Photo courtesy of Meredith Edwards.
Meredith Edwards
VHHS graduate Meredith Edwards has built an online following through her YouTube videos about fashion and lifestyle.
Meredith Edwards loves talking about fashion and beauty. What sets the recent Vestavia Hills High School graduate apart, however, is that over 50,000 YouTube subscribers are tuning in to what she has to say.
Edwards launched her YouTube channel “southernbelle606” about two years ago. The channel focuses on fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Initially, she knew a few friends who had YouTube channels and was introduced to the idea of starting her own.
“I wanted to make my first video for a while,” Edwards said. “I was really nervous to post the first one.”
Her decision turned out to be far from a mistake.
“At first when I saw that I had five subscribers, I was already pretty excited. Then before I knew it, the number began to grow. I didn’t expect to have so many subscribers so quickly,” Edwards said.
Edwards credits her popularity to her videos’ focus points in capturing middle school, high school and college girls’ attentions. Particularly for younger girls just beginning to experiment with make-up and deciding their likes and dislikes in fashion, Edwards provides insight in her videos to guide them in the best way to approach a natural or, at times, bold look.
The routine of a video is rather simple: each video ranges from five to ten minutes and concentrates on a specific theme. The themes stem from Edwards’ own ideas; however, she also takes into account suggestions and requests from subscribers.
“After I plan out an idea, I decide on the best location to film the video,” Edwards said. “Then I basically just set up the camera, film, edit and upload.”
In a recent video, for example, Edwards shared her high school advice. She narrowed her recommendations into a list of “10 Things I Wish I Knew Before High School.” Edwards personally edits and uploads each taping.
Additionally, close friends and family members at times are invited to make an appearance in the videos.
“I want to feature my brother in one sometime soon,” Edwards said. “I think he’s wanted to be in one for a while.”
She plans to continue her YouTube channel as she starts her freshman year at Belmont University in Nashville. She’s considering majoring in communication or business, specifically in marketing.
“Everything will still be the same after I go to college,” she said. “The only difference will be how my fashion changes as I grow older.”
Her YouTube show also plays a role in Edwards’ future career plans.
“For a career, I mainly want to be more involved in the fashion and business aspect of what I am currently doing, but I’m also planning to continue my involvement in filming and video-making,” Edwards said.
