Christabel Chua

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Christabel Chua
Christabel Chua profile.jpg
Born28 March 1991
EducationDegree in Commerce
Alma materFairfield Methodist Secondary School, Anglo-Chinese Junior College, University of Western Australia

Once a lifestyle blogger and YouTuber, Christabel Chua is now an entrepreneur and social media content creator.[1][2] As of January 2020, Christabel's blog is no longer active, with the last public post dated 1 November 2017.[3] As of January 2020, she is most active on Instagram. Christabel is also the founder of the lifestyle brand kāi, launched in 2017.

Background

Content creator

Christabel uses Instagram as the main platform for her branded social media campaigns.[4] Her social media handle "bellywellyjelly" was initially her Neopets username.[5] She has worked with brands like Cotton On, Acuvue, Adidas and Lancôme.[6] When she was still an active blogger, Christabel primarily produced travel and beauty content.[7]

YouTube channel (2016)

Christabel was active on her YouTube channel between 2016 and 2018. Similar to her blog, Christabel primarily uploaded travel and beauty video content. Christabel has worked with created content for brands like Dyson and Fresh.[8] In 2017, she worked with Fresh to film a mini-documentary in Vietnam.[9]

Education

Christabel studied at Fairfield Methodist Primary School and Fairfield Methodist Secondary School. After which she attended Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) where she was schoolmates with Nathan Hartono.[10] Before embarking on her tertiary studies, Christabel modelled part-time for online blogshops, worked as a time-keeper at events, alongside various other odd jobs.[11] She was also an ice-cream scooper at Ben & Jerry's for five years.[12]


Christabel then furthered her studies at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth, Australia where she eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce.[13][14]

kāi by bellywellyjelly

After two years of planning, Christabel officially launched her product line, kāi, in 2017.[15] kāi is an online retail store selling novelty lifestyle accessories. Since its launch in 2017, the brand has worked with local and international labels to create limited edition products. kāi is the romanised word for the Chinese character ‘开’. The character stands for openness and freedom and the term ‘开心’ (kai xin) means the feeling of being happy.[16]

The products from kāi's 2019 sushi collection. Photo from Instagram.

Collections

kāi's products are cruelty-free and sustainable, having been made from bi-cast vegan leather.[17] Kāi has produced various novelty-designed bags, pouches, sticker sets and planners.

Year Collection / Products Refs.
2019 Sushi Collection [18]
2018 Pineapple Collection [19]
Sweet Dreams Collection [20]
2017 Fruit Collection [21]

Product collaborations

Year Brand Details Refs.
2019 Re:erth & Nodspark The three local labels collaborated to create limited edition travel sets. [22]
Fresh kāi collaborated with Fresh beauty to create self-care stickers. [23]
Starbucks Singapore kāi collaborated with Starbucks to create lanyards and keychains inspired by summer and Stabucks drinks. [24]

Hosting

Thumbnail from Episode 26 of Pretty Smart.

TheSmartLocal (2014 - 2016)

In 2014, Christabel joined TheSmartLocal (TSL) full-time and rose in popularity through her hosting. She was with the company for two years until 2016. During her time at TSL, Christabel helped to develop the channel's presence on YouTube.[25]

Year Segment Role Episodes Seasons Refs.
2015 - 2016 TSL Travels Season 2 Host 15 2 [26]
2014 - 2016 Pretty Smart Season 1 51 2 [27]

Other than being the host for the above segments, Christabel has made appearances in other TSL videos like "Singaporeans Try: Singapore Vs Malaysia Food Blind Taste Test”.[28]

Miss Universe Singapore (2014)

Christabel (second from left) on the runway for in 2014. Photo from source.

At 23 years old, Christabel participated in Miss Universe Singapore where she claimed won the titles “Miss Photogenic” and “Best Skin”.[29][30]

Private video leak (2018)

Details of the incident

Christabel was in a relationship with former TSL colleague Joal Ong in 2014. In December 2017, she announced on her YouTube channel that their relationship with Joal had ended a few months earlier. In May 2018, intimate videos of Christabel’s private life with Joal Ong were leaked and distributed on the internet.[31]

Christabel's response

After 2 months, Christabel addressed the incident in an open letter that was originally published on Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore.[32] In the post dated 30 July 2018, Christabel clarified that the videos were filmed during her 4-year long relationship with Joal, and was misused by an anonymous third party. She also stated that she had faced much backlash from netizens who had privately criticised her for the videos.[33] Through her open acknowledgement of the incident and the difficulties that followed, Christabel turned her plight into an opportunity to provide support to victims of similar situations.

