21 Under 21: Life With MaK's Makenna Kelly Is Making the Internet a Better Place With ASMR and Honeycomb
Makenna Kelly is part of Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 class of 2018, which spotlights extraordinary young women, girls, and femmes making waves in their industries or passions of choice.
At a time when the Internet can feel more and more like a dumpster fire, there is a saving grace: She is Makenna Kelly, otherwise known as Life with MaK on her mega-popular YouTube channel.
While many might not know her name, they'll likely recognize her face — and whispering voice. The 13-year-old from Fort Collins, Colorado, has amassed more than a million subscribers on her channel dedicated to autonomous sensory meridian response, commonly known as ASMR. There's no hard science behind it, but it's essentially the sensation that occurs when someone feels tingles or soothed by a particular stimulus. In most cases, it's whispering, chewing, or another low-volume, innocuous sound caught on a mic.
Makenna has become the bona fide queen of ASMR videos. She first discovered the phenomenon when she was feeling overwhelmed by tests at school and looking for something to help her relax. When she became aware of the potential an ASMR channel has to help people, she started her channel, in November 2017.
"I made up the Life with MaK to mean 'Life with meaning, acceptance, and kindness,'" Makenna tells Teen Vogue. "That’s the message I want to spread with all my social media platforms, and teach people that ASMR is something to turn to, [rather] than drugs or alcohol, to relax and de-stress."
Earlier this year, legions of people became entranced with Makenna's videos. When she started the channel, racking up even 100 views felt like a big deal. But the turning point was a video of her eating raw honeycomb, an almost 17-minute production that features her chewing and smacking on the sugary confection while also slurping down a strawberry seltzer water. As of mid-October, it has more than 11.6 million YouTube views. By far, it's her most-viewed video, but she's not a one-hit wonder: A video of Makenna eating bursting boba has 3.5 million views; one with crunchy sea grapes has 2 million. She's also forayed into playing characters, acting out scenes in her signature hushed voice, leaning into the sounds of her movements. The video where she plays a fed-up Zumiez cashier has become a fan favorite.
"When it comes to hate and people who don’t like me, I don’t reply to it. I just kind of ignore it," she says of Internet trolls. "I like what I do and there’s a lot of other people who love what I do, so I just focus on keeping them happy and keeping myself happy.”
Makenna isn't embarrassed when people at Cold Stone or the grocery store sometimes stare at her. In fact, she loves when people recognize her from her videos, come over and introduce themselves, and talk about their day.
Makenna might be one of the most viral stars of 2018, but she’s still a pretty ordinary teen. She likes watching 90 Day Fiancé, Riverdale, and game shows like Family Feud. Her love for beauty products is clear in her glammed-up videos — "It’s just like I’m a canvas, the makeup is the paint," she says, when talking about her affinity for lipstick, mascara, and eye shadow. She just so happens to have more than a million people hooked, using her platform to spread her ethos of meaning, acceptance, and kindness. So what's next?
"I’m just going to take my videos as I go," she says.
