INTERVIEW. – At 28 years old, the most powerful influencer in France, with more than 10 million subscribers, is also a businesswoman who follows instinct. Strong, emancipated, but also vulnerable and endearing, she invents a language of her own. Encounter.
Usually, we forbid ourselves from doing so. But today, how can we do otherwise than to be familiar with the one who says “tu” to Rihanna, Anna Wintour and the cream of French cinema? Because Lena Mahfouf has this talent for making everything natural and spontaneous. At 28 years old, the woman who became known thanks to her blog Lena Situations in the mid-2010s (more than 3 million subscribers to her YouTube channel), before exploding on social networks (5 million followers on Instagram, almost 4 on TikTok), is today one of the most influential personalities in media and fashion. A real “brand” that we prize for its ability to produce emotion, commitment and loyalty among a volatile generation, the famous Gen Z. At the head of an ultra-listened to podcast (Couch, on Spotify and on Disney+), a lifestyle brand (Hôtel Mahfouf), Lena has also sold a multitude of books with her two personal development works.
The first, Always moresold more than 500,000 copies. And in 2022, consecration, she is the first French influencer to be invited to the Met Gala, the high mass of fashion in New York. With her outspokenness and her sense of repartee, Lena explodes the strict framework of “content creator” (a term she claims) to venture, successfully, outside the Web. At the start of 2026, here she is commenting on the red carpet of the Césars, before covering that of the Oscars – she will finish with a fever of 39°C. In Cannes, it is as a guest that she climbs the steps of the Palais des Festivals this year. Hyperactive, hyperconnected, she who community nicknamed “Mother of Paris” – as she showcases the city in her videos – also reveals herself to be hyper-endearing, both self-confident and fundamentally vulnerable. A girl who has a sense of commitment, sharing and clan, who says “we”. ferryman. Meeting with a phenomenon of our time.
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Madame Figaro. – You presented the red carpet of the Césars then that of the Oscars. Cinema is a fairly codified world, how did you feel welcomed there?
Lena Mahfouf. – I felt perfectly good there. I began to detach myself from this desire to absolutely want to be accepted everywhere. There will always be a little gap that I won’t be able to erase. I think I will always experience this feeling of being a little “illegitimate” “: I will never be that girl who grew up in the heart of the industry, with famous parents… In short, I will never be oneno baby . But if I were one, I would take full responsibility. I learned the codes on the job. So, I sometimes make mistakes, but for nothing in the world would I want to become jaded. And then, when you manage to be accepted by the fashion world, nothing can scare you anymore.
Charlotte Ship
What cinema references and writings inform your video work?
At home, it’s a big melting pot, a bit like a playlist: there are the great classics, and independent artists. I was lulled by the films of Wes Anderson and Tim Burton, visually very strong universes – the haute couture of cinema. I am also a very fan of comedy, like those of the Nakache-Toledano duo, which we watch as a family. Comedy unites, it brings people together, and that’s a bit what I try to do with my vlogs (video blogs, Editor’s note). My friends call me “glue”: I’m the one who brings people together. And then, obviously, I grew up with sitcoms: Friends, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother… Series in which we see the characters evolve, we become attached to them. Like in my videos, where we find my group of friends, Marcus, Bilal, Solène…
At the beginning, if I wanted to be in the spotlight, it was probably because of a certain form of narcissism.
Lena Mahfouf
You played a small role in an upcoming horror film. Do you dream of being an actress?
I don’t even know if this film will be released! Honestly, I’m not sure I’m a good actress, and that’s why I prefer to show real life in my videos, where everything is based on spontaneity. There is obviously a story about oneself and about others. But the part storytelling of my productions is made especially at the time of production and editing – where I am the most gifted, I think. Shows have always occupied a central place in my family, I come from a creative environment (his father is a comic strip artist and puppeteer, his mother a seamstress and stylist, Editor’s note). To make me revise my poems, my father told me: “It’s like theater, imagine that you are on stage!” In primary school and a little in middle school, I took theater classes. camera At the beginning, if I wanted to be in the spotlight (she opened her YouTube channel at 18, Editor’s note), it was probably because of a certain form of narcissism. But other things then captivated me: I became interested in. the intelligence of the body in front of a camera, the way we move… Today, I am more attracted to directing.
