These YouTubers Are Inspiring If You're Single

Valentine's Day approaches, AKA the day of reckoning. Perhaps moreso than on any other day, we will be grouped into the "taken" and "single" categories like cupid's *blessed and rejected cattle, respectively.

Relationships can be a beautiful thing. In particular, there's much to be said for the benefits of having one, resting safe within the downy arms of its stigma-resistant embrace, during the month of February. After all, this is a time that it seems our worth and relevance are contingent upon them.

But you're relevant all on your own! Our culture places undue importance on being in a romantic partnership, and a holiday like Valentine's Day may influence otherwise-content people to feel that they need a mate in order to feel complete. It's not our relationships statuses that defines us, but our interests, passions, accomplishments, and the quality of all our relationships (romantic or not). And maintaining those priorities, while in a relationship or not, is what defines us.

This, then, is no anti-Valentine's tirade but instead a nod to those of us strong enough to maintain our own identities whether we're single or coupled. We commend you.

1. Marzia Bisognin (CutiePieMarzia)

Marzia is a style and beauty enthusiast and YouTuber whose unique, creative content has allowed her to build a subscriber base standing almost five million strong. Her fashion-based skits, animations, and reviews have garnered such popularity that she's now designing her own (fregging adorable) clothes. She's also dating a guy named Felix, better known as Pewdiepie, who happens to have YouTube's most popular channel. In the video above, Marzia acknowledges Felix and the fact that it seems, despite her achievements, she continues to struggle to be seen as much more than Felix's girlfriend. She's a strong woman and a great role model for people following their passion.

2. Brittney Lee Saunders (BRITTNEYLEESAUNDERS)

Brittney is refreshingly honest and brings to the table a level of candor that YouTube is lacking in many other respects. Her videos range from beauty tutorials to personal stories, where she's shared her experiences with cheating, hooking up and the dating game as a whole. She provides the somewhat fresh and empowering take that, frankly, sh*t happens; while dating can suck, it should never alter how you view yourself or hinder your own ambition.

3. Philip DeFranco (Philip DeFranco)

There aren't enough channels that hit our culture upside the head quite like Philip DeFranco's. He runs a show Monday through Thursday where he cites facts and poses important questions about trending news and the nature of our society as a whole. He met his fiancé, Lindsay, at a YouTube event. Though he credits the site for the romance that led to his firstborn son and a whole lot of happiness, the coupling never led to a change in priority or drop in dedication. As a matter of fact, his channel has increased in quality drastically.

4. Colleen Ballinger (PsychoSoprano)

Colleen Ballinger, also known as MirandaSings, is an actress, performer, singer and all-around triple threat. The rockstar is constantly on tour, performing as hilarious alter ego Miranda across the world. She's a fantastic testament to the fact that you can have a perfectly successful personal life (she got engaged last year) while killing it when it comes to chasing your own dreams.

5. Leighannsays

Leigh Ann is a genuine, funny YouTuber focusing on beauty tutorials, fashion hauls and Q&As. One of the most notable aspects of her channel is that there is no drama allowed; her occasionally dry sense of humor coupled with a very likable personality have made it easy for her to fend off the many questions viewers have on her personal life and relationship status. She's never included much detail, because that's not what her channel is about; her content is helpful and high-quality, and she's another great example of the feasibility of keeping your personal and public life separate.

*hashtag

Images: YouTube/PsychoSoprano (2); YouTube/CutiePieMarzia (1); YouTube/BRITTNEYLEESAUNDERS (1); YouTube/PhilipDeFranco (1); YouTube/Leighannsays (1)