Simple Joys

A video called, "how to have a better day!" Isn't that the content we all need on YouTube?

Michelle Reed is a lovely YouTuber who makes relatable and uplifting videos about her life. For me, her channel has been a source of comfort lately. She posts videos about twice a week, and I always watch them basically right away when I see the notifications pop up. Her channel is pretty much the only one I actually pay attention to the notifications for.

So what is it that makes her content stand out to me? You could say that her content is pretty basic; lately, she's been posting a lot of weekly vlogs. While weekly vlogs are not a unique concept on YouTube, Michelle's vlogs just have such a welcoming feel to them. Watching her videos honestly feels like spending time with a friend.

Simple Joys

This is a concept Michelle talks about a lot, and I see it reflected in her content. She never comes across as materialistic, or promotes an over-glamorous lifestyle. For example, in one of her videos, she talked about how she used to feel pressured to always be buying new clothes so that she could wear different outfits in all of her videos. But at one point she decided that there's nothing wrong with repeating outfits, even if that's the norm for lifestyle YouTubers. I find this to be a breath of fresh air on YouTube!

In a podcast episode, she listed off a few of her simple joys, little things in life that make her happy, like spending time with family, and the first sip of iced coffee. I love that she brings light to these little things, things that we all have in our lives, but that we sometimes take for granted. Seeing an influencer be grateful for these little things reminded me to be grateful too.

Relatable & Friendly

Michelle is almost the exact same age as me. I think her birthday is just a few days before mine. I first started watching her videos when I was in college. She would share videos about her life as a college student in New York City, which I, a college student in Chicago, could easily relate to. She graduated a year before me, which meant I could watch her videos about graduating and finding a job and keep them in mind as advice. I think one of the reasons I love her content so much is because she honestly feels like a friend. She is honest about feeling down sometimes even though her videos are usually very positive. She shares things like recipes she likes, her Starbucks runs, and decorating her apartment.

She just recently got married, and while I can't quite relate to this, I loved watching her move into a new apartment in Dallas and furnish it with Facebook Marketplace furniture. And I loved seeing her beautiful wedding photos on Instagram!

Also, her videos are just really aesthetically pleasing. She usually opens them with a pretty little montage. And then she'll end her videos with an uplifting quote or verse.

A Positive Influence

The label Influencer probably comes from the idea that social media figures can influence their followers to buy the products they promote. But I feel like Michelle is a different kind of influencer. While she promotes products sometimes, she also influences her followers and subscribers to enjoy life. She influences us to be grateful and joyful, but to be honest about things we are struggling with. She influences us to enjoy the delicious first sip of iced coffee. She also influences us to be healthy, but not in an obsessive way when she shares her workout routines and her healthy meals, along with her occasional dessert runs. She influences us to be generous when she talks about how she prioritizes giving a percentage of her income. All I can say is I'm so glad I have had her videos to watch during these crazy times!