Critiquing a Media Critic

Rachel "Bunny" Meyer is a Texas native who started her YouTube vlog in 2010. The channel focused on her experiences with the paranormal, but has since flourished into a channel of many topics: fashion, makeup, hauls, "tea vlogs" and what I'll discuss here, trials of various infomercial products. Under the screen name Grav3yardgirl, Meyer has accumulated a fan base coined "The Swamp Family," just shy of 8 million subscribers.

Bunny appeals to a broad audience. "Judging by the comments on her videos, Bunny's down-to-earth personality and goofy sense of humor are what make her relatable and magnetic, quickly drawing viewers in," said Margot Peppers of Daily Mail. I can attest to this. Expect Bunny will come to your screen as a glam-girl or a "rock and roll garbage can," in the words of Meyer herself. Her videos have excellent production quality, but the star herself doesn't worry as much about her appearance.  This makes her videos engaging in the sense that she could easily just be a friend testing a product right in your living room! Bunny is highly personable because of her quirk and human error alike, both of which she doesn't edit out. She's not simply targeting the "girly-girl" audience, but one that welcomes humor as well as beauty and grungy fashion tips. 

In the series "Does This Thing Really Work?" Bunny tests popular "As Seen On TV" products as well as those which are popular or requested. As with any typical Bunny video, you'll get something along the lines of a disastrous trial and error process that leaves both the viewer and Bunny confused. Oftentimes, she'll have another go at the products as fans will always point out her obvious mistakes. You can expect every video to be within the 10-20 minute range, and presented in the following format:

DOES THIS THING REALLY WORK? 

- Video Introduction

- Product overview

- Instructions 

- Doubt and/or excitement

- Antics and product use

- This thing doesn't work (Most of the time)

- Doubt ("Tell me if I'm doing it wrong, but I don't think I am!")

- Video close (Like, Comment, Subscribe)

Hair Sucker - "Does This Thing Really Work?"

This is not the channel to visit if you're looking for a straight-forward tutorial. This is the channel to go to if you're looking to be entertained, if you need a pick-me-up,  or an awesome makeup tutorial! But don't expect anything different about the format of videos in other categories! Bunny's personality is the star of every episode in every series. This can be both beneficial and damaging to her content.

For the most part, I'm willing to stick with Bunny for the full duration simply for the entertainment factor. If I'm looking for an actual tutorial, I'm probably not going to go to Bunny. As stated before, her videos are long, and are more a showcase of her vibrant personality than tutorial. Also, she almost always fails at proper product usage. While her human-error is endearing, it can be both enlightening as well as gimmicky. Some instructions are unclear, but not as unclear as they always seem to Bunny. On the plus side, manufactures and consumers alike can take notes from the practicality of said products by viewing her videos. Users aren't always willing to invest the time into figuring a product out before diving in, like Bunny, despite countless, unnecessary attempts to get it right.

With 1200+ videos in her arsenal, Bunny clocks in as one of the highest earners on YouTube, drawing in anywhere from $44K to nearly $60k+ per month according to Social Blade. Last year she released her first cosmetic line with Tarte including "Swamp Queen" lip paints and pallets. Bunny utilizes social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat) to promote her products and videos as well as to engage with viewers. As long as Bunny produces relevant and genuine content, her popularity can only grow; despite her seemingly lack of: 

Just a joke! Check out Bunny's YouTube channel here: Grav3yardgirl. Check out the "Does This Thing Really Work?" playlist by clicking the title.