In the early 2010s, YouTube was the space for content creation. “What’s In My Bag,” seasonal morning routines and monthly favorites videos crowded the platform.
Before there was TikTok, where short videos and creators rose to fame overnight, there were lifestyle video creators — the queens of YouTube who produced long-form video content for millions of subscribers.
Content has drastically changed in the last ten years; YouTube influencers have been exchanged for TikTok creators. What happened to the lifestyle vloggers who ruled the internet, and where are they now?
Zoella
Zoe Sugg, a famous British YouTuber, went by the username Zoella while active. Known for her shopping hauls, day-in-the-life content and makeup tutorials, Sugg ruled the YouTube scene with over 10.6 million subscribers. During her time on the platform, the star released tons of videos to her loyal fans and even wrote a three-part book series: “Girl Online.”
Besides her content gaining loyal fans, Sugg also caught the eyes of many people when viewers “shipped” her and Alfie Deyes, a fellow British YouTuber, together. Although the internet is not always right with these speculations, this “ship” got married and has two kids.
Sugg has not posted to her Zoella YouTube channel in over six years, but she does regularly post on her vlog channel. She shares moments and adventures with her family to over 4 million subscribers. Sugg is also active on Instagram with over 9 million followers. It seems this YouTube star is living out her happily ever after.
Alisha Marie
Another vlogger who stole many people’s hearts is Alisha Marie. Marie began creating videos on YouTube in 2011 and gained attention for a variety of video forms such as vlogs and back-to-school content. Marie most notably produced “vlogmas,” where she vlogged her life each day leading up to Christmas with high-quality introductions that accompanied each video.
Another one of her hit video series was her back-to-school videos, which she notoriously called “schoolisha.” Her most popular video in the series gained over 28 million views.
Over ten years later on the journey of her career, Marie has remained loyal to the platform. She still regularly uploads to her vlog channel, posts on TikTok and Instagram and even has two podcasts. She co-hosts “Pretty Basic” with fellow lifestyle YouTuber Remi Cruz and hosts “Basically Unfiltered” with Cruz, Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar. Her viewership on YouTube does not quite amass the millions of views like her old content, she is not going anywhere.
Bethany Mota
The ultimate “it” girl of YouTube, Bethany Mota got her start on the platform in 2009 by posting videos with the username macbarbie07. Over the years, her channel skyrocketed in numbers as she posted hauls, vlogs, morning routines and monthly favorites.
Mota was one of the stars of the lifestyle YouTube community, setting the bar high for all that came after. Her channel has over 9 million subscribers, but her most popular videos from the past are now private.
At the height of her popularity on YouTube, Mota was doing more than just posting on her channel. She had a clothing line with Aeropostale and went on a promotional tour for the brand and placed fourth on Season 19 of “Dancing with the Stars.” Now, Mota has taken a major step back from the spotlight.
She has not posted on YouTube in over a year, but she is still active on Instagram and appears to be enjoying her California home with her boyfriend. She is still involved in media, currently hosting a competition series about content creators called “Follow Me” which streams on the CW app.
MyLifeAsEva
Eva Gutowski, popularly known as MyLifeAsEva on YouTube, made her mark on the scene in 2012 and only grew from there. The lifestyle guru created DIY videos, how-to videos and content aimed to make viewers laugh. Most notably, Gutowski created the hit Internet song “Literally My Life,” which now has over 50 million views on YouTube.
Since her days of content creation, Gutowski has stepped away from the platform where she got her start. Now, Gutowski is pursuing a career in music and DJing as MARISOL. Her DJ career has taken off, as she has toured in New York City and Finland. While life looks much different than what it did during her days on YouTube, fans remain loyal to Gutowski on TikTok and Instagram where she shares the latest of her career.
