Murder, Mystery & Makeup with Bailey Sarian

Oxford Dictionary defines true crime as a genre of writing, film, etc., in which real crimes are examined or portrayed; compare sense and details the actions of real people. When talking about crime or anything gruesome in general, it can be taxing and very emotionally overwhelming to the point you can get burned out or just plain put off due to the amount of heaviness that comes with cases. “True crime works can impact the crimes they cover and the audience who consumes it.[3]The genre is often criticized for being insensitive to the victims and their families and is described by some as trash culture” [4] (Stinson, Annakeara & Roberts, Soraya). What is it about true crime that seems to draw people into exploring the world of criminology and crime through the help of books, podcasts, tv shows, etc.? According to Christie Tcharkhoutian, LMFT, a counselor who works with patients who have experienced trauma, “the psychological reason that we are attracted to watching true crime shows is to re-experience traumatic situations in safe environments.” (Stinson, Annakeara).

“If it involves true crime, investigations, documentaries, or murder mysteries and makeup, count me in.” To some, true crime and murder mysteries have become a form of escapism throughout this 2020 covid pandemic. To others, it is a community where people get to come together and discuss some of the gruesome and unsolvable crimes that humans have committed. Due to this pandemic, I ventured off on Facebook and came across the video of Bailey Sarian, a YouTuber who does makeup while talking about true crime; instantly, I was intrigued and clicked the video. I became a fan after one video and headed off to her YouTube channel to see if she had any more videos, and indeed, she did. Now let’s venture into the mind of Bailey Sarian and how she gained so many followers with her well-planned videos and her makeup process. I find that the makeup process to her videos adds a different take to true crime podcasts. She was one of the first people to start this trend on YouTube, which consisted of talking about true crime and doing her makeup; soon after, people began hopping on the trend.

Like most true crime podcasters, Bailey takes time prepping her videos since she is an avid fan of true crime herself. Bailey and her fellow team research get suggestions from her followers and look into crimes they are interested in learning. Bailey and her team thoroughly investigate and research the murder mysteries before releasing videos each week to ensure they are giving the viewers the correct facts and knowledge. I think that keeps the integrity of what true crime is because you tell someone’s story, and you want to make sure that the information is given out correctly to create dialogue. Bailey’s take on true crime allows people to seek the thrills and dark nature that crime brings while also learning how to do your makeup simultaneously. Many people might find it weird because you’re listening to topics regarding murder but are secondhand learning. The nail was hit straight on the coffin with this YouTube channel Murder, Mystery & Makeup. Over 4.63 million people are subscribed to Bailey’s channel, and her views per weekly videos range from 400,00- 2 million views, which honestly isn’t that bad for a YouTube channel.

What’s interesting about these true crime podcasts and YouTube channels discussing unsolved cases and murders is that people like to consume this type of product; it allows people to experience the comfort of their own homes, the gruesome realities in the criminology field. People like to seek thrills and true crime allows people that have a fascination with murder mysteries to get off on the horror that many of these crimes bring without having to necessarily experience or go through these gruesome acts of violence on a personal level. Honestly, after watching a few of her videos, you can see that she uses humor, and makeup to relatively shield herself and create an armor because indeed, many of the cases that she research are very dark, gory, and just heavy. Overall, if you’re into makeup and murder and true crime Bailey Sarian is the go-to person for you. And as Bailey Sarian herself states “I hope you have a wonderful day, and make good choices.”

Work Cited

“How True Crime Shows Affect Your Brain, According To Trauma Therapists.”
Elite Daily. Retrieved 2019-11-12.

“True Crime and the Trash Balance.” Longreads. Automattic. 2019-01-18.
Retrieved 2019-11-12.