Why Grav3yardgirl Stopped Lying and Started Being Herself

The story of a YouTuber who confronted her own online mortality and came out the other side stronger, wiser, and more authentic than ever.

Bunny Meyer, a.k.a. grav3yardgirl, has been posting vlogs since 2011 and is the host of a popular series on her channel called “Does This Thing Really Work?” But, over the last few years, her video traffic began to slip and she had to confront the reality that maybe this isn’t what she’s meant to do forever. In some new videos, and a series with Shane Dawson, she’s taken a huge step to becoming her more authentic self.

In a video titled “Why I’ve Been Lying About My Life,” she details how she’s been in a major creative slump over the past year and a half and was more concerned with subscribers, views, and giving her fans what she thought they wanted, rather than doing what she wanted. As one of many YouTubers who’s dealt with depression and anxiety, Bunny had to weigh the rigors of running a YouTube channel with her own mental health. But, she says, that leaving some of her own content behind and becoming more authentic is working.

One thing Bunny says she wants to get back to is focusing on fashion, a major passion of hers. But, she was afraid to reveal to her audience the inspiration she got from this $5,000 Christian Dior purse because she didn’t want to seem “unrelatable”. She even revealed some of these concerns to Shane Dawson in a video on his channel.

Though it’s different from the kind of content she was doing the last few years, it really is remarkably authentic and brave to be so open about the way depression and anxiety were making her think. To report on this story, Yahoo Life even consulted a psychologist who talked on the subject of “social permission.” She said: “People do not have an easy time making themselves vulnerable. There’s so much at stake. If you put your authentic self out there, and it’s not well received, you’re really playing your hand, and people are afraid of that. But if people see other people being authentic, then they’ll take risks, also.”

Bunny appears prepared to take those risks. She’s announced that she’s taking “Does This Thing Really Work” in a new direction, dubbing it grav3yardgirl 2.0, and fans and fellow YouTubers are already loving the idea.

Do you find it hard to be your authentic self? Are you going to keep up with grav3yardgirl and Shane Dawson’s series on YouTube creators? Let us know in the comments.

For more stories like this, follow us on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.