For Erin Monaghan, there has never been much appeal in choosing just one path. A biochemistry graduate, data engineer and content creator with a community of hundreds of thousands, she has built a life where science, technology, beauty, creativity and self-expression can exist side by side. Rather than seeing these interests as conflicting identities, Erin sees them as different parts of the same person. “I’ve always loved STEM, even when I was little,” she says. Her curiosity began early, with an enthusiasm that extended from collecting bugs from National Geographic to learning random facts and even doing simultaneous equations for fun in the car. Science and mathematics were never simply academic subjects to her; they were things she genuinely enjoyed. That curiosity eventually led her to study biochemistry. During her degree, she rediscovered her interest in coding and, after graduating, decided to pursue further qualifications in data engineering. Today, she works in technology while continuing to build her presence online.
For Erin, there has never been a need to choose between STEM and content creation. “I’m lucky in that I’ve never felt like I needed to choose between STEM and content creation,” she explains. Instead, the two worlds provide something different. Her career satisfies her analytical mind, while content creation gives her the creative outlet that she does not always get through her professional work. Her relationship with content creation began much earlier, when she started posting online during high school. At the time, there was no pressure to turn the platform into a career or define exactly what it would become. It was simply a hobby and a way to express another side of herself, and that sense of freedom remains important to Erin today.
Her content moves naturally between beauty, lifestyle and everyday moments, but there is a clear boundary around what she chooses not to share. Erin describes herself as “unfiltered but private”. She speaks to her audience as though they are friends, but deliberately protects the privacy of her family and close relationships. For her, that distinction is particularly important because the people around her have not necessarily chosen to have an online presence. She may share an occasional glimpse, but she believes there is something healthy about keeping certain relationships away from the public eye. It is a thoughtful approach to life online, particularly for someone whose audience has grown to hundreds of thousands, and perhaps it is this balance between openness and boundaries that has helped her maintain a sense of authenticity.
Beauty, meanwhile, has become an important part of Erin’s digital identity, but her relationship with it has changed dramatically over time. Growing up, she felt considerable pressure to conform to the beauty standards around her. She remembers not wanting to leave the house without fake tan and a full face of makeup. Her experience online eventually helped her recognise just how subjective beauty really is. Seeing reactions from people across different parts of the world made her realise that there is no single definition of what is beautiful. Today, she can appreciate other people’s beauty without feeling the need to transform herself into their image. “I genuinely love that I just look like me now,” she says.
That sentiment extends beyond beauty and into the wider message Erin hopes to communicate to the young women who follow her. Her audience is remarkably diverse, including coders, redheads, artists, scientists and young women simply trying to find their own identity. Erin believes one of the reasons people connect with her is because she represents the possibility of being many things at once. “You can be a nerd and still love to dress up. You can be feminine and also have strong points of view.” It is a message that sits at the heart of her online presence: people should not have to reduce themselves to one category simply because society makes it easier to understand them that way. “I feel like a lot of the time you’re told to pick one box and stay in it, but I don’t think humans are built to be that way.”
With a significant online following comes inevitable scrutiny, but Erin has learned to place external opinions in perspective. She acknowledges that criticism can affect anyone on a difficult day, whether it comes from social media, school or the workplace. Her grounding comes partly from how she was raised. Her parents encouraged her to be as much herself as possible, while also emphasising kindness and using what she has to help others. Ultimately, Erin believes the opinion of herself is the one that matters most. That philosophy also informs the way she approaches trends. She takes inspiration from the world around her, from social media and media culture to everyday life, with Pinterest being a particular source of inspiration. Yet she does not feel constrained by the need to maintain a tightly defined aesthetic. Perhaps that is because Erin’s natural interests are already so varied. Her creative world is broad enough to accommodate science, fashion, beauty, technology, art and everything in between. For a creator who has built her platform around multiple sides of her identity, that freedom is essential.
“I’d like the young girls who follow me to know that they don’t have to choose between beauty and brains,” she says. But there is another part of that message that matters equally: appearance should never determine someone’s mood, worth or direction in life. Erin believes women are creative and intelligent, with their own thoughts, opinions and feelings. To reduce anyone to something simply “to look at” is to overlook everything that makes them interesting. That belief becomes particularly relevant as she balances two demanding worlds. Working full-time as a data engineer while maintaining a content career is possible, she says, but it can also be mentally taxing. Erin admits that she is not someone who can easily switch her brain off, meaning that juggling work, content creation and her hobbies can sometimes become overwhelming. Her solution is not to eliminate creativity but to use it differently.
Painting and baking have become ways of protecting her personal time while still allowing her to develop new skills. She also consumes positive and inspiring media, whether discovering recipes and art on Pinterest or watching other young women working in STEM. But even with all those interests, she recognises the importance of simply stepping away from the phone. That ability to remain curious without constantly needing to turn curiosity into content may be one of Erin’s greatest strengths. She is not building a career around a single carefully constructed identity. She is allowing her interests to evolve, following curiosity wherever it leads rather than forcing every passion into a predetermined direction.
And if her recent journey is any indication, the next chapter could take her almost anywhere. Erin admits that she has “about 50 things spinning” around her head at any given moment, making it difficult even for her to predict what comes next. A year ago, she might never have expected to model for a global Guess campaign. Two years ago, she would not have imagined working in technology rather than a science laboratory. The unpredictability does not concern her. If anything, she welcomes it. She would love to pursue a PhD or explore another role within STEM, while continuing to develop her creative work. Ultimately, though, Erin sees herself as something of a polymath and jokes that she would love to be qualified in everything.
It is an ambition that perfectly captures the spirit behind her journey. Erin Monaghan is not trying to prove that one identity can replace another. She is proving that they can coexist. Scientist and creator. Data engineer and beauty enthusiast. Analytical thinker and artist. Professional and dreamer. In a world increasingly obsessed with personal branding and neatly defined niches, Erin offers a refreshing alternative: you do not have to choose. You can be interested in everything. You can change direction. You can be intelligent and glamorous, analytical and creative, private and unfiltered. And perhaps most importantly, you can simply be yourself.
