Every Monday, Culturess chooses one woman in pop culture to be our Woman of the Week. These women inspire and empower us to kick ass, take names, fight the good fight, and live our best lives. Today, our Woman of the Week is Carrie Hope Fletcher!
Anyone who has been around the YouTube block once or twice will know that there is no shortage of awesome, inspiring female content creators. Between all the lady musicians, comedians, activists, beauty bloggers, vloggers, and all the rest, YouTube has become an incredible platform for women to express themselves and display their talents. Any one of them could qualify as a Woman of the Week! But my personal favorite, and the woman whose channel I always turn to, is Carrie Hope Fletcher.
Fletcher began her YouTube channel ItsWayPastMyBedTime way back in 2011. Originally it served as a place where the aspiring musician and musical theater actress could post her own songs and covers. Eventually, though, Fletcher began to produce simple videos and vlogs on the channel. Now, five years on, Fletcher consistently posts high-quality, fun, and inspiring videos that have earned her over 600,000 YouTube subscribers – including myself, of course.
And there’s a reason why so many people, particularly so many young women, flock to ItsWayPastMyBedTime. Carrie Hope Fletcher’s priority as a content creator has always been kindness, positivity, and optimism. Over the years she’s discussed many issues on her channel. Some of them have been very serious. But in each video, Fletcher strives to help herself and others see the bright side and empower themselves. That positive demeanor, along with her middle name, is why her group of followers call themselves the Hopefuls. It’s why, for a quick shot of inspiration, I always go to her channel. And it always works. Regardless of whether the video is about getting over a bad breakup, or just a vlog about her recent Disney World trip with her boyfriend, you always come away from it feeling like you can take on the world.
But empowering her viewers and cultivating an online community of kindness is not the only thing Fletcher does. Her passion is performing. And since her channel began, she’s grown from the girl with the ukulele singing covers on her bed to a full-fledged theatrical superstar. Her breakout role as an adult was Eponine in the West End production of Les Misérables, whom she played for almost three years. Afterwards, she appeared as Truly Scrumptious in a UK tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Both roles were very sentimental for Fletcher, as she’d appeared in both plays years before; when she was a child, she played both Young Eponine and Jemima Potts. Next up, she has the UK tour of The Addams Family, in which she will play Wednesday. Her impressive theatrical resume speaks to both her talent and her work ethic, both of which are admirable and motivating to her many fans.
As if that weren’t enough, though, Fletcher has a third job – writing. Her first book was All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully. Functioning as a sort of advice book, it based on her own blog and focused on her experiences and challenges as a young woman. Most recently, though, last summer, Fletcher released her first novel, On The Other Side. A magical modern fairytale, the book is about a recently deceased woman who must delve into her past to unlock the door to heaven. Of course, she’s working on a new book now. Because no one can stop this woman.
Carrie Hope Fletcher is a full-on powerhouse. As an actress, she has taken the UK theater scene by storm, and is not letting it go any time soon. As a writer, she has released multiple books that somehow entertain, inspire, and heal one’s soul all at the same time. And as a content creator, she has created the safest, coziest online space on her YouTube channel. And she’s done it all while promoting values of kindness, positivity, hard work, self care, and empathy. Fletcher is setting an amazing example just by doing the work she loves and being kind. But her specific focus on helping and encouraging others to do the same is so meaningful and empowering. Her work and her presence are soul-healing. And I for one, look forward to much more of that. From both Fletcher and the audience whom she inspires every day.
Thank you for all that you do, Carrie Hope Fletcher!
This week, your charge is to channel Carrie. Approach your world with more kindness, more dreaming, and a sense of endless possibility, just like she would.
Next: #MondayMotivation: Our Woman of the Week is Lena Dunham!
You can find Carrie Hope Fletcher’s work here:
Youtube: Check out Carrie Hope Fletcher’s YouTube Channel, ItsWayPastMyBedTime.
On The Other Side: If you’re in the UK, you can probably find Fletcher’s novel at bookstores like Waterstones. If you’re not, check it out on Amazon.
All I Know Now: If you’re in the UK, you can probably find Fletcher’s first book at bookstores like Waterstones. If you’re not, check it out on Amazon.
Twitter: Follow Carrie on Twitter here.