"People literally thought I was dead"
YouTuber Michelle Phan has been awarded second place in Forbes’ first ever global list of top influencers.
As reported by Cosmopolitan, Phan secured the No.2 spot in Forbes global list of top influencers despite remaining hidden for much of 2016.
In an interview with Racked, Phan admitted to being depressed and needing time to escape amidst her success.
Phan featured on the covers of Forbes and Nylon magazines last year.
“I completely disappeared,” she said. “I just left. I stopped uploading to YouTube.”
The YouTuber said her fans and subscribers were deeply concerned about her absence. “People literally thought I was dead,” Phan added.
“I peaced out because I think I was going through depression. I don’t know because I didn’t go to a hospital or anything or get diagnosed, but I was taking a few quizzes online and I felt really sad everyday… I was waking up feeling so broken. I didn’t know why.”
Cosmopolitan adds that her depression could be linked to the disappointing performance of her highly anticipated makeup line, Em Cosmetics.
Nonetheless, Phan has spent the last year travelling and plans to revisit her makeup line.
“I’m actually happy that Em didn’t do well, because I’m happy that I own it,” she said. “It is my makeup brand, it’s not L’Oréal’s makeup brand. It’s not for me; it’s for my viewers who have been there since the beginning.”
Em Cosmetics will relaunch on 17 April with a smaller selection featuring only eyeliner and liquid lipsticks.