve been described as “depressing,” and it’s clear that Emma doesn’t want to be doing YouTube all that much anymore. She hasn’t uploaded a video on her YouTube channel since the 2023 Met Gala, but her podcast is uploaded twice a week. 

It’s clear that she enjoys podcasting more, but the Anything Goes podcast is, according to the internet, quite boring. When she is sitting in her bed making these grand statements, it isn’t particularly interesting or engaging. However, as a guest on podcasts, she is both of those things. 

Chamberlain appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast in January of 2022, and she absolutely dazzled. These arguments that Emma needs to go to college are misfocused — She doesn’t exactly need college, she needs a community. College creates a sense of community like no other, which for a young adult can be crucial — but, the college part of it isn’t a requirement that needs to be fulfilled.

A Note on Influencer Advice 

Influencer advice in general is a slippery slope. Internet users just keep getting younger and can be easily influenced by their favorite YouTuber or TikTok star. These impressionable kids and teens look up to content creators, but influencers don’t know you or your situation. Every piece of advice should be taken with a (large) grain of salt.

Takeaways

Emma Chamberlain doesn’t need to go to college, no one ever truly does. It’s a supplement and a choice, not a requirement. The only thing she really needs is community. And I’m not necessarily talking about a huge Midsommar-like commune. 

There are so many great “influencer” podcasts out there, and each of them has a co-host or features a long list of guests. Maybe all her podcast needs is a guest every once in a while, someone to bounce ideas off and banter with. 

Emma Chamberlain is intelligent, funny, and the internet’s big sister. But she’s also a 20-something woman doing her best. No matter how out of touch she can seem, doing the best she can is an experience we can all relate to.

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