Guest AuthorHi Lazies! Thanks for dropping by; come take a seat, grab a nice cool glass of lemonade, and let me tell you all about my YouTube binge list.
I think video essays are some of the most fun ways to engage with entertaining and educational content simultaneously. These are people who take the time to research, curate, and put together accessible videos that allow the community to engage in healthy debate. And I stress the word accessible here because I think it is essential that the knowledge of socio-political trends and ideas like feminism, gender theory, and class consciousness be made common knowledge. It is what gives people the tools to define themselves in their cultural context and fully recognize their rights. It’s relatively “free” education!
Serious matters aside, sometimes girls just need to put on a video essay and relax with their 12 unfinished craft projects, finish their chores, or fall asleep after a really long day. It’s me! I am one of those girls- and I only watch the best! So whether you are here out of chronic content deprivation, YouTube scrolling fatigue, or for my charming personality, I have just the thing for you! A curated list of some of the most recent uploads from my all-time favourite video essay channels!
1. Khadija Mbowe
Do a little dance, do a little jig. It’s our favourite internet auntie, and she has always got the tea! I absolutely adore the energy Khadija brings to every video! It feels like one of my best friends is sitting down to talk about the things they’re passionate about. Khadija Mbowe puts so much work and research into their videos, and you can really see it in the well-rounded content they put out. It’s informational, on-trend, and addresses intersectionality, all while being very comforting.
The rec: Parasocial Relationships are Getting Toxic and Abusive
I enjoy that Khadija keeps a healthy balance of addressing topics with the seriousness and respect they deserve while poking fun at things that are a little ridiculous. In “Parasocial Relationships are Getting Toxic and Abusive“, Khadija breaks down the recent discomfort expressed by Chappell Roan due to celebrity idolization through the lens of their own experiences and knowledge as a person with BPD. It’s an interesting watch if you want to learn more about the psyche behind the public’s relationship with celebrities.
2. Dr. Fatima
Dr. Fatima is a spectacularly eloquent and intelligent speaker! Though I just found her channel recently, it didn’t take me long to grind through every single one of her videos since. In these videos, Dr. Fatima connects science (with an emphasis on physics) to social sciences such as theology, semantics, and sociology, and reveals systemic problems in science today. This results in some incredibly interesting topics such as “Colonialism in astrology” and “Science’s shaky definitions of gravity”
The rec: The physicist who tried to debunk postmodernism
Is there a correlation between the number of people who drowned in a pool and the number of Nicolas Cage movies that came out in 1999-2009? Citing examples such as the ‘spurious correlations project’, Dr. Fatima discusses falsification of results in scientific studies, oversight in academic publishing, and why rationalists may not have had as much of an argument as they claimed with ‘the Sokal affair’. As a student interested in research and the academic world myself, I found this video vastly insightful, and I hope it sparks your interest too!
3. Alice Cappelle
My next favourite is a spectacular French essayist who, in my opinion, has some of the most well-informed and eloquent takes on European politics, as well as some really fun commentary on social media trends! We at Lazy Women even had the opportunity to host her on our podcast in the episode “Facing the Uncertainty of Collapse Feminism,” where we spoke about her debut book “Collapse Feminism,” which speaks of the need to increase the accessibility of gender theory. In this episode of the podcast, we also talk about how decolonial, intersectional, and choice feminism play into collapse feminism, and more! So, shameless self-promo, but I promise you it’ll be worth the listen!
The rec: Is the far right gay-friendly now?
I had noticed the trend of far-right parties appealing to the LGBT community across many countries including Italy, France and even India, and this puzzled me very much, since it is my belief that minority groups should support each other! That was when Alice Cappelle’s “is the far-right gay-friendly now?” came up on my feed. She discusses homonationalism and security-based hedonism. As complicated as that sounds, Alice has a way of breaking it down into really simple terms, with this essay successfully working its way into my most recent favourites!
4. Kaz Rowe
We are approximately an hour into our binge, and now it is time for a whimsical dip into history. With their captivating topics, stellar storytelling, and a penchant for theatrics I don’t even notice an hour has gone by when I watch a Kaz Rowe Historical deep dive! I want characters I can relate to, drama and a compelling narrative, and Kaz delivers just that! It’s no wonder they’re also a very talented graphic novel author!
The rec: “Exploring the Secret Lesbian World of Interwar Paris”
In the opening scene, we find ourselves in a dapper sapphic establishment, Kaz Rowe sits down, sets their monocle and top hat aside, and “Exploring the Secret Lesbian world of Interwar Paris” begins. Rowe discusses through anecdotes and accounts, how the definition of sexuality has changed throughout the years and how lesbianism has been defined in terms of “New Woman”, “The Boyette”, and more. With a key theme being the historic alienation of lesbians from womanhood, Kaz explains why from then till the present day, many lesbians choose to be ambiguously gendered; discusses iconic lesbian figures of the time such as Gluck, Claude Cahun, Monique Wittig, etc., as well as their contribution to art, literature and feminist theoretical history! This is such a great video, especially if you want to get into queer history.
5. ContraPoints
I don’t even know where to begin with ContraPoints. If we have been bingeing with the other videos, a ContraPoints video is a three-course meal by itself! Her sets, costumes, makeup, script and direction are ethereal. I could watch a contrapoints video for the whole two hours and never take my eyes off the screen once! To her witty charm and themed visuals, she adds intrigue with compelling topics that some might shy away from. Envy is just one such case.
The rec: “Envy”
In Envy, Natalie addresses the societally “shameful” feeling of Envy.
“It is not simply wanting what another person has. That’s greed, which is a much more wholesome sin……envy is something darker…it’s begrudging someone for what they have….you might even hate someone you envy…even if their downfall doesn’t benefit you in any way.”
She goes on to talk about envy in the media, society, and her own experiences with envy. I found most interesting her discussion of how women are often encouraged to envy one another, to fight for the position of “the fairest of them all”. I Don’t think you could go wrong with a Contrapoints video, but if you’re looking for where to start, Envy is my absolute favourite.
6. Mina Le
And finally, for a sweet treat, I present to you Mina Le. On her channel, she talks about fashion, media and culture. Her takes are spot-on and her taste in fashion, impeccable. All her videos are so much fun, but for this final recommendation, I’m going to go with her recent video that ties into the recurring theme of celebrity idolization that we covered in Khadija’s video, and gives it her own little spin.
The rec: “Underconsumption-core, travel outfits, and Paul Mescal’s shorts”
I love that Mina Le always starts out with a little bit of history before she dives into her essays. In this video, we are treated to the history of air travel, the horror of airports, and the cultural fascination with travel, followed by the present-day marketing appeal of airport fashion.
I must admit I have been drawn to a more casual style lately. It just goes to show that if I look up a Mina Le video every once in a while, I will find that my personal sense of style may not be as free-spirited and free of influence as I think, and I appreciate that sort of reality check!
With that, I have reached the end of my list. I hope your time on YouTube is as relaxing and fruitful as mine has been.
Stay lazy.
XOXO,
Sasha