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#DearMe is a video campaign initiated by the website YouTube in honor of International Women's Day in March of 2015.

The aim of the movement is to empower young girls and women by inviting them to give advice to their younger selves. The initiative intends to tackle issues such as self-confidence, body image, bullying, mental health, discrimination, sexual orientation, self-discovery, racial identity, self-acceptance, and others.

In the description box of the video describing the movement, YouTube said: “We all know that growing up is tough. But if you could go back in time, what wisdom would you share with your teenage self? It all starts with two words. Dear Me.” [1]

The video “#DearMe - What Advice Would You Give Your Younger Self?” was uploaded to the YouTube Spotlight channel on March 3rd, 2015 and gained over 4 million views within a week. YouTube recruited the participation of 25 female YouTubers who each shared the advice they would give their younger selves and to their viewers.

YouTube and its participating YouTubers encouraged viewers to join the movement, upload their own #DearMe videos, use the hashtag on social media platforms, and create and share GIFs on the YouTube Tumblr page. [2]

Background

The #DearMe campaign was inspired by the It Gets Better Project launched in September of 2010. The campaign was created in response to a series of teenage suicides caused by harassment over sexual orientation.
#DearMe was launched after the #ProudtoPlay campaign, also initiated by YouTube in June 2014 to raise awareness against discrimination of homosexual athletes.

“YouTube is a place where people can come together, share interests, relate experiences and offer each other support. From #ItGetsBetter to #ProudtoPlay, we’ve seen our community inspire and empower those in need of encouragement. Today, we’re asking you to do the same for girls who don’t have to face their problems alone.” said Cathy Tang, YouTube’s Marketing Manager on the website’s official blog. [3]

YouTube recruited 25 female YouTubers, including Hannah Hart, Laci Green, Felicia Day, Michelle Phan, Lindsey Sterling, Lilly Singh, Ihascupcake, Bunny Meyer, Hannah Witton, Magali Vaz, Bilingirl, Issa Rae, Rosianna Rojas, Chesca Leigh, Gigi Chao, Lucy and Lydia, Sherry Shroff, SasakiAsahi, Pixiwoo, Rebecca Brown, Grace Helbig, Brittani Louis Taylor, Ashley Sander, Shruti Anand and Nadine Sykora.

The list comprises women of various countries, cultures, races, backgrounds, sexual orientations, and diverse audience and content on YouTube. [4]

Reception

The hashtag #DearMe became the number one trending topic worldwide on Twitter within an hour after its creation. [5]

Among the participants of the movement, New York female politicians have also uploaded their videos #DearMe. Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, First Lady Chirlane McCray, counsel to the mayor Maya Wiley and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s communications director Melissa DeRosa all participated in the movement and gave their younger selves advice. [6]

Other participants included the Good Morning America anchors Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Lara Spencer, Ginger Zee and Amy Robach. [7]

Criticism

While the campaign has had a positive reception [8][9][10], it has also drawn some negative criticism. Opponents criticized the message perpetrated by the campaign that being an adult is better, which could be more damaging than helpful for teenagers. Moreover, YouTube is being criticized for launching such campaigns as a marketing strategy to promote their website and incite user engagement and views.[11]