Common Sense Media Review
By Laura Ordonez
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Witty comedic skits with some suggestive themes & language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Get
Videos and Photos
Lilly Singh
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
LILLY SINGH's YouTube channel is comedic social commentary at its best. Lilly originally joined the platform in 2010 under the name "IISuperwomanII", because as a child she felt like she could do anything. She clearly held on to this belief as she rose to YouTube fame, earning her spot as one of the world's highest paid YouTube stars and breaking barriers as a female comedian of Indian descent. Her videos mostly poke fun at herself, her Indian family and societal trends. Some of her most popular videos highlight relatable experiences women go through at different points in their lives and stereotypes of South Asian parents based on her experience of growing up in an Indian household. She also posts a lot of YouTube shorts, which may be appealing to the those used to short-form content platforms like TikTok. Some of Lilly's content may be too mature for younger teens, like skits that joke about sex, dating and drinking, but it's clear she tries not to cross the line in order to still be accessible to the demographic she looks to empower and inspire.
Is It Any Good?
Creative, witty and hilariously relatable, this channel is a breath of fresh air on a platform saturated with gaming videos and make-up tutorials. Lilly Singh sees the world and makes fun of it through her videos on her long-running YouTube channel that launched her into comedic fame. Much like the sketch comedy duo Key & Peele, Lilly's skits take aim at racism, stereotypes and misogyny, but through the lens and experience of a Desi woman, which makes her channel all the more unique and important. It's clear from her content that Lilly has used, and continues to use, comedy as a way to cope and process challenges and struggles in life. Her openness about her experience with depression and living up to the expectations of others may be relatable to teen fans and her ability to express herself through comedy offers inspiration to viewers looking for their own outlet of expression.
Like most comedians, Lilly sometimes uses edgy humor that includes sexual innuendos, jokes about sex and body parts, references to drinking, and light swearing (she strays away from harsher four-letter words). But Lilly is careful to never be too edgy as to alienate her teen fandom that spends a good amount of time on YouTube. For parents worried about more crude humor, there are videos that are more on the clean side, like music video parodies and silly skits with some of their favorite celebrities. This channel also offers content both teens and adults will love, opening the door to bond through talking about the videos they watch together.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Lilly Singh portrays her mother and her father in videos about her childhood and young adult years living with them. Is she playing into stereotypes or making commentary based on her own experiences? Can you relate to Singh's experience of differences in expectations, interests, and social norms?
In Singh's video Draw My Life, she talks frankly about her battle with depression and how she overcame it. If your teen struggles with depression or knows someone who is, this may be a helpful video to watch together. Why can it be helpful to hear other people's stories?
Talk about how Lilly's videos use light-hearted humor to comment on important topics like unreasonable expectations and beauty standards for women and racism. How does humor help open up the discussion for important, but often difficult, discussions?
Lilly worked hard to become one of the top YouTubers and a trailblazing comedian, especially as a woman of color in a male-dominated industry. How does the YouTube algorithm make it harder to creators of color to get as much attention as some of their peers?
YouTube Details
- Genre: Lifestyle
- Last updated: August 9, 2023
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