References / Citations

  1. ↑ "bellywellyjelly". Instagram. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  2. ↑ "The Story Of Christabel Chua (@bellywellyjelly), NYLON Feb/Mar 2019 Digital Cover Girl". Nylon. March 1, 2019. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  3. ↑ Bel. "Cambodia Dreams". bellywellyjelly. November 1, 2017. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  4. ↑ "The Story Of Christabel Chua (@bellywellyjelly), NYLON Feb/Mar 2019 Digital Cover Girl". Nylon. March 1, 2019. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  5. ↑ Do Not Clique. "Do Not Clique Podcast 35 - Bellywellyjelly". Spotify. September 1, 2018. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "bellywellyjelly". Instagram. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  7. ↑ Lee, Elaine. "Celeb Chow with Christabel Chua". The New Paper. July 13, 2017. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  8. ↑ Bellywellyjelly. “VACATION HAIRSTYLES VLOG | BELLYWELLYJELLY”. YouTube. June 20, 2018. Accessed on 22 January 2019.
  9. ↑ Fresh Beauty. “BellyWellyJelly’s Travelogue to the Land of the Lotus”. YouTube. December 21, 2017. Accessed on 22 January 2019.
  10. ↑ Do Not Clique. "Do Not Clique Podcast 35 - Bellywellyjelly". Spotify. September 1, 2018. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  11. ↑ Do Not Clique. "Do Not Clique Podcast 35 - Bellywellyjelly". Spotify. September 1, 2018. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  12. ↑ Lee, Elaine. "Celeb Chow with Christabel Chua". The New Paper. July 13, 2017. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  13. ↑ TheSmartLocal. “Draw My Life by Bellywellyjelly - PrettySmart: EP 40”. YouTube. November 4, 2015. Accessed on 21 January 2019.
  14. ↑ "Christabel Chua". LinkedIn. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  15. ↑ Bel. "Dreams do come true". bellywellyjelly. July 14, 2020. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  16. ↑ "about kai". Kai. Accessed on 22 January 2019.
  17. ↑ "The Story Of Christabel Chua (@bellywellyjelly), NYLON Feb/Mar 2019 Digital Cover Girl". Nylon. March 1, 2019. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  18. ↑ iamkai.co. "SUSHI COLLECTION". Instagram. November 3, 2019. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  19. ↑ iamkai.co. "Pineapple Collection". Instagram. January 20, 2018. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  20. ↑ iamkai.co. "Sweet Dreams Collection". Instagram. March 14, 2018. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  21. ↑ Chan, Melissa. “This Social Media Darling Decided To ‘kai’ An Online Shop Selling Fruit Pouches - All Sold Out In 5 Days”. Vulcan Post. July 24, 2017. Accessed on 22 January 2019.
  22. ↑ Tan, Celine. "This Is What Happens When Influencer Christabel Chua & The Founders Of Local Labels Re:erth And Nodspark Do A Brand Mash-Up". 8 Days. July 4, 2019. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  23. ↑ Iamkai.co. "kai x fresh". Instagram. February 8, 2019. Accessed on 27 February 2019.
  24. ↑ Iamkai.co. "STARBUCKS X KĀI". Instagram. January 28, 2019. Accessed on 27 February 2019.
  25. ↑ Do Not Clique. "Do Not Clique Podcast 35 - Bellywellyjelly". Spotify. September 1, 2018. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  26. ↑ TheSmartLocal. "TSL Travels - Season 2". YouTube. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  27. ↑ TheSmartLocal. "PrettySmart - Season 1". YouTube. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  28. ↑ The Smart Local. “Singaporeans Try: Singapore Vs Malaysia Food Blind Taste Test (feat. The Ming Thing) | Ep 32”. YouTube. January 4, 2016. Accessed on 21 January 2019.
  29. ↑ By The Guy. “5 Minutes With Christabel: Getting Inside Bellywellyjelly’s Mind”. Seriously Man. August 26, 2014. Accessed on 22 January 2019.
  30. ↑ "Rathi Menon crowned Miss Universe Singapore 2014". Angelopedia. August 22, 2014. Accessed on 15 January 2020.
  31. ↑ Fang, Joy. “Influencer scandals that shocked and rocked Singapore”. HERWORLD. December 22, 2018. Accessed on 21 January 2019.
  32. ↑ Joelynn. “Influencer Christabel Chua Turns Her Video Scandal Into A Rallying Call In Open Letter”. MustShareNews. July 30, 2018. Accessed on 21 January 2019.
  33. ↑ Harper’s Bazaar Staff. “CHRISTABEL CHUA FINALLY OPENS UP ABOUT THAT INCIDENT”. Harper’s Bazaar. July 30, 2018. Accessed on 30 January 2019.
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