Lilly Singh is one of the world’s highest-paid YouTube sensations with over 9 million subscribers. I’ve been a witness to her evolution, and I’ve become a huge fan. Lilly is a Canadian of Indian-Punjabi descent. As a YouTube vlogger, she goes by the username “iiSuperwomanii.” Her videos portray Punjabi culture and social norms as well as the irony and comedy in everyday life. Her humor is digestible for a mass audience, and although there might be specific references to “desi culture,” this can be easily overlooked by the overpowering strength of her universal humor. Entertaining as she is, with time she has shown she is so much more than just a comedian.
My journey started by watching short comedy videos on her YouTube channel. One of Lilly’s most popular segments and one of my personal favorites is: “My Parents React." She stresses in numerous interviews that the characters are not based on her real parents. “Paramjit” and “Manjit” have been pieced together by several identities and stories of overbearing Punjabi aunts and uncles she has encountered throughout her life. These videos and vlogs reinforce existing representations of the “helicopter parent” and the strict “desi parent.” Her videos provide a contextualized and personalized environment. Desi children are able to visualize family situations unfold as if they were occurring in our own households. As a religious Superwoman follower, I have several of her videos bookmarked. There is one video from “My Parents React” that never fails to make me laugh, no matter how many times I watch it. In this video, Paramjit and Manjit respond to the official "Fifty Shades of Grey" trailer. Check it out below!
What has kept me hooked goes beyond my personal taste. I have recognized that Superwoman has universal appeal and has an important social message to offer. It is one thing for me to see her parents react to Jimmy Fallon, hear them mispronounce his name and find myself imagining some of my aunts and uncles mispronounce it in exactly the same way. Quite another watching with my friend who is Mexican. I see her laugh at the same point. There is something that hits home with each of her videos, whether it be an exaggerated foreign accent or missed social cues, no matter where you are from.
As Superwoman reaches a wide audience, her platform acts as a way of bridging the gap between second-generation South Asians and their peers from other ethnic backgrounds. There is something empowering about not being the brunt of cultural jokes, but actually laughing at yourselves along with your friends. Establishing such platforms helps South Asians to narrate their own story. Her videos highlight our presence as a united and strong community as well as a global community. They demonstrate assimilation, not alienation, and portray how we are all the same.
Lilly’s evolution can be attributed to her ability to draw upon her strength in making a connection with a wide audience. She has progressed from being a comedian to a life coach. Inspired by her own struggles with depression, Superwoman created the concept of a “unicorn island.” Lilly describes this as “a state you reach when you decide that everything is OK, and you are happy.” Eager to share this idea her fans, she organized a World Tour in 2015 where she performed and spoke across the globe. The content of her YouTube videos has evolved with her. She continues to make comedic videos, but has also incorporated life lessons into her repertoire. Her latest video, “5 Reasons You WILL Succeed,” identifies the importance of technology and your relationship with your parents among key elements for a successful life.
Currently Superwoman is working on her book, “How to Be a Bawse,” to be released in March 2017. She discusses how the only way to achieve your dreams is through hard work, because in Lilly’s world, “there are no escalators. Only stairs.”
From touring the world, to winning MTV Awards, to becoming a published author, Lilly Singh has become an inspiration and a role model for people all over the world. With an ever-expanding platform and audience to reach out to, who knows what Superwoman is capable of in the future? I eagerly await.
