When I first discovered Canadian couple Steph Leclair and Kristen McKenzie, I became obsessed. In 2016, Steph and Kristen won the Amazing Race Canada and quit their jobs to travel the world, documenting their journey through their YouTube channel @Kristen_McKenzie. After their initial rise to prominence with travel vlogs, they continued posting daily life vlogs along with Q&As and challenges.
I was around 13 or 14 when I found their channel, and I was entranced by Steph and Kristen’s relationship. Every time they posted a new video, I rushed to watch it, itching to be updated on their life together. I even bought a sweatshirt from their clothing brand, This Common Love.
In a recent YouTube Short, a fan, @DearTaylorWoods said, “I’ve honestly been watching [Steph and Kristen’s] channel for like, I think six years, and I didn’t know why I liked them so much, until I–until I, you know, figured some things out, then I was like ‘oh, cause this is the only depiction I have ever seen of like, normal life’”. This clicked for me. Steph and Kristen were one of the only examples I could think of for what I wanted my future as a lesbian to look like.
Social media has created a window into other people’s lives that has never existed before. We can watch morning routines of people we’ve never met and house tours of people across the world. While that seemingly endless connectedness can fester into relationships that turn parasocial or problematic in nature, it can also yield many positive outcomes.
For example, many queer kids don’t have healthy precedents of what normal life can look like. They may be the only person they know who is queer, or may only know other queer young people. And even if LGBTQ topics are briefly touched on in school (which they often aren’t), queer kids may not have seen representation of a future that fits them. It doesn’t mean that they won’t end up queer if they don’t have this representation. It means that they will struggle more to envision and realize their goals for life, embarking on a journey that doesn’t have a clear path. It can also mean that they look up to, and try to emulate, unhealthy queer relationships because they haven’t seen anything better.
There are many other examples of this representation on social media. Julie and Camila are known for chronicling their house renovation and IVF journey. Victoria and Lindsay became famous for their challenges and couples content. Team2Moms (Denise and Ebony) share their parenting experiences. Pierre and Nicky (though they’ve since broken up) made videos about their relationship and cultural differences. Josh and Matt update the internet on their house design project. These couples aren’t necessarily known for changing the world, they’re known for being just that: couples. However, in simply documenting their lives together, no matter how mundane, they are changing a culture that usually only spotlights heterosexual couples.
I believe that this is one of social media’s greatest strengths. It gives us a chance to connect with those who are similar to us. It sheds light on who we can be and what our lives can look like. Most importantly, it makes us feel less alone. The more Steph and Kristens there are sharing their lives online, the more young queer kids can dream of a future that belongs to them.
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