我的闺蜜是网红

My first foray1） into the world of Tumblr was in 2010. Like any other 11th grade girl， I spent countless hours in my U.S. History class filling pages upon pages of my new Tumblr blog with images of trendy girls， exotic sunsets， latte art and the occasional angst2） ridden text post. It was fun， but it was certainly just a hobby. Around the same time， my best friend Amelia also started her Tumblr blog. Hers consisted mostly of cat images， and rants3） about lifes daily miseries.

Years later， I still enjoy scrolling4） through my dashboard5）， reblogging pretty images and composing an occasional angst ridden post of actual words. As it turns out， so does my best friend， except there is one little difference—Amelia has made her Tumblr into a total money-making machine， becoming a well-known name throughout the websites community in the process.

Amelia Plummer， or as she is known to her many fans， Amelia Stardust， has been my best friend since we were 15. We were neither popular nor unpopular in high school. We fell somewhere in the middle， always friendly with everybody but really only spending meaningful time with each other. At age 21， not much has changed. Were still inseparable. The only difference is that she now has 140，000 fans who track her every move （and， consequently， mine） on not only Tumblr， but also Twitter， Instagram， and Snapchat.

It wasnt until the fall 2013 when Amelias Tumblr fame really hit its stride6）. In her downtime7）， Amelia started learning HTML8） and making sure her blog was constantly active by queuing9） posts. She narrowed her blogs focus， mostly to the kind of teen humor that thrives on Tumblr. Amelia began befriending people in the community and she even took on an administrative role for a group of 1.6K+ bloggers on Facebook where they offer advice， help each other with homework， or just hang out.

The first time I recognized Amelias Tumblr popularity was in 2014 when she told me that Tumblr user Mcqueeny was coming to visit her from Canada. Id been following Mcqueeny for a few years， never really considering that the girl behind the popular fashion and personal Tumblr blog was a real human from Canada， let alone a blonde Serbian girl named Katarina who I spent countless hours with over the next week in New York. I guess I was a little starstruck10）. Suddenly I realized that somewhere out there， people viewed Amelia with a similar awe and admiration. Not to say that my best friend isnt totally and completely amazing， but to me she is the Amelia I have known since we were 15 （complete with braces11） and fashion faux-pas12））.

Most of the money made by these internet characters are through brand sponsorships. As Amelia explained to me： "Many companies are now realizing that bloggers， instagrammers， YouTubers， or any internet famous person have an incredible reach， and that they are a great way to advertise to specific audiences13）. This is amazing as it allows teens the opportunity to make extra money， and learn business skills that could be beneficial later in life." Amelia makes an effort to stay true to herself by only teaming up with brands that align14） with her aesthetic15）. No one wants to be faced with a Tumblr dashboard filled with sponsors and ads masquerading16） as original content.

Although the future of this teen driven blogging empire is unclear， it is clear that it has aided individuals in expressing their character and growing a name and brand for themselves. In this day and age， everyone has an online brand， in one way or another. We all have various forms of social media and online presences that form our internet identities. Amelia， who has previously suffered from a serious anxiety disorder， will be the first to admit that outgoing is not a word typically associated with her. But， Tumblr gave her an outlet to express her feelings， thoughts， emotions， and， most importantly， her sense of humor that often went unregistered due to her quietness.

No path is right for everyone. While I may be following the more traditional career path of attending an Ivy League17） college and interning18）， Amelia has chosen an alternative route. Through her blog， Amelia has been able to open a fairly popular online store， and hopes that even a book deal or acting career could be in her future. As she puts it， "a girl can dream， right？"

如果你的闺蜜是一位网红，这将是一种怎样的体验？你的生活会因此发生什么变化吗？一起来随本文了解一下吧！

我首次尝试访问Tumblr网站是在2010年。那时，我和其他11年级的女生一样，在美国历史课上花了多到数不清的时间更新一页又一页的Tumblr博文，里面全都是些时髦女孩、异国日落风光、咖啡拉花艺术的照片，以及偶尔写的一篇充满焦虑情绪的文字帖。这很好玩儿，但这当然只是我的一项爱好而已。几乎与此同时，我的闺蜜阿梅莉亚也开了Tumblr博客，博文内容主要是猫咪的照片以及对人生日常不幸之事的抱怨。

