Since launching her YouTube channel from the humble clutter of her north Californian bedroom, Bethany Mota has gone on to amass a following of 9.8 million viewers.
Redefining ‘celebrity’ and ‘fame’ as we know it, the 20-year-old has cast a spell over an entire generation of teenagers across and beyond America. Known for her always effusive, never bad-tempered manner, Mota has risen to fame for her make-up and fashion tutorials and do-it-yourself videos. A multi-millionaire, Mota earns an estimated $40,000 a month for her videos.
Early days
Hailing from a large family, Mota is of Mexican and Portuguese descent. Having grown up in California, she was taken out of school and home-schooled for much of her education. In the midst of the MySpace epoch, Mota was bullied online. “I was about 12 when I was cyber-bullied,” she told Fox 9. “These kids started a sort of MySpace page — all of it was kind of talking negatively about my appearance, and being 12 you are very vulnerable and take things to heart.” But Mota went on to build up a community and support network via YouTube and has gone on to campaign against bullying.
The ascent of a YouTube star
Becoming a YouTube guru might not tally with traditional definitions of success, but the worldwide web has been far more lucrative than most people’s degree certificates for Mota. Since making her first haul video in 2009 and launching her account, “MACBARBIE07”, she has won two Teen Choice awards. Mota’s most recent videos include everything from recipes for packed lunches and back to school and morning routine tips.
Social Media Influencer
Regardless of whether you are an aficionado of Mota’s videos or not, there is no denying her sway. Testimony to the ever-rising reach of social media influencers, Mota was deemed so influential that she was selected to interview Barack Obama as part of an initiative to branch out to a wider audience. This is hardly surprising when you consider that Mota’s YouTube channel reaches astronomically larger audiences than most politician's social media accounts.
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The Mota Empire
But it’s not just videos which Mota is known for. In fact, the internet personality has built something of a media and fashion empire. As well as launching her own clothing line at Aéropostale in 2013, she has collaborated with JCPenny and Forever 21. She also has gone on a number of tours to meet up with adoring, screaming fans, who are known as “Mota-vators”.