5 off-beat and smart women YouTubers you must follow

YouTube has turned from an archive for funny, home-made videos like ‘Charlie bit my finger’ to a content platform that delves into topics that people never imagined could be monetised. 

From frisbee tricks to motivational videos, the platform offers a pot-pourri of interesting things to watch.  that one can watch. However, there are several women who are now breaking out of this mould of quick and funny videos and creating socially-responsible and informative content that one would never have seen if not for a platform like YouTube . 

Here is a compilation of some women YouTubers that are bringing content that deals with topics ranging from mental health, dating as a blind person to advancing women of colour.  

Kati Mortin 

Her YouTube channel description reads, “I’m Kati Morton, a licensed therapist making Mental Health videos!” Kati’s videos about psychology and mental health simplify complex psychology in an accessible way. This is why her seven-year-old channel has gained over 856K subscribers. Her bite sized self-help videos are a great resource for tips on improving life and self-esteem. Her videos cover everyday issues like burnout, relationships, grief and peculiar topics like sociopathy, sleep paralysis and more. She specialises in eating disorder and has made several videos that dissect the issue. Every Tuesday and Friday, she puts out a journaling prompt to subscribers to motivate them to work on themselves. 

Sitting Pretty Lolo 

Lauren Spencer aka ‘Lolo’ uses YouTube to showcase her life as a wheelchair-bound person. Through her channel, Lauren emphasises that  physical disability is not going to stop her from living her life the way she wants. This is also the lesson that she wants to send across to other physically disabled people. She produces videos with lessons from her life to motivate others to lead life with strength and confidence.  

“Most will assume the life of a physically disabled person HAS to be depressing, sad, or anything less than amazing. Anyone’s life can be all of those things, disabled or not, but we all have the choice to live our lives the way we want, and for me, "Sitting Pretty" is a reflection of that choice,” she writes in her channel description.

Her channel is also informative for abled-bodied people who can learn how to interact with disabled people. 

Psych IRL 

Ever wanted to know the psychology behind behavior of YouTubers or fanbases? Here is the perfect resource for that. Californian native, Donna analyses contemporary themes, pop culture, and the internet, specifically the world of YouTubers. She provides a in-depth look into the reasons why someone is doing so well or being shunned by the YouTube world at that moment. Some of her videos include examining hot topics like how the Area 51 jokes became a reality, fans shunning creator IamAllexx, and more. 

Internet and YouTube stars Shawne Dawson and Casey Neistat are among her fans and her 174K subscribers. 

Molly Burke 

Molly was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa when she was just four years old and began public speaking at age five. She writes in her description, “Even though I can’t see, I know that there are bright spots in everything we face. Let’s find them together!”

Her channel is a compilation of all the things that she does and how being blind is not a hindrance towards achieving great things. Along with her guide dog Gallop, Molly produces videos about things she likes, such as fashion, make-up, and travelling. 

Her videos educate people on how it’s like to be blind with videos that explain how she can see light, travelling being a blind person, dating on tinder and more. Molly has collaborated with famous creators like Shane Dawson and Gabbie Hanna. 

Jouelzy 

Jouelzy is an African American woman vlogger advocating for the #SmartBrownGirl. She produces weekly videos on current cultural topics that impact women of colour throughout the African diaspora. This full-time YouTube creator and author uses the platform to build up women of colour and help them recognise their successes. Her videos cover a wide ranging array of topics like how the female body changes over time to dating advice and politics. 

Not looking to jump on issues that are trending, Jouelzy takes time to carefully deconstruct relevant topics for her subscribers. She uses her content to encourage critical dialogue and critical thought as she realized that content on social media and media provided only surface level explanations. 

(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)

ALSO READ

Like, share, subscribe: Meet the five women dominating India’s YouTube scene

ALSO READ

From Prajakta Koli to Rickshawali - meet the women who are making money from YouTube