How LDS Vloggers Are Staying Beautiful, Inside and Out
Though not known for content that favors The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Daily Beast just published a compilation of interviews with several teenage beauty Youtubers. What do they have in common (other than millions of subscribers and a knack for modest fashion)? They’re all members of the Church.
The article first focuses on Summer McKeen, a 20-year-old vlogger who performs makeup tutorials, answers beauty questions, and frequently takes her virtual audience with her to Starbucks. Notably, McKeen never orders coffee, a decision she credits to her religion which encourages her to “stay away from addictive substances” and “try to be clean.”
Next, readers learn about Brooklyn, Bailey, and Kamri McNight, sisters who started their Youtube careers on their mother’s channel “Cute Girls Hairstyles.” The sisters discuss how their personal religious standards translate to maintaining a consistent and family-friendly brand. “They never curse or partner with brands that aren’t “clean,” The Daily Beast writes. The article then quotes Brooklyn, who says, “I don’t want my brand to be tainted by a picture taken of me with somebody else who might be doing something inappropriate.”
Author Jorden Julian, names the inspiration for the article—a video entitled “PREPARING FOR COACHELLA (my first time!),” in which beauty Youtuber Marla Henry struggles to find a modest outfit for the music festival. However, competing with outfits that are “barely there” is a conscious choice Henry gladly makes for the sake of her convictions. “I just feel like with my religion, I’m shaping my life to fit the religion rather than trying to shape the religion to fit my personal life,” Henry told The Daily Beast.
The article calls attention to McKeen, the McKnights, and Henry as a new kind of “anti-Kylie Jenner role-model for teens,” a label well-suited to beauty vloggers who are aware of the age and vulnerability of their audiences. Fortunately, members of the Church who are committed to making spiritually and physically healthy choices can easily make authentic, family-friendly content. Author Jordan Julian comments, “Being spiritually required to maintain a “clean” lifestyle and therefore a clean image is handy when you are expected to broadcast your entire life to the masses.”
If you want to read the full Daily Beast article, click here.