The rise of social media influencers has changed the outlook of trends and decisions made by people online and in the real world. From a number of platforms, these influencers have built a following around their passions and lifestyles that continue to grow with their content. However, with that power comes an understanding of not only creating trends but facilitating change as well.
Jasmine Le is among these rising content creators with over 700,000 subscribers on YouTube as she continues to grow her following on other platforms through her fashion, beauty and lifestyle content. She originally began her journey on YouTube at the age of 13 making American Girl doll stop-motion videos. As she got older, Le was drawn to the beauty and fashion world by YouTubers Michelle Phan (@michellephan) and Ashley Rous (@best.dressed). In doing so, she started making sit down videos where she shared her own raw and personal experiences online.
“I didn’t really do beauty until I was about fifteen or sixteen and that’s where I found my niche,” Le said. “When I first started watching @best.dressed, I was inspired by how open she was about a lot of things. At first, I felt like I had to stay in this bubble but then I saw how well she integrated different types of content on her channel and I kept doing that not only because it was fun, but because I felt it made my followers feel less alone in their experiences.”
In creating a safe atmosphere for her followers, Le strives to bring Asian representation within her platform and media itself. In the past, Le remembers the struggles she faced growing up in Huntington Beach, a predominantly white and conservative area. Having to endure racist remarks and hurtful stereotypes as a young girl made her resent being Vietnamese, so she did everything to abandon that part of herself in order to belong.
“I remember I wanted nothing more than to be white because to everyone I was just the Asian girl,” Le said. “I know what it’s like to be the ‘other’ and I want to use my platform to do good because there’s no point in being an influencer if you’re not influencing people to do the right thing.”
Taking on that responsibility in bringing Asian representation online brought more viewers to her channel, especially women of color who saw themselves in her. Le’s channel became an outlet of expression that reflected her passion for beauty and fashion while inspiring young girls to feel beautiful in their own skin. Online, her followers built a community that also found comfort in “girl talk” and sharing in their experiences together.
Her efforts were soon recognized by large brands, among them being Savage X Fenty, a brand widely known for celebrating fearlessness, confidence and inclusivity. Le became their next ambassador to showcase Asian women in their lingerie designs with the hopes of freeing women like Le from feeling insecure in their own bodies.
“To me, being an ambassador for Savage X Fenty was the brand that told you that you’ve made it,” she said. “When I got the text from my manager that I got it, I dropped my phone and started freaking out! I was so shocked!”
Alongside being an ambassador for Savage X Fenty, Le attended the annual Head in the Clouds festival after being invited by the organizers, 88rising. This music production company is renowned for highlighting Asian R&B and rap artists – among them being Rich Brian, Joji and NIKI. In November, Le not only met up with other Asian content creators at the event but even found herself meeting NIKI backstage, who had actually reached out to her personally after uploading her “Boob Job” vlog on YouTube.
“88rising was one of the first brands to reach out to me and I really love their mission of representing Asian people in the industry and giving them the recognition that they deserve,” Le said. “It was a real full circle moment for me because I’ve always tried to be that representation at events where I stick out like a sore thumb but it was really nice to be seen by a really cool brand like that.”
With the spotlight on Le, it’s easy to forget that she’s actually a student at San Diego State finishing her four years as a business marketing major this spring. Although her heart has always been set on content creating, Le was originally drawn to marketing for its creative side in graphic design and from her own experience in representing large brands.
Balancing a life online and in school has had its challenges. Le reflected on her early years at SDSU where college was first and YouTube was second – she would record and edit a video within three to four hours and post once a month. But in the last year, YouTube has become a career to Le and she finds herself more devoted than ever to her content, with her most recent green screen video taking six hours to film and 40 hours to edit. When asked about her future endeavors, Le hopes social media will be at the center of it and that she’ll continue to grow through her platform.
Nevertheless, Le shares the same feelings as most of the senior class about graduating college. The idea of graduating can be unsettling, especially with your entire life ahead of you.
“It’s kind of terrifying but also exciting because it’s all a part of growing up,” she said. “I can’t stay in the same stage of my life forever but I think overall I’ll look back at my college years and be happy with it – I think it’s really about the people you surround yourself with.”
Looking back, Jasmine knows she’ll hold onto the memories she made at SDSU because it gave her a chance to rediscover herself and realize her true calling. As a message to her viewers, Le said, “being authentic and being yourself is so true because people will always have their opinions so you might as well do what makes you happy! I believe everyone should take a chance in pursuing what they love because there’s so much life to live to not enjoy it. You don’t want to be on your deathbed to regret giving up that dream that you didn’t at least try, so go live your best life.”
