I’m the type of person who needs to be watching or listening to something at all times in order to get anything done. Doing homework? Music. Running on the treadmill? Watching an episode of a show. Eating lunch? Watching a YouTube video. However, there’s only so many Dance Moms episodes I can watch before I feel completely unproductive, so about a year ago I decided to start watching video essays instead of my usual YouTube feed. After watching a variety of different videos, trying to find an account that I particularly liked, I stumbled upon Mina Le, and she immediately became my favorite. Mina, who uses the handle @gremlita for her social media, uploads videos about topics such as trends, film and culture, and fashion and costume design. But are these 30-60 minute videos worth watching instead of a fun vlog or show? I absolutely think so, and here’s why!
Before I get into her videos, I want to mention Mina’s style. She has a very distinct way of dressing and doing her makeup, and this is definitely something that initially drew me to her account. She loves to find and use vintage clothes in very unique ways, taking advantage of different silhouettes and utilizing a variety of accessories to add to her looks. Her makeup style is also very distinct, with a strong 1920’s influence. She wears extremely thin, drawn on eyebrows, strong and concentrated blush, and usually has dark eyeliner and a bold lip. Personally, I love how unique Mina’s look is. I feel like, especially in the era of fast fashion and social media influencers, unless it’s your niche, it’s very rare to find someone who is so unapologetically themselves, with a style you wouldn’t normally see. I especially love seeing her match her makeup and outfit to the topics of her videos, which makes it so much more engaging to watch her.
And now, the videos themselves. Just for some context, some of Mina’s most recent videos at the time of writing are “unpacking sickness as a beauty trend,” “the cult of cleanliness,” and “is 90s thinness coming back?”. Each of Mina’s videos follows the same general outline: an introduction, historical background, and current pertinence. While Mina does include some of her own opinions, she maintains a mostly objective point of view, backing up everything with research and quotes. She includes plenty of pictures and maintains relatively rapid pacing, ensuring that the watcher stays engaged.
The question of course, is whether these videos are really worth the watch. Like I said earlier, for me they definitely are. I enjoy the fact that, while educational, they are all still very relevant— because of this, watching them makes me feel at least a little productive. It’s also interesting, for me at least, to watch videos about something I love but don’t necessarily know much about beyond surface level. I definitely end the video feeling much more knowledgeable, but not like I sat through a tiring long lecture about something I don’t care much about.
So in conclusion, if you’re ever bored and need something interesting to watch that won’t bore you even more or feel like a waste of time, I highly recommend diving into Mina Le’s informative yet entertaining and topical video essays!