Awesome Ladies of YouTube

In recent years, I’ve found myself watching more and more content on YouTube. And, no, I don’t mean videos of cats falling off of chairs or whatever it is that makes the front page of YouTube. There are many vloggers (video bloggers), beauty gurus, book reviewers, and gamers who post consistently awesome content on a regular basis.

Basically, if there’s something that you’re interested in learning about or just hearing someone ramble on about, there is a YouTube channel for it. Part of the reason for my writing this article is to get the word out about these amazing ladies of YouTube. The other reason has to do with a recent episode of a program called “Becoming YouTube.”

I’ve never seen the program, but it was kind of hard to ignore when all of the channels I subscribe to were talking about it and responding to it. Apparently, the latest episode of “Becoming YouTube,” a “weekly documentary series about YouTubers,” focused on women content creators on YouTube. The episode seemed to imply that there were not many women on YouTube and that if there are some ladies out there, they must not be making good content because they haven’t become “YouTube famous” yet.

As many female-centric channels have already made clear: this is bullshit. There are a plethora of amazing women on YouTube. And if they’re not “famous” yet, it’s because the best content doesn’t always rise to the top of YouTube and they have to deal with commenters harassing them or bullying them. But that’s a topic for another day.

In any case, the point of this article is that there are amazing women creating content on YouTube and I’d like to share with you some of my favorites from the channels I subscribe to.

Beauty Gurus

Jenn (clothesencounters): Jenn is a SoCal gal with an amazing sense of style. One of her trademarks is creating videos that contain style profiles. For instance, this How to Layer video aims to show you how to create stylish layers when you need to keep warm. Now, Jenn is from California, and she does acknowledge that these layers won’t work for colder climates, but they’re still great style tips. Jenn also does fun haul videos where she shows you what she’s buying lately, and her channel name is super clever.

Estée (EssieButton): Estée is one of the first YouTubers that I started seriously watching, and I get so excited when a new video of hers shows up in my subscription box. She’s a twenty-something girl from Canada who is now living in London. Estée tends to post massively long videos that include tutorials, hauls, monthly beauty favorites, and much more. She’s absolutely hilarious, down-to-earth, and so relatable. Her videos just make you want to be friends with her and I can’t recommend her channel enough.

Gemma (gemsmaquillage): Gemma is from England and she has the most charming northern accent. She’s super smart and really knows her stuff when it comes to beauty. What I love about Gemma is that she’s not afraid to show her geekiness and she does what she wants with her channel. She posts lots of beauty favorites videos. Around Christmastime, she did some amazingly helpful gift guide videos. Gemma also has a personal channel where she posts videos about her life and a health channel where she posts recipes and wellness tips.

Hannah (hannahyep): Hannah is from all the way in Australia and she is probably one of the funniest gals I watch on YouTube. She’s really quick and witty and sometimes her little jokes and quips nearly pass me by! I like her videos because, being from Australia, she has a different take on makeup and beauty products that you don’t see with some other vloggers. For instance, she posted a video on heatproof makeup that was so unique and interesting. She’s just so much fun, so check her out!

Bookish Gals

Sanne (booksandquills): Sanne is originally from the Netherlands and she studied translation at university. I cannot even imagine translating something from one language to another, but Sanne translated a whole chapter of a book for her senior thesis. Though Sanne’s main focus on her channel is book reviews and all things bookish, she also posts videos about travel, culture, and even one where she spoke entirely in Dutch! So cool! Sanne is so awesome, which is why I definitely recommend her channel if you’re in a bookish mood.

Kayley (kayleyreads): Kayley started off on YouTube with a personal channel she filled with vlogs about her life, traveling, and other bits and bobs. A couple of years ago, she branched off into some new channels and one of them was her book review channel (the other was a fashion beauty channel called kayleyscloset). Kayley reads a lot of YA books and her reviews are always interesting and insightful.

Everything In Between

Emily (emilieofnewgloom): Emily is an aspiring filmmaker who makes the prettiest, most inspiring videos. In recent months, she’s been making her first feature length film, The Water’s Fine, and has been documenting the process in a “making of” series. You can watch all of those videos right here. Emily’s videos are lovingly shot and edited and always have a calming, ambient soundtrack to them. She’s so smart and often makes videos that reflect on life and being a twenty-something in this day and age.

Karen Kavett (xperpetualmotion): If you’re a fan of the VlogBrothers, you may have heard Karen Kavett’s name mentioned once or twice in their videos. At least, that’s how I came to find her. Karen makes lots of videos that have to do with graphic design and amazing crafts. She’s also just the most adorable little nerd. When I watch her videos, I feel like I’m watching a kindred spirit. It’s refreshing to see someone who is passionate about something and doesn’t mind showing it.

Hannah Hart (My Drunk Kitchen): Oh, Hannah Hart. You may know her as “Harto” or as “that girl from My Drunk Kitchen.” Even if you’re not a YouTube aficionado, I’ve got to believe you’ve stumbled across a video of hers before because they’re just so fantastic. Hannah is hilarious and makes pun-laden videos where she attempts to cook something while drunk. Yes, she is really drinking while cooking. There is no mistaking that. And the results are positively hysterical. If you’ve somehow avoided seeing My Drunk Kitchen, start off with the ice cream video and then watch as your afternoon disappears while you watch video after video after video…

Ophelia (oldhotradio): I recently discovered Ophelia (I’m not sure if that’s her real name, sorry!) through a recommendation from another YouTuber and I can’t get enough of her. She has a hilarious and dry British wit, which is why her videos often have me in stitches. All of her videos are great, but I suggest you start with her attempting to build a bookshelf and then go wild.

I hope that, among these ladies of YouTube, you find some really awesome content to watch in your spare time. If you have some favorite female YouTubers that I left out of my list, leave them in the comments!