Read the full feature and interview at Composure Magazine!
STORY BY MIN. A. LEE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH KRICK PHOTOGRAPHY
MAKEUP BY ARCHANGELA CHELSEA
HAIR BY PRESTON WADA @OPUS BEAUTY
STYLING BY FRANZY STAEDTER
Amanda Steele keeps it very real for our nineteenth issue. While many know her as a YouTube phenom, we see a brilliant, driven young woman who’s had her fair share of struggles. Steele refuses to get lost in the hype of numbers and instead produces content that is loyal to herself and her fans. She never loses sight of what initially put her on the map, and continues to be humbled by those who believed in her from day one. Putting vlogs out in a public space since only Elementary school has given Steele the ability to adjust her career as she grows, but also learn how to take on the pressures that come with. It’s never easy to see others tear down work that took a long time to create, but Steele gives sound advice for anyone facing bullying online and offline.
Sharing a personal look into her life and style has always been at the forefront of Amanda Steele’s empire, but also she continues to pursue acting—strengthening her abilities to take on new roles. With time we expect her to make a substantial mark in Hollywood, and we can’t wait!
ON BEING A CONTENT CREATOR
Composure Magazine: Building such a prominent career at a young age opens you up to a lot of criticism, how do you combat this negativity, and what have you learned from the challenges of being in the public eye?
Amanda Steele: The negativity was something that was really hard for me as I was growing up while posting my life online. It was really hard to find myself while thousands of people were telling me who I was. I just had to step back and realize that I am doing what I love and indulging in my passions while haters are just spewing negativity from behind a computer screen. Over time I have found that if I had never let any haters get to me, and I continued doing exactly what I was, I would be much farther in my success. The positivity outweighs the negative, and the people that do love my videos—that is who my content is for. I am not going to change what so many of my followers love because some other people out there are taking their personal problems out on the internet. My content is for my loyal followers, and nasty comments aren’t ever going to take that away from them and my own success.
CM: Your success did not come without hard work and sacrifice, was there ever a moment you felt like everything was too much to handle?
AS: Being a YouTuber is a full-time job. At my peak growth and demand, I was also in public high school. Juggling both took a stressful amount of not only time but emotion. I think high school sucks no matter who you are, but on top of school bullies and feelings of loneliness, I had thousands of haters online too. It became very overwhelming for me when I would spend nights crying over mean youtube comments and then waking up and hearing more negativity from my classmates at school. This point in my life was very hard on me, but things started to look up when I began online school and could focus more time on my YouTube channel.
CM: The digital world moves quickly with its constant changes, algorithms, etc.. How do you stay passionate as your work continues to progress?
AS: I stay passionate about my work throughout the constant changes of the digital world by keeping in touch with who I am and why I do what I do. It is easy to get sucked into numbers, growth, and competition, which could honestly lead to a fall. Luckily for me, I started my YouTube channel so young that I know exactly what my passions were. Fashion design is the reason I started YouTube. I have an intense love for beauty and connecting with other people online that like the same things as me. I was never a very social girl. I chose to stay inside on the computer most nights instead of meeting new people and hanging out with friends. This makes me so passionate about the fact that fashion, beauty, and tech are all things I have loved from the beginning. I know to follow my heart, do what I love, WORK HARD, and everything will work out.
Min A. Lee 