Five Arab Women Who are Successful YouTubers
Photo courtesy of Unsplash by Christian Wiediger.By: MacKenzie DiLeo/Arab America Contributing Writer
The YouTube trend has spread throughout allowing social media influencers to make a living off of their posted content. YouTubers post vlogs to share their lives with interested subscribers. These vlogs include subjects that are important to the YouTuber themselves, whether that’s their upbringing, their hobbies, or their culture. Moreover, Arab YouTubers have contributed to this YouTube trend and are determined to represent the Middle East and Arab culture in a positive light for what it truly is, not the rather negative image the news media typically depicts. I have chosen to outline five Arab Women who have had a successful career on YouTube thus far. While this list is not definitive, I find the women below to be especially inspiring.
BlancheTV. Photo courtesy of feastinthemiddleeast.wordpress.comYouTuber #1: BlancheTV
Blanche Shaheen is a first-generation Arab American who began her career as a television host and journalist in entertainment and news. Before beginning her career on YouTube, Shaheen reported on “View from the Bay” on ABC, hosted “Video I” for PBS, and reported news for “Tech Live.” In 2010, Shaheen began her career on YouTube after deciding to host her own cooking show. She wanted to showcase the Middle East in a positive light, specifically Middle Eastern cuisine since it has such a rich history and culture. Furthermore, Shaheen began recording herself preparing traditional recipes that have been preserved by her Arab ancestors. Her YouTube series “Feast in the Middle East” under the name BlancheTV has almost 50,000 subscribers.
Sukkari Life. Photo courtesy of sukkarilife.comYouTuber #2: Sukkari Life
Raoum is a 25-year-old Saudi woman who has successfully grown a platform on YouTube for posting videos regarding her vegan lifestyle. She lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and she posts articles mainly about her veganism, her interests in yoga, and her efforts to remain sustainable for the environment. Additionally, she posts videos that are more general to Arab culture, such as her typical Ramadan routine, how she celebrates Eid, a day in her life as a Saudi woman, and even occasional videos in Arabic. Raoum named her YouTube channel after her favorite sugary sweet, Sukkari (a type of date). Since posting her first video four years ago, Raoum has gained over 250,000 subscribers to her channel.
Nura Afia. Photo courtesy of @NuraAfia on Twitter.YouTuber #3: Nura Afia
Nura Afia is a beauty vlogger on YouTube who is of Lebanese descent. Afia is one of the few beauty vloggers who wears a hijab, which has led to her receiving a lot of support from the Muslim community. Moreover, she began posting beauty vlogs in 2011 after becoming inspired by other beauty vloggers who she consistently watched. In addition to beauty-related vlogs, Afia has also expanded the scope of her content by posting travel vlogs, cooking videos, and trending YouTube challenges. Her channel currently has 220,000 subscribers. In 2016, Afia became a brand ambassador for CoverGirl cosmetics.
Faiza Rammuny. Photo courtesy of expirednfabulous.comYouTuber #4: Expired N Fabulous
Faiza Rammuny is a comedian vlogger on YouTube who is of Palestinian descent. Her content consists primarily of relationship advice and her Arab background. When initially beginning her channel, she knew she wanted to discuss matters of breakups and broken hearts, which are both topics that are not typically brought up in the Arab community. With this creativity and unique touch, she was able to grow her channel to about 65,000 subscribers. In addition to her YouTube channel, she also has a blog and Instagram account with even more followers. After posting content for quite some time and receiving such positive feedback, Rammuny decided to quit her daytime job and focus on her social media career full time.
Jana Hisham. Photo courtesy of YouTube @janavlogs.Last but not least… Jana Hisham
Jana Hisham was born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is currently living in London, but she continues to make YouTube videos that encompass her roots through posting culture-related videos and vlogs in Arabic. Some of her popular videos include “Trying Saudi Arabian Candy,” “Saudi Arabian Desert Vlog,” and “Teaching a British Guy How to Speak Arabic.” Likewise, she also discusses more serious topics on her channel that affect not only her but also the Arab population at large. These topics include the refugee crisis, the true depiction of Saudi Arabia, and how quarantine is affecting the Arab community. Since creating her channel back in 2010, she has gained about 165,000 subscribers.
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