几年过去了，我仍旧喜欢滚动浏览我的Tumblr主页，将以前发过的好看照片再发一遍，或者偶尔写一篇充满焦虑情绪的文字帖。结果证明，我的闺蜜也是这样做的，只是有一点小小的不同——阿梅莉亚已经将她的Tumblr博客变成了一个十足的赚钱机器，在这个过程中，她成了整个Tumblr圈子里的一位红人。

从我们俩15岁起，阿梅莉亚·普卢默——或者对她的许多粉丝来说，是阿梅莉亚·星尘——就一直和我要好。上高中时，我们俩不是那种校园红人，但也不讨人嫌。我们属于中间的那一类，总是友好地对待每一个人，但真的只与彼此共度那些有意义的时光。到21岁时，也没怎么大变样。我们如今依旧形影不离。唯一的区别是，她现在拥有14万粉丝，他们不仅在Tumblr上，还在Twitter、Instagram和Snapchat上关注她的一举一动（并因此关注我的一举一动）。

这还要从2013年的秋天说起，那时，阿梅莉亚在Tumblr上才真正开始出名。在闲暇时间里，阿梅莉亚开始学习网页编辑，并通过一条接着一条地发帖来确保自己的博客始终保持着活跃度。她缩小了自己博客的关注点，主要聚焦于在Tumblr上很火的那种青少年式幽默。阿梅莉亚开始和Tumblr上的人交朋友，甚至在Facebook上的一个博主群（其成员粉丝数均超过1600人）中担任管理员。他们在这个群里提供建议，帮助彼此完成作业，或者只是一起泡在网上。

2014年的时候，有一次阿梅莉亚告诉我，一位名叫麦奎尼的Tumblr用户要从加拿大过来看她，这是我头一次意识到阿梅莉亚在Tumblr上的人气有多高。我已经关注麦奎尼好几年了，却从未真正想过那些流行时尚和Tumblr个人博文背后的女生是一个真实的加拿大人，更不要说还是一位名叫卡塔琳娜的塞尔维亚裔金发姑娘。在之后的一周里，我和她一起在纽约度过了无尽的时光——我想我是有点追星的。突然之间，我意识到在某个方面，人们在用相似的敬畏及欣赏的目光看待阿梅莉亚。我并不是说我的闺蜜不是从头到脚、从上到下都那么棒，只是对我来说，她就是那个我从15岁起就认识的阿梅莉亚（戴过牙套，也搭错过衣服）。

网红所赚的钱大部分来自品牌赞助。正如阿梅莉亚向我解释的那样：“现在很多企业都意识到博主、Instagram红人、YouTube红人或任何一位网红都有着非凡的影响力，利用他们来向某些特定的粉丝群体做广告是一种很好的方式。这是一件很棒的事情，因为它让青少年有机会赚更多的钱，并学习到一些可能对今后的人生有所裨益的商业技能。”通过只跟与自己审美观一致的品牌合作，阿梅莉亚努力坚持做真实的自己，毕竟谁都不想看到一个Tumblr主页打着原创内容的幌子，却充斥着赞助商和广告。

尽管Tumblr这个由青少年推动的博客帝国的未来还不甚明晰，但它显然已经在青少年个体表达自己的个性、为自己打造名气和品牌方面提供了帮助。在如今这个时代，每个人都以这样或那样的方式拥有着自己的网络品牌。我们都有各种形式的社交媒体账户，或是以各种形式出现在网络中，这成为我们的网络身份。阿梅莉亚以前患有严重的焦虑症，“外向”这个词一般跟她不沾边儿。但是，Tumblr给她提供了一个表达自己感情、想法、情绪尤其是幽默感（由于她比较沉默寡言，往往没有人注意到她的幽默感）的方式。

没有哪条道路是适用于所有人的。我可能遵循着上常春藤大学、实习这种更为传统的职业道路，但阿梅莉亚却选择了另外一条道路。通过她的博客，阿梅莉亚得以开了一家相当受欢迎的网店，她甚至希望自己未来可以签约写写书或者开启演艺事业。就像她所说的：“女孩子可以有梦想，对吧？”