The Success Story of Chiara Ferragni Who Survived the Betrayal of Her Loved One and Learned to Deal With Hate

The story of Chiara Ferragni is like a modern interpretation of the Cinderella story. A simple girl from a province decided not to hope for the help of a kind fairy and take control of her own life. When she built a successful career, she also found her own Prince Charming.

We at CHEERY decided to learn more about the life of this confident woman and to understand what events made her a stronger person and helped her become what she is today.

• Chiara Ferragni was born in the North of Italy, in a small town with a population of just over 70,000 people. Daughter of a dentist and writer, she also has 2 sisters.
• Chiara Ferragni showed interest in fashion when she was 16. She was offered to work for a model agency in Milan. But she quickly stopped the collaboration when her source of inspiration and her life goals changed.

• Chiara found out what her main passions were: sharing her thoughts and taking pictures of herself. There’s no better place for such hobbies than a website. In 2009, she started a blog The Blonde Salad with her then-boyfriend Riccardo Pozzoli.

• The first investment in the new hobby was just 510 euros for a camera and a website domain. This small investment gave a great return because it was the best time for it — on the verge of the social media revolution.
• She told her readers how to dress cool but without a lot of money, showing them new trends in her own interpretation. The number of readers started growing, and Chiara was invited to the Fashion Week in Milan. But the invitations were not VIP, and sometimes without even a seat.

• The Italian young woman used English to her advantage— she began writing in 2 languages to become internationally famous. She explained, “I started looking outside Italy and a Californian girl caught my attention. She was taking pictures of herself and her trips around America and shared these on platforms like Flickr. This inspired me.” She started posting her photos on Flickr too, and just a couple of years later, she was invited to the world of haute couture.
• After 6 years, her fashion blog became so popular that Harvard Business School did a study to find out what digital marketing strategies she used. They found that she was incredibly insightful.

• Right now, Chiara Ferragni is the head of her own company, TBS Crew, and is developing her online magazine. It’s not just a blog about fashion anymore. There’s a whole crew of young experts writing about lifestyle, traveling, and many other things.
• The blogger herself is venturing outside the world of social media. She’s released her own collection of shoes, and she’s also become a clothes designer. Forbes included her on the list of 30 under 30.
• Chiara is earning very good money. In 2014, her business turnover was estimated at €8 million. For her participation in the San Remo festival next year she might get €100,000, which is more than any other person at this festival has made. But her participation may increase the profits of the festival itself significantly.

• Together with recognition, Chiara Ferragni got a lot of hate. She’s often accused of promoting unrealistic beauty standards — being too slim and always wearing perfect makeup. She says, “I try to let people see my everyday life, with my makeup on and off, so I think I have a more natural and real look. I believe that social media has to become an easier space for people to share real experiences and realistic material, without faking it.”
• She says that she feels pressure from the public because she has too much influence. “It’s funny they think I have that much power. But if they’re right it’s cool, because I use what power I do have to make a positive impact. I don’t get up in the morning to start disparaging people.”

• Chiara Ferragni is also interested in the entertainment industry. In 2019, she had her debut at the Venice Film Festival with the documentary, Chiara Ferragni — Unposted. In the documentary, she didn’t hold back when speaking about the conflict with her ex-boyfriend.
• When she was 2 months pregnant, her ex decided to secretly sell his assets in her company. It could have cost Chiara everything. She managed to solve the conflict and became the main shareholder, leaving her ex without any right to vote. She said, “For me, he no longer exists. Deleted. Forever.”
• Nowadays she is launching the second season of her autobiographical series The Ferragnez. Season one started in 2021. There she talks about relationship topics, using the example of herself and her husband. She thinks that the series is important because it breaks down the taboo on couple’s therapy. In the series, Chiara and her husband openly talk about how they overcame their family problems.

• The story of Ferragni and Fedez seems to be so magical that it’s surprising they needed therapy. They started dating in 2016, and a couple of years later, they had a big wedding. Now they are raising 2 kids.
• She has shared her fears, “When I was pregnant I was afraid of not being a good mother, of not being able to keep my work and family together, of seeing my femininity devoured in a role that’s wonderful, but it’s not the whole of me. I’m sure of what I am: a much simpler woman than they think.”

• Chiara is used to the criticism of people that believe she reveals too much about personal stuff. How can she post photos of her children and not cover their faces? But she knows that she wouldn’t be able to hide her children from the public.
• She says that the lines of personal and public are blurred for her now. She remembers, “There are situations where we’d all prefer people not to recognize us. I was walking home one night after arguing with an ex-boyfriend and my eyes were puffy from crying, but I said yes to the girl who stopped me and asked for a selfie. Losing some of your privacy is part of the game.”

• Aside from 2 children, the blogger also has a dog named Matilda. The French Bulldog has been in the family for 12 years now. Chiara calls Matilda “her first child and a true fighter” since two years ago, the dog beat cancer. Matilda even has her own Instagram account, but of course, not as many subscribers as her owner.

What do you like Chiara Ferragni for?