BEAUTY
QUEEN
... to strive to be
themselves and
to make videos
that they’re
passionate about.
I
t’s the year 2010 and she’s sitting
on the floor in front of a camera
instructing teens on how to conceal
under eye dark circles. It’s her first
Youtube video, but it certainly won’t be her
last. Fast forward to the year 2018 and she’s
entertaining her 13 million subscribers with
sketches, challenges, and hacks, reaching
100 million views per month. She’s been
named the number one social media
influencer under 21, has gained attention
from recognized websites like Forbes,
Refinery29, and Adweek, and has been
nominated for the Webby award for
Breakout Star, the Teen Choice award for
Choice Web Star, and the Streamy award
for Youtube Guru. Rachel Levin, better
known as RCLBeauty101, has created an
entire genre of her own and has no plans on
stopping anytime soon. We spoke with the
Youtube star about how she got started, what
continues to inspire her, and what plans she
has in store for Levinators, her fanbase, this
upcoming year. BY NICOLE SARULLO
Cliché: How did you get the courage to
start a Youtube channel after being
bullied in high school?
Rachel Levin: Well I didn’t tell anyone about
it, hoping no one would find my channel.
Unfortunately, that plan failed and my videos
were found and they would make fun of the
videos loud enough for me to hear. I sort of
just turned that hate into inspiration and it
made me want to prove myself even more. I
finally found something that truly made me
happy and I wasn’t going to let anyone ruin
that for me.
When you started Youtube, did you ever
expect you’d gain such an enormous
fan base?
I had no idea I would gain a fan base. I really
loved watching Youtube videos, so I decided
to make my own channel for fun. I didn’t
do it to gain followers or anything like that
I just really enjoyed the process of creating
the videos.
www.clichemag.com
From beauty routines to sketches, you’re
constantly giving viewers something
different to watch. Where do you get ideas
for these videos?
I daydream a lot and am constantly thinking
about random things and I watch a ton of
videos as well. I'm also surrounded by a
bunch of creative people so the combination
of all of that inspires me.
What would you be pursuing if Youtube
didn’t exist?
If Youtube didn’t exist I probably would be a
vet. That was always a dream job of mine.
What motivates you to continue being
a Youtuber?
My Levinators and my love for making
videos brings ideas into life.
What project are you most proud of to
this day?
I would say I’m most proud of my “I Am
Ugly” video. I always wanted to make that
video because it’s so important and it feels
relatable to a lot of other people who have
dealt with low self-esteem and not feeling
beautiful. People can be so mean to
themselves and are their worst critics, so
I wanted to make a video showing that to
inspire people to be nicer themselves.
What advice would you give to new
Youtubers that want to be successful?
For future YouTubers I would tell them to
strive to be themselves and to make videos
that they’re passionate about. And be
consistent, that's very important!
What can Levinators expect from you
this year?
I have a couple huge projects I’ve been
working on that I can’t wait to share with
everyone. I can’t give too many details, but I
can say that this year is going to be different
and there are several whole new paths I’m
about to publicly go down.
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