Searching for content on sustainable fashion or women’s health? If you haven’t already, try YouTube. While the online content platform can certainly seem saturated with mindless and superficial content, there are many content-creators posting relevant and engaging videos for their audiences. In this way, YouTube can be an extensive, inclusive resource for young women.
If you need a place to start your search for more meaningful videos, here’s a list of my favorite female-identifying youtubers, all of whom are using their platforms in productive ways.
1. Rian Phin
Watch For: Ethical and sustainable fashion, beauty, DIY, lifestyle vlogs.
Where to Start: Should We Buy “Ethical Fashion”? (Is It A Scam?)
Rian Phin began making YouTube videos five years ago as a predominantly DIY vlogger. Over the past three years her channel has developed to follow her journey towards sustainable and ethical fashion and beauty, and to include commentary about feminism and her identity as a black woman on the autism spectrum. Rian is by far my favorite youtuber and deciding on just one video of hers to recommend was super difficult! (BONUS: The runner-up to “Should We Buy Ethical Fashion” was “Should We Buy / Wear Feminist Clothes?” which enlightened me in so many ways.)
2. Meghan Hughes
Watch For: Sustainable lifestyle, women’s health and wellness, advice videos.
Where to Start: Sustainable Gift Ideas
Meghan Hughes is an Oregon-based YouTuber whose video topics include sustainability, mental health, nutrition, and more. Her “Big Sis Advice” series, where she shares advice from an “older sister” perspective, has successfully opened the dialogue surrounding womanhood and adolescence. Meghan embraces positivity in her everyday lifestyle, and she always leaves me with a smile on my face after watching her videos!
3. Whitney Catalano
Watch For: Intuitive eating, eating disorder recovery, mental health.
Where to Start: Can You Lose Weight With Intuitive Eating?
Registered Dietician Whitney Catalano specializes in intuitive eating, an anti-diet approach to nutrition. Whitney promotes body positivity by encouraging women to reject restrictive diet culture entirely. Her videos, as well as her instagram, offer women a path away from disordered eating and counting calories. She has the background and training of a health professional, while still maintaining a casual, friendly tone in her videos. Her content has been so helpful for me in navigating the world of dieting and body insecurity.
4. Just Between Us (with Allison Raskin and Gaby Dunn)
Watch For: Advice videos, feminism, mental health.
Where to Start: HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU RELY ON YOUR PARTNER?
Playing off of the “odd couple” trope, best friends Allison Raskin and Gaby Dunn post weekly advice-style videos. They answer questions from viewers about romantic relationships, friendships, sex and sexuality, body acceptance, and mental health. Both women approach these topics from contrasting perspectives, informed by their differing sexualities, abilities, and upbringings. I’ve watched Just Between Us for years, and as I’ve grown as a woman, so have Allison and Gaby. They’re a comforting constant on YouTube who are truly committed to exploring social justice topics in addition to creating more comedic videos.
5. Calee Shea
Watch For: Women’s health, sexual education, nutrition.
Where to Start: SEX ED: JIZZ
I originally followed up-and-coming YouTuber Calee Shea on her Instagram account, where I was drawn to her yoga tutorials and recipe suggestions. As of late, she’s begun to pivot her content towards informing women about their sexual health. Her new series on YouTube called “Sex Ed” attempts to cover the things that women deserve to know about their bodies, but may not have been educated about in a traditional setting. Calee is definitely still getting her YouTube career off the ground, and I truly hope to see her succeed in the future, as she is a much-needed voice for young women.
Of course, there are many more female-identified individuals who are using their platforms for social change. My niche interest group tends to center around women’s health and wellness, but I suggest exploring even further to find channels that cater to your own passions—I can guarantee there are women out there making videos that will resonate with you!