Boss Millennials: Why You Should Be Listening to "According to Yelita"

I. Freaking. Hate. Podcasts. With a passion. Let's get that out of the way early.

Whenever I even hear the word "podcast," what comes to mind are four things: hipsters who think that gentrification is a good thing, douchey tech-bros, douchey finance bros, and white feminism (feminism that isn't intersectional). And interestingly enough, a few of those categories frequently tend to overlap.

Nevertheless, my friends are constantly trying to get me to listen to the latest trendy podcast.

But yesterday, one podcast managed the monumental feat of changing my outlook: According to Yelita.

I first found out about the podcast on Facebook and my interest was piqued by its content description, so I decided to give it a listen.

Upon visiting www.accordingtoyelita.com, I was welcomed by an adorable cartoon depiction of Yelita Ali--the titular owner of the site. Something about the hand-drawn, non-commercial artwork immediately gave off a genuine, earnest vibe. Something about it made me feel that this wasn't going to be some obnoxious person there to spout their expertise. (That isn't to say that the website doesn't look professional because it certainly does.) Something about it just felt...honest.

So I clicked on the SoundCloud link on the home page and listened to Episode 1: Body Image. Let me tell you, folks. That episode managed to take me through a range of emotions and had me thinking HARD about how I view my body and those of other people. As someone who's struggled with low self-esteem issues due to my looks and body, Yelita Ali's anecdotes put a lot of things into perspective for me.

It's so easy to think that your own body issues and insecurities are the most important or most detrimental, but hearing about how other people have to deal with society's fat-shaming on top of that makes you aware that there are "more things between heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophies."

Now, before you go off thinking that I didn't know about fat-shaming, you should read my review of my favorite web comic first. I'm aware of society's disturbing obsession with policing people's weight under the guise of being health-conscious Good Samaritans. No, what I hadn't had was a real person's first-hand account of the complex feelings and thoughts people have when they're faced with society's harsh, fickle "beauty" standards.

To say that I was impressed by the podcast is an understatement. The raw honesty, positivity, and humor drew me in and kept my attention through episode one and right through Episode 2: Love in the Digital Age.

So if I'm gonna leave you with anything, I'll leave you with this: Go to your iTunes, go to your SoundCloud. Type in According to Yelita. And start listening.