"[It] wasn't a cry for help or a ploy to get dates," Emily assured. Sure enough, after revealing a decades-old secret to her Tik-Tok followers, she may have let on more than intended. Here's her story…
Coming Clean
On a fateful day in April, a 27-year-old blogger left the internet scrambling as she hit the "Upload" button on her latest video. "I am shocked by the reaction my video received," she confessed.
But despite the endless shares and skeptics her story has raked in, she wouldn't have it any other way. In fact, "I'm not ashamed or embarrassed," the influencer assured. From her unconventional love life to her shocking revelation that left users buzzing, here's her journey to online stardom…
Meet Emily
As for how one user's 30-second clip managed to leave the internet running wild? For starters, Emily Rose Lewis was practically destined to stand out. Long before her love life (or lack thereof) propped her front and center, the blogger's reality was actually just as striking.
In fact, she's never be one to follow the norm. "I've always been someone who's kind of gone against the grain," as Emily proudly put it. Raised the youngest of 6 kids, the California native was always one to do things differently. As for what exactly that looked like?
Her Unique Childhood
Growing up, Emily's days behind the desk were far from ordinary. The small-town girl spent her time at a private Christian school. But while she continued to adjust to her unique surroundings, it wasn't long before life as she knew it took a sudden turn.
Somewhere along the way, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis decided to take their daughter out of school. Instead? They opted to do things differently, bringing their little girl back home to be home-schooled 'til senior year. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing that changed by the time Emily turned 17...
Her Struggles With Romance
What happened? As the years continued to pile on, the young girl continued to navigate her way through adulthood. But as she soon found out, it was much harder than she ever could have anticipated. Despite the hormones or the newfound responsibilities suddenly piled onto her plate, Emily was met with another reality-check.
First is was one friend. Then, it was... seemingly her entire friend group - well, everyone aside from her. "All of my friends were getting boyfriends... and so on," Emily revealed. As for her? "It just didn't happen… and I was bummed." Seemingly everyone around her was suddenly finding love. Why couldn't she?
"I Started Wondering if [It] Stopped Me From Meeting Mr. Right"
It was a bitter pill to swallow for the lonely young girl. Unfortunately, as the months continued to pass, she was about to be met with an entirely new wave of concerns. "I did go through a few years of insecurity," Emily revealed of her younger years.
"For those who don't know, I used to weigh 325 pounds," the blogger explained. Unfortunately, as she continued to battle with her weight, she soon began to battle a new thought: "In my most insecure moments, I started wondering if my weight stopped me from meeting Mr. Right," Emily confessed.
Her Life-Changing Decision
But by the time 2019 came around, all of that suddenly changed: Emily Rose was ready to turn her life around. And to think it all started with a book. After picking up the best-seller Bright Line Eating by Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson, the young woman's life would never be the same.
As Emily began to scour through her latest read, she, too, decided to flip the page on her former chapter. As she embarked on a journey to healthier living - both physically and mentally - she couldn't wait for what the future had in store. If only she knew what that'd eventually call for...
Happier and Healthier
As for what came next? In the months that followed, the young girl's hard work certainly paid off, and then some. "Working really hard in my confidence and knowing what I'm worth," the blogger gushed of her latest chapter. But by August 2019, her happiness was about to reach new heights.
Emily had finally reached her fitness goals - down almost 150 pounds! It was truly remarkable. And with both a healthier body and mindset, the California native was finally ready to find love. Only as she set off to do exactly that, things wouldn't go quite as planned.
Her Experience With Online Dating
As the story goes, Emily Rose decided to try her luck online. She grabbed her phone and began piecing together her new Hinge profile. What pictures would she use? What would she look out for in a potential match? Only as she began to scour through the dating app, she was about to be met with a new thought.
Despite the endless swipes and endless scrolls through her inbox, Emily's time online didn't pan out the way she'd hoped. What happened? "Nothing had come of it," the 27-year-old confessed. Would she ever find her perfect match? She didn't know what to think anymore.
She Decided To Join TikTok
But what she also didn't know, was that her time on our screens was far from over. And by the time 2021 came rolling around, Emily Rose was about to take another leap - this time, in front of a completely different audience: TikTok. But where would she even start?
