It feels like a lifetime ago thinking back to the days I first stumbled upon videos from the beauty community on YouTube. In 2012, the cool things to do at my age were get colorful feather hair extensions or a pack of silly bandz to stack up on my arm. I was a curious kid who was easily influenced by what others were doing or wearing. This period was when the beauty and lifestyle community on YouTube started to really spark my interest, and I got hooked on watching these older teens who had large followings show their morning routines, outfit of the weeks, DIY videos and more.
The thing about these videos was that the lives portrayed on the screen did not seem to be reflective of the lives Youtubers really lived. Looking back on this time, people’s channels almost seemed like a highlight reel. Of course, this is an overgeneralization and not all creators in this community fit into this mold. However, I think that that was the most popular and effective way to get views at the time. Many people seemed to have put on this front of making their lives look perfect and put together all the time. Videos were heavily saturated, edited and staged, often making viewers, like me, think that their lives actually looked like that which set up unrealistic expectations in my head. Things like waking up in the morning in a happy mood with flawless skin and perfect hair is not realistic. Nor is having the perfect friendships or relationships where there is zero conflict realistic either. People did not really open up about the things they were truly struggling with such as mental health, insecurities, relationships, etc. which created some sort of distance between the viewer and creator.
The very first YouTuber from the beauty and lifestyle community that I distinctly remember watching is Bethany Mota. To this day–even though I am not as much of a fan as I used to be– she has a large following proving how successful of a creator she still is. Her content has changed and I can tell that she has let her guard down a bit and is more herself. The videos I used to watch from her back in the day consisted of morning and night routines, monthly favorites, makeup and hair tutorials, dessert recipes, and DIY videos. I remember everything looking so perfect and satisfying from the way her room was decorated for every holiday to the way she basically just “lived” her life. She played a big role in influencing my life. I remember one instance when I was begging my mom to take me to Target so I could get the “Baby Lips” lip balms that she raved about. I would want to recreate Christmas themed desserts that she would make videos about. These Youtubers have a big influence on viewers which is why I think it is important for them to open up a little more while still keeping the fun in order to create more of a community where people can feel that they can relate to one another and not feel alone.
As times have changed, social media and Youtube have changed as well. People are starting to open up more and be real with their viewers because that unfiltered side often receives positive feedback. It creates more of a connection when creators post relatable content because viewers gravitate towards people who they have things in common with. Even editing styles are different as vlog styled videos are more trendy now because it is more candid and raw. There is more talk about mental health, body image struggles, and just the normal ups and downs that every person goes through. More people are starting to film videos with titles like “a realistic day in my life” or “the reality of being a….”
Obviously, there is still a lot of work to be done, but I am content with how much progress there has been on social media. At least for me, creators being more human-like and candid has allowed me to feel more connected and see them as just another average person. It has influenced me to be more vulnerable and not be too afraid to voice out my feelings knowing that everything I am feeling is completely valid. It is good that creators are opening up about such taboo topics in order to normalize things such as mental health, off days, etc. These creators are essentially role models for teens who watch their videos, and as role models and influencers, it is important to be vulnerable and not set unrealistic expectations. At least for me when I was in my early teenage years, it would have helped me to not get sucked into a highlight reel. Nonetheless, I hope this is just the start and that creators are able to keep opening up and sharing more candid moments with their audience.