Singaporean socialite Jamie Chua is once again under the spotlight for being the owner of more than 200 Birkin bags — but it's not just her wealth being talked about this time.
A feature by South China Morning Post (SCMP) artfully picks out bits and pieces from Chua's YouTube content to weave a narrative beyond her extravagant lifestyle.
Although the article notes the seemingly frivolous problems that Chua face — like the time she spent S$30,000 and four days crying over a lost Cartier earring — it also reflects a certain degree of self-awareness on Chua's part.
For one, Chua agreed with internet users who berated her for the "first world problem" of losing a luxury item, when many were going through much worse in the pandemic.
“There are a lot more real problems than losing a Cartier earring. I’m not going to say, ‘You’re jealous because that’s my only problem’. No, I think they were right to say all that about me,” SCMP quoted her as saying.
What the viewers want
SCMP also revealed that Chua took to gardening during the circuit breaker period, and even thought of making an "extensive vlog" of her new hobby.
However, her long-time partner Terence Koh had told her that nobody would be interested in such content.
Chua said, “Terence keeps telling me, ‘Oh please, nobody wants to watch you garden — they just wanna watch you go out and buy new handbags!’”
And the socialite knows that there is a certain truth to that statement, too.
Other than the finer things in life, she told SCMP that she also enjoys doing "normal things."
“I can’t be perpetually at a shopping [centre]. That makes me seem empty and a bit vacuous — and I don’t want to seem like that kind of person. I want to be seen as a real person, someone who’s more relatable and human, because that’s what I am, honestly.”
YouTube career
Since starting her YouTube channel in 2015, Chua has produced a myriad of videos with her team.
However, it was only in 2019 that she started taking content production seriously enough to put out videos on a regular basis.
SCMP reports that she has consistently uploaded videos every week since.
Now, Chua has almost half a million subscribers on YouTube, and rakes in anywhere between 20,000 to more than one million views for her most popular video.
It came to a point where her family had to force her to take at least one day off per week.
In addition to YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, Chua also has a TikTok account, which has accumulated about 218,000 followers.
Videos are uploaded there on a regular basis as well.
Chua is very much like a millennial, content-driven influencer — except she doesn't need the money.
Top image via Jamie Chua's Instagram