Sure, Emily was eager to join the blogging world. But she also had to face the facts: Here she was - yet another one of many bloggers, hoping to get their name out there. How would she stand out? Or perhaps more importantly: How could she make a difference? After endless deliberation, suddenly, it hit her.
She Started Preaching Self-Love
The answer was actually quite simple: She was going to keep it real, whatever that might call for. From skincare routines to SHEIN hauls, the charismatic blogger began to cover just about everything. But there was one thing that suddenly stood out from the rest: Her smile.
"I realized I judge myself more than I do anyone else. At all times. Constantly. It's exhausting," Emily confessed. "So? I let it go." As the blogger began to preach, self-love was more important than anything else. Only as she continued to share her words of wisdom, it wasn't long before people took notice.
She Began To Grow a Following
As Emily Rose's uplifting content continued to grow, so did her following count. "The fact that you guys are as invested into this as me has me [emotional]," the blogger gushed to her newfound viewers. She couldn't believe it. What started as a passion project had officially propped her into a public figure.
And with good reason. After all, Emily Rose's time on our screen went far beyond raking in the views. As she put it, she wanted to share words of encouragement with the rest of us: "It takes more energy to be critical than to love yourself," she reminded.
Her Mysterious Love Life
But as the blogger continued to wear her heart on her sleeve, viewers soon came to a confusing realization. There was indeed one topic she had yet to talk about: Her love life. Sure, Emily had mentioned her experience with dating apps once or twice before. But what was really going on when the cameras stopped rolling?
Was there a special somebody in her life? Loyal followers had questions, lots of them. Only as the rising blogger took to her webcam to give us exactly that, she left us even more confused. In fact, as Emily got behind the camera for her latest upload, she never could've imagined the madness that'd ensue...
Never Been Kissed
"What am I doing?" a bashful Emily smirked as she took to her webcam like usual. Only this time was different. She took a deep breath as she blurted out 4 shocking words: I've never kissed anybody. "I feel like it can't be THAT rare - so who else?" But that's not all she had to say for herself.
"I've never dated anybody... never been physical in any way, shape or form... not even come close, ever," the 27-year-old continued. It was a secret she'd kept tucked away for years. But after stumbling across a similar story from a different user, she was finally ready to speak her truth. Little did she know what awaited her...
Going Viral
"They just couldn't believe it," the 27-year-old revealed of the events that soon followed. Her 30-second clip was nothing viewers had ever seen before. They were taken aback, and then some. Perhaps that's why it wasn't long before it took the online world by storm.
Was there a deeper reason behind her shocking revelation? Surely, there had to be more to the story. Or at least that's what users thought, as they began to fill in the missing blanks themselves. Unfortunately for Emily, she was about to find that out the hard way.
She Was Met With Endless Accusations
It all happened so fast. In the blink of an eye, Emily's post had gone viral. Only as it continued to seep its way onto our feeds, so did an influx of intrigued users. Emily was quick to read their comments, many applauding her for coming forward. But not everybody felt that way.
What happened? It should've been a sweet act of courage, a gentle reminder to those in a similar position that they weren't alone. Only as Emily Rose opened the lid on her unconventional love life, she also opened a can of worms she'd never be able to seal.
People Questioned Her Motives
"The comments were just insane," Rose revealed of the shocking words suddenly hurled her way. And they stung, badly. Sure, there was no denying it: Her little revelation had suddenly propped her front and center. But as far as the internet was concerned, there was a good - and perhaps calculated - reason for that.
As they put it, Emily Rose's story was unusual - something even she herself would tell us. But given her title as an aspiring influencer? Perhaps that was her intention all along: To go viral, garnering many new followers in the process. It was a thought skeptics couldn't help but wonder. But that's not all they questioned...
The Truth About Her Family
While we now know the events that followed the blogger's viral revelation... what about the events that led up to it? As Emily once revealed, she came from a religious, traditional background. Might there have been more to that same story than we realized?
As skeptics soon alleged, perhaps her unique childhood actually played a part in her controversial love life. Well, did it? "Let's see if I can wrap it up," Rose soon hit back. "I am the youngest of 6 kids, and I'm the only one experiencing life in this way." Only there were more accusations where that came from...
