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7 female YouTube stars. 7 stories of vulnerability they’ve never shared before.

Stories about grappling with online harassment, exploring sexual identity and facing the unknown

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October 22, 2018 at 12:06 p.m. EDT

‘Unfiltered’ is a video series from The Lily and The Washington Post.

What’s a story you’ve never told anyone before?

For YouTube stars who live their lives online, the point is to be open about almost everything. The more you can peel back to show your audience, the more they will love you. It’s all about being relatable and vulnerable.

These YouTubers — many of them young women — share their secrets and are rewarded for it by a loyal audience who truly feels like they know them.

At The Lily, we wanted to hear something new.

We headed to Vidcon this summer — a video event sponsored by YouTube, and talked to seven women from diverse backgrounds. Watch them tell their previously unheard stories.

Beauty vlogger Shalom Blac on never being in a relationship:

How feminist blogger Anita Sarkeesian fights trolls:

Molly Burke on what it’s like to go blind:

Kat Lazo on the incredible backlash to “Latinx”:

Sex expert Tyomi Morgan on finding your inner vixen:

Science journalist Anna Rothschild on fighting family pressure:

Artist Ahsante Bean on figuring out her asexuality: