YouTube fitness and beauty influencer Emi Wong. Photo: @emiwong_
Source:
https://scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3113499/stylevoices-how-hong-kong-fitness-and-beauty-influencer-emi Luxury
#STYLEvoices: How Hong Kong fitness and beauty influencer Emi Wong fought bulimia, courted Dior Beauty and clocked 3 million YouTube subscribers – video
The Instagram influencer has more than 570,000 followers and brands like Lululemon, Alo Yoga and Charlotte Tilbury are queuing up for collaborations
YouTube fitness and beauty influencer Emi Wong appear on our new video series, #STYLEvoices. Photo: Jerrie Lo
Eight years ago, I met Emi Wong at a social event. At that time, she was studying International Business and Global Management at Hong Kong University and dropping by Lan Kwai Fong for a few drinks most weekends. She was bold, young and cheerful. Despite all that positivity though, she couldn’t find the right job on graduation and after some soul-searching, she turned to YouTube and began her own channel.
Since then, I have been watching her workout videos and witnessing how she has changed. When the team was brainstorming about a new series of interviews, #STYLEvoices – a new video series featuring the most innovative and influential youth of our time, who are creating a buzz on big and small screens alike – Wong immediately popped into my head. Boasting more than three million subscribers and over 570,000 followers on Instagram, I knew she was an ideal subject. Personally, I also wanted to find out more about her transformation – I was sure she had a lot to share after all these years.
The moment that Wong arrived at the South China Morning Post studio, I was already able to tell a significant difference. I’d no longer describe Wong as a girl, but a young woman walking in with radiance and positivity.
After a quick catch up, the camera started rolling. Having Wong over was definitely joyful, informative and encouraging. We all know that social media doesn’t always reflect reality: yes she might look fabulous in photos and videos as a fitness and beauty influencer, but there are still real-life problems to face no matter who you are and she was happy to share this with us.
Like all of us, Wong has been through a lot in her life journey, including the eating disorder bulimia and an unhealthy obsession with chasing abs. Beauty often requires hard work and effort but we cannot ignore the necessary balance of wellness and health. Emi Wong is an example to remind us of the consequences of losing sight of that balance.
After all this, Emi Wong has come into her own. Much loved by big labels Lululemon, Alo Yoga, Charlotte Tilbury, Dior Beauty and more, she has branched out from being a YouTuber to being a fitness, beauty and fashion influencer, which also brings her step-by-step further into the spotlight. Of course, there are two sides to a coin, meaning that Wong now has to deal with an increasing number of comments and a wider spread of public opinions. It is definitely not easy to adapt to these changes, but how did she take it?
YouTube fitness and beauty influencer Emi Wong. Photo: @emiwong_
Whether she’s speaking about body positivity, social media or personal growth, you’ll find Wong as relatable as any personal friend. Being open about her suffering with bulimia and helping us to appreciate that health really is wealth, she shows us why we definitely need to hear from more young people finding their voice.