The Rational Female

Will be live 6PM UK time today with a new guest, Liza Libes who runs the YouTube channel and Substack‪@pensandpoison‬

We shall discuss wokeism in literature and the potential future of the literary world. Hope to see some of you there.

8 hours ago | [YT] | 4

The Rational Female

Why I openly share about my mental health and personal struggles:

I understand we are living in an age where it's common for people to openly talk about their private lives online, particularly among my generation.

Many people are not comfortable with this and may not like this.

I have had people tell me over the years that they are not sure it's good for me to speak about my struggles online. Some also say they admire my honesty, courage and willingness to share so openly.

Why do I do this?

It's simple really: to help others, and to help myself.

I have been through a lot in my life, and I'm living proof of a person who can actually build something meaningful despite having endured severe hardship. Overcoming adversity is a strength and a quality. It's something I hugely admire in people, and in fiction.

I admire people who talk openly about their past struggles. I try and make sure everything I say is contexualised so I'm not merely "venting".

I wish I saw more people discuss mental health when I was a teenager so I didn't feel so alone. Mental illness is, in my view, as serious as physical disability (just in a different way). A lot of people don't really know how to handle it, and I have seen this in my own life.

I am not one to wallow, nor do I want people to "feel sorry" for me. I need to get things out of my head and in the form of something constructive. People need to see the grittiness of life in case they ever go through something similar, or know someone who has.

I get a lot of positive feedback on my work here on YouTube, on Substack, and among people in my personal life. I am so grateful knowing there are people out there who are benefiting from the things I say and do. I remember one day at Speaker's Corner a man said he travelled there with his family just to hear me speak.

I say things that others may be uncomfortable saying, not just about feminism and politics, but also about the nitty-gritty of life. This definitely resonates with others and I look forward to continuing to grow over the years.

I am very pleased that the conversations around mental health are improving, because when one lives with chronic mental illness, it really should be understood as extremely destabilising to one's regular life.

I want to show others that there are people who discuss mental illness genuinely, not just "for attention", and actually want to help others who may be struggling with their own difficulties. Community is the antidote to addiction, as they say.

Check out a related article of mine here: therationalf.substack.com/p/ive-been-unemployed-fo…

23 hours ago | [YT] | 17

The Rational Female

When I rebooted my channel last year, this was my first upload to this channel. It was filmed in 2018. I was 21 although I think I look younger. I was certainly a lot more "bite" back then!

1 day ago | [YT] | 10

The Rational Female

No regular video this week, taking a break. Will be live tomorrow (6PM UK time) with one new guest.

1 day ago | [YT] | 17

The Rational Female

Curiously wonder...
Are there any feminists out there who watch and (gasp!) actually like my content?

1 day ago | [YT] | 17

The Rational Female

Can you be a feminist Christian?

1 day ago | [YT] | 12

The Rational Female

Four days and multiple rounds of editing to bypass the almighty YouTube copyright guidelines later, this lengthy video is now up. It's about a character and a movie that is INCREDIBLY important to me, and I wanted to do it justice. Watch at your own pleasure.

4 days ago | [YT] | 6

The Rational Female

Which thumbnail do you prefer?

First (single image): DISNEY GOT THIS RIGHT
Second (single image): THEY GOT HER RIGHT
Third (two images): THE PERFECT BALANCE

4 days ago | [YT] | 5

The Rational Female

Okay so the video I just uploaded today got flagged for copyrighted content. YouTube said it's NOT a copyright strike, but the video itself is blocked and cannot be viewed.

I am quite upset. I have uploaded other videos that included film and TV clips, and it took me a long time to edit this video. (This is partly the reason why in some videos posted earlier this year, I used images instead of clips, to avoid copyright claims. However, I started experimenting and used clips instead of images, and so far found no issues.)

The video is on Esmeralda from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. I am speaking throughout the entire video and show clips of myself. The video just shows clips from the film in the background which I downloaded from YouTube.

Kinda bummed. Will have to re-edit the video using images instead of clips. Will have it up by the end of this week.

6 days ago | [YT] | 20

The Rational Female

Morning in Paris, the city awakes
To the bells of Notre Dame
The fisherman fishes, the baker-man bakes
To the bells of Notre Dame
To the big bells as loud as the thunder
To the little bells soft as a psalm
And some say the soul of the city's the toll of the bells
The bells of Notre Dame.

New video should be up later today 😀

6 days ago | [YT] | 23