YouTubers are creative individuals who share their lives through an online platform, creating various genres of videos whether it be gaming, beauty tutorials, comedy or vlogging. In recent years, interest in vlogging on both the audience and creator’s sides has increased. Vlogging, a combination of the word video and blogging, is a unique form of video where filmers use their camera throughout the day to capture what they are doing in their daily lives, complete with talking to the camera as if talking directly with viewers. Most often these vlogs are not live but rather uploaded the following day. Vlogging often starts off with a YouTuber who makes weekly videos and wants to let their subscribers into their daily lives, or a creator who starts off with a vlogging channel and gains an audience from it. The pressure placed on YouTubers and vloggers alike is insurmountable due to the constant spotlight highlighting their every word and action.

While vlogging may sound quite invasive to the everyday person, for these creators it is extremely important to them to reach beyond their planned videos and interact with their viewers. Letting a large audience into one’s everyday life can be overpowering for some creators, no matter how excited they are to open this world to their cherished viewers.

Both YouTubers and vloggers struggle with truly revealing their life to those watching online for fear of ridicule, negativity and misunderstanding. YouTube videos are often skillfully edited and show only what the creator wants the viewer to see, often cutting out the difficult or unfavored parts; there is much more that goes on behind the camera. Constant comments flood in praising YouTubers for how perfect they are and how these commentators wish their life was as wonderful and pristine as their idol YouTubers’ lives. The realization for YouTube stars of how perfectly their lives are portrayed to their viewers has recently occurred to them, leading them to want to explain and show viewers that they are actually far from perfect.

The pressure to post what is going to receive the most views and subscribers in return often doesn’t align with YouTubers’ desire to film videos on topics of their choice. Along with the fear of backlash, many stars struggle with revealing their true selves and removing the facade they show to the public, whether that be only showing the “perfect” parts of their lives in their daily vlogs, removing anything tarnishing, or placing on a fake smile when life is throwing one large curveball when filming videos. This has driven many YouTubers and vloggers to officially reveal themselves to their subscribers, focus on what they want to film, show even the grimmest of times in their lives and confide in their viewers.

Many stars have courageously opened up to their viewers about their past and current mental health issues. Well-known YouTubers such as Zoella and Mark Ferris have revealed their personal struggles and progress with anxiety and panic attacks through a whirlwind of emotional videos reaching out to their viewers. Alexa Losey, another popular YouTuber, expressed her own journey working through anxiety and depression and disclosed her experience with being placed.

Along with this, other YouTubers have opened up to their viewers about personal family updates. Brothers Ethan and Grayson Dolan, under the YouTube username Dolan Twins, recently revealed their father’s cancer diagnosis, expressing how they wanted to be open with their viewers and  apologize for the lack of content for videos due to family matters and their current tour.

YouTubers value their viewers’ comments and concerns, allowing them to open themselves up and let dedicated subscribers into their lives- revealing both the good and the bad. When it comes down to it, viewers just want to see their idols happy, healthy and comfortable. For many YouTubers, that means being honest and true to themselves: starting the ongoing movement of taking of their mask and opening up about their lives behind the camera.