From her first YouTube video to her fourth Super Bowl, the model and creator talks staying grounded, cowboy boots, and slowing down in 2026.

We asked YouTuber Ellie Thumann if she remembers what her first upload entailed, and unsurprisingly, she does. &ldquo;I remember that video like it was yesterday.&rdquo; You never forget your first! Thumann began vlogging 11 years ago, and more than a decade later, the 24-year-old model and YouTuber is still showing up on the platform that started it all. We caught up with her during a packed weekend in Northern California, where she attended Super Bowl festivities and events ahead of America&rsquo;s most anticipated weekend in sports.
This was far from her first rodeo. In fact, this year marked Thumann&rsquo;s fourth Super Bowl, with her very first taking place in her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. Her Arizona roots still run deep, and when asked if there&rsquo;s one thing that undeniably feels so her, the answer came easy: <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/shopping/entern-the-western-renaissance-and-shop-these-black-cowboy-boots" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cowboy boots</a>. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s so funny to think I&rsquo;ve been to some of the most elite fashion shows out there, and I always feel my best when I get to put on my cowboy boots and my favorite pair of shorts or jeans,&rdquo; she shared.
After the whirlwind weekend wrapped,&nbsp;L'OFFICIEL had the pleasure of catching up with Thumann to reflect on that very first YouTube video. &ldquo;It was a 10 facts about me video, and I remember being so proud of it. My mind would be absolutely blown to see where I am now. I wish that little girl only knew!!&rdquo; We talked everything from her favorite lip combo to how she&rsquo;s resetting post&ndash;Super Bowl, Ellie Thumann says that 2026 is the year of slowing down&mdash;and personally, we agree. Keep scrolling for more.

L'OFFICIEL: Is this your first Super Bowl weekend experience? Growing up, were you into football/tailgating culture?
ELLIE THUMANN: This is actually my fourth Super Bowl experience, which is crazy!! My first one was actually in my home city of Phoenix, Arizona, which was super special. I had just found out I was a Sports Illustrated rookie, so attending the events with them was extremely exciting. I&rsquo;ve been blessed to attend the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, Vegas, and of course, spot, Taylor Swift last year in New Orleans!!&nbsp;
L'O: How are you approaching your style for the weekend? Are you leaning into Americana energy or something totally your own? Where/who are you pulling inspiration from right now?
ET: I was really proud of myself for actually styling everything on my own. 2025 was really about shaping my own personal style, and I have such a strong, clear stance on what feels like me that I really had no problem doing it! I tried to go for a mix of sporty but also elevated because it&rsquo;s so fun to get to dress up during such an exciting weekend. I also tried to pick my comfiest heels because I&rsquo;ve learned the hard way!&nbsp;
L'O: What&rsquo;s the moment this weekend you&rsquo;re most excited for? The game, the parties, the fits&mdash;what&rsquo;s top of your list?
ET:&nbsp;Spending time with my Sports Illustrated family at all of their intimate events is something that I always cherish and was looking forward to.

L'O: You&rsquo;ve basically grown up on YouTube, documenting your life in real time. How has your content evolved as you&rsquo;ve gotten older?
ET: It&rsquo;s so crazy to think I have been online and sharing different pieces of my life since I was 14. It&rsquo;s been such a roller coaster, and my audience has been able to grow up with me, and I&rsquo;ve been able to watch how the Internet has evolved as well. I think I lean a lot more into fashion, modeling, and speaking openly and candidly to the camera about my health and mental health struggles&mdash;unlike when I was younger, and I felt like everything needed to be perfect. I love that in this era that we&rsquo;re in, people value authentic content over something extremely curated.
L'O: We&rsquo;re still early in the year&mdash;what is 2026 shaping up to be the year of for you?
ET: I think it is going to be the year of slowing down and truly caring for myself. All I have ever known is such a fast-paced life, and saying yes to every opportunity, because I think this is the year of being extremely intentional and only doing things that bring extreme joy.
L'O: Every It girl has a signature. What&rsquo;s your non-negotiable&mdash;the thing you wear, do, or live by that instantly feels like you?
ET: My favorite pair of cowboy boots is truly something that feels so authentic to me. It&rsquo;s so funny to think I&rsquo;ve been to some of the most elite fashion shows out there, and I always feel my best when I get to put on my cowboy boots and my favorite pair of shorts or jeans.&nbsp;
L'O: What fashion trends are you loving right now? And respectfully&hellip; are there any you&rsquo;re ready to see log off? What brands or designers are currently on your radar?
ET: I&rsquo;ve really been loving the cut-off cropped leggings. I think that might be a bit of a hot take, but I think they&rsquo;re so fun because you can really dress them up, and I love doing it with a short heel! I also have fallen victim to the fake glasses trend as well. I think they look extremely elevated and add to even a comfortable sweatpants outfit while traveling in the airport.&nbsp;

L'O: After a high-energy weekend like this, how do you reset?
ET: &nbsp;I actually got two hours of sleep and had to take an early flight to New York because I have to be on set the next two days, but I definitely want to find time after that to really prioritize taking time off of my phone and breathe and process. I booked a spa day in New York, which I&rsquo;m very excited for to pamper myself once I get through all the craziness...
L'O: What are your ride-or-die purse essentials this weekend? And what&rsquo;s your current go-to lip combo?
ET: My ride or die is my signature gum. I think that&rsquo;s something that you need at all these fast-paced events with finger food, but I would also say that my favorite Saie lip liner and gloss combination and pressed powder are essentials. And, of course, I also can&rsquo;t forget about my portable charger because your phone is constantly dying when you&rsquo;re on the go, on the way to 1 million events

L'O: Do you remember the first YouTube video you ever uploaded? If you could talk to that version of yourself, would she believe where you are now?
ET: I remember that video like it was yesterday. I shot it in the front yard of my house and forced my friend, who had gotten into videography, to be out there with a tripod and my iPad. I was so determined that I wanted to do it and do it to the best of my 14-year-old abilities. It was a 10 facts about me video, and I remember being so proud of it. My mind would be absolutely blown to see where I am now. I wish that little girl only knew!

Ellie Thumann Is Still That Girl—11 Years Later

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