The Beauty of YouTube: More students turn to online videos for fashion and beauty advice

She turns on her camera, angles it down, hits record and says, “Hey guys, it’s  Natalia.” Natalia Trevino Amaro, “Youtuber” and sophomore, has celebrated her two year anniversary on YouTube on Oct. 1, and has reached over 3,000 subscribers. She is a fashion and lifestyle “Youtuber,” often categorized as a “beauty guru.” This beauty section of YouTube is growing, generating billions of views every year, while fashion magazines lose ad sales by 22 percent, according to Mad 4 Marketing. This indicates that with the growing popularity of YouTube, many teens are turning to YouTube over print sources for beauty advice.

According to YouTube, since its launch in 2005, YouTube has grown into the world’s most viewed website. It generates over one billion views per day, and, with a growth of 60 percent in viewing hours, it is getting more popular. Trevino Amaro has noticed this trend with her channel, which gained over 2000 subscribers in nine months, and, for the past three months, she has gained an average of 20 subscribers per day.

Trevino Amaro said, “I think that the attraction with YouTube, especially with beauty and fashion, is that magazines are usually high end, and have expensive clothing that you can’t wear on an everyday basis, whereas YouTube is for what a normal person would wear, which is more casual and more affordable.”

Makeup is another part of Trevino Amaro’s channel. While many teens can find ideas for makeup in magazines, they may not know how to apply the products to achieve a  particular look. According to CHTV station manager Anna Kaiser, there is a great appeal to watching beauty videos because of the wide range of styles available to watch.

“I think that the attraction with going online is that you might not see a certain look in a magazine where as if you go online you’re going to find hundreds of videos, and now you have to pick out which one is the best, or one that fits you,” Kaiser said.

Another benefit for those who use YouTube is that, unlike magazines, YouTube does not require a subscription. Most magazines demand charges for their content, unlike YouTube, where a person could simply go on the website and search for the video they want. Kaiser thinks this is a common reason as to why teens may go to YouTube over more expensive options.

“With the internet at their disposal, (teens) will go to YouTube instead of Teen Vogue because they don’t have to buy it,” Kaiser said.

There is also an emotional connection that can be found on YouTube, between the audience and the producer, which isn’t present in magazines such as Vogue, Elle, or Harper’s Bazaar. Junior Samantha Sinder said that she likes how she can relate to YouTubers, especially Trevino Amaro.

Sinder said, “Yeah I like (Trevino Amaro) because … she goes to my school, which makes it really cool.”

Trevino Amaro said that when she watches YouTube videos, she feels as if she is friends with that particular “YouTuber”.

Trevino Amaro said, “When I watch channels such as ‘My Life as Eva’, or ‘Bethany Mota,’ it’s like getting tips on a more personal level because they’re regular people, not flawless supermodels. When I watch them, it’s like they’re talking directly to me, which is something you don’t get in magazines.”

Trevino Amaro’s success on YouTube is growing, just like the website itself, and she is excited for the future.

She said, “I’m excited to see what YouTube brings me, and I am happy to have made it this far. YouTube provides a platform that everyone can relate to, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”