Embracing the Divine Feminine and Claiming Authority as a New Age Spirituality Influencer on YouTube

This article explores the foundational work of Teal Swan, one of the original New Age spirituality influencers, who has been releasing YouTube videos since 2011. The analysis focuses on two notable aspects of Swan’s work: first, how she uses the YouTube platform, especially thumbnail images, to get people to watch the videos; and second, how she leans into femininity to claim authority. Through a visual analysis of Swan’s thumbnail images and a content analysis of her most popular videos, I assert that Swan embraces stereotypically feminine traits of demure emotions, attractive looks, flirtatious gestures, and a calm and passive demeanor to claim authority as a spiritual leader. The New Age rhetoric in Swan’s videos relates to prior spirituality movements in the U.S. While women in these previous movements strategically engaged with feminine traits of sensitivity and passivity in order to advocate for equal rights, Swan’s videos set the foundation for the current trend of post-feminist influencers who reject feminist political action but embrace femininity and essentialist gender roles as the source of individual fulfillment.