The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia Meet The Psychology Major Who Became The Highest Paid Female On YouTube (Lilly Singh)
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Oct 9, 2025 
Lilly Singh, a comedian, creator, and author, transitioned from an immigrant upbringing to becoming a YouTube sensation. She shares how storytelling serves as a tool for gender equity and the inspiration behind her raunchy sex comedy, Doing It, aimed at normalizing female sexuality. Lilly discusses the challenges of authenticity in the age of algorithms, the importance of connection with her audience, and her commitment to supporting South Asian creators through her initiative, Hyphenate. She emphasizes the value of therapy, negotiating pay, and unlearning the need for likability.
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Fuel From Feeling Like A Disappointment
- Lilly Singh grew up as the second daughter in a Punjabi immigrant family and felt like a disappointment, which fueled her drive.
- She turned that chip on her shoulder into motivation to prove girls can do anything and build skills to remove doubt for future girls.
Storytelling As Cultural Intervention
- Lilly Singh argues storytelling changes culture and can be an intervention for gender norms.
- Seeing someone do something offers an example that empowers others to act and imagine new possibilities.
Making A Sex Comedy To Reclaim Shame
- Lilly describes her film Doing It as a raunchy sex comedy about a 37-year-old virgin who teaches sex ed to unlearn shame.
- She made it to normalize female sexual agency and address the lack of culturally specific sex education she experienced.