Sophia Allen
Lantern Staff
Jessie Paege uploaded her first YouTube video in 2014 after she was inspired by watching videos made by others. She started with beauty and clothing videos, but has transitioned more towards mental health and musical videos, also doing comedy sketches and whatever else she feels like that week. Since then, her channel has grown to almost 1.5 million subscribers.
Every now and then, she posts videos about anxiety, both in general and about her personal experiences. These are so great because they can teach people about anxiety, raising awareness. They also allow people that have anxiety to relate to the content.
Paege also has a series where she copies people’s Instagram photos, usually with a theme. She has copied many people’s photos including actors, singers and even her own followers.
Something that differs Paege from other YouTubers is her open quirkiness and somewhat awkwardness. In her videos, she often pauses for a laugh and a small smile.
Since she watched other YouTubers before starting her own channel, Paege still sees herself as a fan, just one that interacts with other fans more. This is evident in her interactions on social media–she frequently likes, retweets and replies to her audience on Twitter, something that not many people with a large online presence do.
Paege has also published a book, “Hey, It’s Okay to be You”. Though she describes it as a children’s book, she has said that people of any age can find it useful.
“It’s a therapeutic fill-in the blank journal that can start to introduce younger children to important topics and teens can enjoy it too,” Paege said in an Instagram post announcing the book. “It’s a totally new concept and touches on things like anxiety, being shy, gender identity, stereotypes and more.”
Paege’s content is good for anybody who loves to laugh, and can help awkward or shy people make friends and be a part of a community. She can be found at youtube.com/jessiepaege, on Twitter as @jessiepaege, and on Instagram as @jessiepaege or @jessietrash.