Would you like to make a film?
I plan to make documentaries rather than fiction, to share life journeys and journeys. It’s a way to continue the conversations started in my podcast. Telling stories is really what drives me. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the forced exile my parents experienced. Especially this year, because I will be 28 years old, the age at which my parents had to leave Algeria. It was in 1995, because of terrorism. This resonates with me. Maybe one day I’ll get hold of it?
Charlotte Ship
You embody a form of uninhibited and inspiring female entrepreneurship. How do you balance ambition, authenticity and vulnerability in your public image?
I don’t have marketing and strategic meetings to define my public image, everything happens naturally. I’ve been on the internet for ten years, I was 18 when I started blogging. My community followed me through different chapters of my life, people saw me crying in my pants in my mother’s living room because I was going through a breakup; they saw me grow, evolve. Today, I am quite proud of what I have built without coming from an entrepreneurial background. I try to show that, contrary to what we are made to believe, when you are a young woman, it is not so complicated to be financially independent. It’s not reserved for an elite. There is a form of sexism and dominant discourse that excludes minorities. Me, I remain one of the only North African girls to be accepted by the media… And if I am accepted, it is also because I have a certain capacity for white passing (American term which designates being recognized despite non-white origins, Editor’s note). And that saddens me.
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You have been a victim of body shaming online. How did you react?
The tears flowed. Being a woman growing up and seeing her body change by being exposed is tricky. When you have 10 million people telling you that you’ve gained weight or that you look tired, it’s exhausting. I’ve read so much about myself that today I feel like I’m anesthetized… Being a woman in our society means you’re necessarily subject to all diktats. You find yourself scrutinized, criticized.
My responsibility is to never lose sight of the reasons why I do this job.
Lena Mahfouf
What feminism do you defend?
What feminism? There’s only one, right? For me, it’s not: “I’m a feminist, but…” There is no “but.” This is my feminism.
You are at the head of a company which employs around twenty people…
It’s no longer an SME, it’s a big holding company… There’s LVMH, and there’s Lena Situations! I’m joking, because it remains very artisanal, and I am very attached to it. For the creative part, I do everything myself with my friends: my edits, for example. For the rest, finances, accounting, contracts, I delegate. But I am square in my responsibilities as a business manager.
Charlotte Ship
How do you view this acquired power?
Spider-Man says it best: “With great power comes great responsibility.” My responsibility is to never lose sight of the reasons why I do this job. Power has never been an end in itself. Power is being respected. On a daily basis, I have the power to say no. To say: “I don’t want to do that, to be treated like that.” And I say no every day! Learning to say no comes with age, not with power. My values? Share everything. Not experiencing anything alone. Experiences, moments of life, money: everything must be shared.
What does fashion mean to you?
Fashion is a revealer, a continuation of my personality. I am double, Scorpio ascendant Scorpio. I like being in jogging shoes and sneakers, but I also like big tutus, fantasy, play… It’s the theater side, Broadway, musical comedy. I like it when it sings, I like the passion, the madness. In all my relationships, it has to be passionate. Someone has to make me dream 90% of the time! The remaining 10%, I like to be quiet. I am extremely extroverted, until the moment when I need to go home and no longer see anyone, under my duvet. In my second part of life, I want to have a small house in the South, without networks. At some point, I’m going to disappear.
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Who is Emma Chamberlain, the American Lena Mahfouf?
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What would you say about your generation?
When I see the generational shocks that I am experiencing, clearly, I am not of the same generation as Frédéric Beigbeder (she ironically dedicated her second book to him after he violently criticized the first, Editor’s note). I find that our generation has opened the conversation on many subjects, particularly that of invisible minorities. Today, everyone is their own media. So, it’s true that it can go awry, but it can often start interesting conversations.
What would you want to say to an 18 year old girl who wants to make her voice heard?
Turn on the camera and post !
