“LOVE. YOUR. CHANNEL. You are amazing and so pretty and so REAL.” “Please keep doing your thing girl, because your videos make me happy.” “Thank you so much for the positive impact your channel has had on my life as well as the lives of all your viewers.”
The top comments on freshman musical theater major Jordan Anne Maurodis’s Youtube videos are usually similar. They are from teenage girls from all over the world who look up to her for beauty and lifestyle advice.
Maurodis’s channel is called ‘The Beauty Within You’. She began to make Youtube videos five years ago, she said.
“I got out of the shower one day and decided that I was going to film myself blowing my hair dry. I set up a tripod on top of my Victoria’s Secret perfume bottles, stacked them on top of each other and filmed it in the mirror. And that was when it took off,” Maurodis said.
Maurodis’s first video, called “My Blow Dry Routine,” received 50 views overnight, and five years later, it’s reached almost 50,000. However, 50,000 views isn’t the most attention one of her videos has received. Maurodis’s most viewed video, in which she explains how to apply coconut oil on hair, has half a million views.
Inspired by popular beauty vlogger Kandee Johnson, Maurodis said that beauty videos were the one thing she could put on Youtube that she was most knowledgeable about.
“Even though my channel is about beauty, it’s called ‘The Beauty Within You’ because beauty is not just about your outward appearance. I feel that wherever your heart is, that’s what is portrayed in the way you look and present yourself,” Maurodis said.
Maurodis has almost 40,000 subscribers. She’s reached the level of internet popularity where she has been recognized by fans.
“The first time I was recognized was in Nashville at a Jake Owen concert. Someone came up to me in the crowd and said ‘You make Youtube videos, don’t you?’ I melted into a thousand pieces. It was the craziest experience,” she said.
It’s apparent to Maurodis’s friends how dedicated she is to her Youtube channel, freshman musical theater major Natalie Ragazzo said.
“She’s so invested in her channel and her fan base. Her willingness to be a role model for her viewers is really something I truly admire,” Ragazzo said.
Maurodis’s roommate, freshman music business major Hannah Uebele, also makes Youtube videos. Although she initially started Youtube to make videos for friends and family, her collaborations with Maurodis have helped her gain subscribers.
“Having her already established really helped with getting accustomed to Youtube,” Uebele said. “She doesn’t just keep her Youtube channel on Youtube. She carries it into her everyday life in how she holds herself. She doesn’t put on a different persona for her videos, it’s really who she is.”
Since she has been in college, Maurodis has reduced the number of videos she posts, although she still keeps in touch with her fans by replying to as many emails, tweets, and comments on her videos as possible, she said.
“I have this following of people that look up to me, and I take to heart that I have a predominantly young fanbase. But it’s not even the number. Even if I had 500 subscribers instead of 40,000, they would still inspire me to be a better person,” Maurodis said.
This article was written by Hannah Ayrault.