Her Feelings Were Questioned
After all, there was a bigger puzzle piece still missing - at least where curious users were concerned: Her true feelings. What if the real reason the 27-year-old had never experienced any romantic encounters was because... she never wanted to? Viewers couldn't help but wonder about her sexuality.
"Nothing wrong with that, but I could not be farther from that," Emily soon assured, as whispers began floating around about her alleged asexuality. As she put it, the rumors were completely false. Perhaps that's why the blogger soon set out to prove exactly that…
People Found Out She'd Actually Dated Before
To the naked eye, Emily Rose's love life was confusing. It left people with questions - lots of 'em. But as she set out to answer exactly that, she may have let on more than she had intended. What happened? To put it simply, it appeared the blogger's initial confession wasn't fully truthful...
"I wanted to clarify that I have been on a date before," the 27-year-old confessed. When she first opened up about her love life (or lack thereof), Emily's words were simply misunderstood: "I've never entered into a relationship with anybody... never had the opportunity," she explained of the confusion.
Has She Ever Been in Love?
All she'd wanted was to show similar users that they weren't alone. Instead, Emily Rose's seemingly innocent revelation had landed her in hot water, fending off endless accusations. But if there was perhaps one thing viewers still desperately wondered about?
Had she ever been in love? It was a question everyone wondered about. But the answer was actually quite simple: "Yes, I have," Rose soon revealed. At 17-years-old, the teen was smitten - head over heels - for her best friend at the time. "It was super real for me… And that's how I knew." So what happened to her former love?
Her Secret DM Conversations
Unfortunately, things didn't pan out the way her younger self had once hoped. But the truth was that her luck didn't just run dry when it came to her high-school love. "I've definitely had my fair share of crushes," Emily confessed. "They've [just] never been mutual." Safe to say, all of that was about to change.
As Emily's face continued to grace our screens, she was soon flooded with a new array of messages: "I tell them that I'm flattered, but 'No,'" the blogger revealed. As she put it, eager mothers and siblings had begun approaching her, adamant she meet their "perfect sons," or brothers.
Her Plans on Starting a Family
"It's definitely a question I've been asked a number of times," Emily confessed. When users weren't busy attempting to play matchmaker, the 27-year-old was met with other eager messages. But there was one the blogger felt compelled to finally address: Would she ever want children, to start a family of her own?
Unfortunately, the answer was far from simple. The truth? "I'm really open either way," Rose explained. "Since I was a kid, I pictured myself being married with children - always had the desire to be a mom." Nonetheless, she also wanted to keep her options open - to avoid "[chasing] something that she thought she wanted."
Her Question for Men
From her plans for the future to everything that led up to it, Emily Rose's life has been dissected in more ways than she ever imagined. But forget all of the personal questions users have hurled her way: There's something she wants to ask the rest of us. Well, some of us.
"Okay, men, I have a question for you," Rose began of her confusion, something she's kept bottled up inside ever since joining the online dating world: "Why ghost instead of unmatching?" As she put it, "Don't leave me in your inbox… let me know, 'Hey I'm talking to somebody else.'"
Moving Forward
From hitting the "Upload" button on her latest video to going viral in the process, 27-year-old Emily has had one whirlwind of a ride. But what now? Where does she go from here? Might she ever find the man of her dreams? Or perhaps will she continue to ride solo in front of our screens?
The truth is that her guess is as good as ours: "Whether it's singleness, whether it's motherhood, whether it's just being a wife? …I just wanna make sure that it's God's plan," she assured. Safe to say, despite the struggles and stares it might call for, Emily Rose will continue to do things her way...
Happy at Last
Back in 2011, when a 17-year-old Emily gave up on finding "Mr. Right," she never could've imagined her life would have led her here. Fast forward to today, and a whole lot has changed: "I decided that I would focus on showing myself love." And nothing's been the same ever since.
From battling inner demons to bravely revealing them years later, Emily Rose's journey on our screens has been nothing short of striking. And while things may not have panned out the way she'd once hoped, we'd say she's exactly where she's meant to be: "You realize you're fine - you're BETTER than fine. And it all goes up from there…"