// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Bestdressed say? "I'm well-suited
Bestdressed | |
|---|---|
 Rous in 2019 | |
| Born | Ashley Rous May 4, 1998 |
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) |
| Years active | 2015–2020 |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Genres |
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| Subscribers | 3.51 million |
| Views | 299.5 million |
| Last updated: July 21, 2026 | |
Ashley Rous (born May 4, 1998), also known as Bestdressed (stylized in all lowercase), is an American former fashion YouTuber. Her videos also included lifestyle and vlog content and transparent conversations about sexuality and mental health. She first went viral in 2018 through her thrifting content, but left YouTube in 2020. Since, Rous began creating short films for fashion brands such as Celine, Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger, and Marc Jacobs.[1]
Early life
[edit source]Ashley Rous was born on May 4, 1998, in Ellicott City, Maryland.[2] She is a second-generation Asian-American; she is half-British and half-Burmese, although she is ethnically half-Chinese.[3] Rous was artsy growing up and her parents had doctorates in chemistry and physics.[2] In her family, having a YouTube channel was not positively perceived and, as of 2019, Rous had never told her parents about her channel. Rous grew up watching YouTubers such as Jenn Im and Michelle Phan and was inspired by them to pursue YouTube.[4] She was not interested much in fashion and was a tomboy until her sister forced her to watch Project Runway, leading to her gaining an interest in thrifting after she needed something to do after she got her wisdom teeth removed.[5]
In 2016, Rous moved to Los Angeles for college,[3] graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles in March 2019 with a BA in film, TV, and digital media.[2][6] She was also accepted into Stanford University, but turned it down to pursue film.[2]
Career
[edit source]Rous created her YouTube channel in 2015, when she was in her senior year of high school. Before getting into fashion, she had previously started other channels, which included a pipe cleaner animation channel and a stand-up comedy channel, but they have since been deleted.[2] After two years of consistently uploading, she had only reached a thousand subscribers and an average of ten views on her videos.[4] She had also made a business of reselling thrifted clothes online, which initially started as a side hustle on Poshmark and Depop. She later created her own website to do so.[2] Rous had also gained experience by editing for the YouTube channel The Sorry Girls until she quit to focus on her own content.[7] She began gaining popularity in 2018, when one of her thrift haul videos reached 200,000 views, leading to her gaining 25,000 subscribers.[2]
Rous stopped uploading to YouTube in December 2020, with her last video being an apartment tour where she mentioned that she was dealing with a stalker. Ella Porteous of The New Feminist also attributed Rous' leave to negative comments about her taking an Amazon sponsorship and her candor with sex. Porteous also noted criticism of her on snark subreddits.[1][8] After leaving YouTube, she began creating short films and Reels for fashion brands such as Celine, Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger, and Marc Jacobs.[1] In 2022, she attended that year's CFDA Fashion Awards and wore a vintage Dior gown.[9]
Awards and nominations
[edit source]| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Shorty Awards | Breakout YouTuber of the Year | Nominated | [10] |
| 2019 | Streamy Awards | Fashion | [11] | |
| 2020 | Fashion and Style | [12] | ||
References
[edit source]- 1 2 3 Porteous, Ella (May 27, 2023). "From empowerment to demonisation: Exploring the treatment of women influencers through @bestdressed's online presence". The New Feminist. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hale, James (May 3, 2019). "YouTube Millionaires: Ashley (aka 'Bestdressed') Teaches The Internet How To Do Fashion With A Combo Of "Uncensored Personality" And Expertly Crafted Videos". Tubefilter. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- 1 2 bestdressed (November 30, 2017). 50 FACTS ABOUT ME. Retrieved July 21, 2026 – via YouTube.
- 1 2 Delgado, Martha (February 12, 2019). "9th annual GenerAsian Conference empowers the femme API community". The Highlander Newspaper. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Interview with Ashley (bestdressed): Part 2 in the Power of Influence series. : Fashion Revolution". www.fashionrevolution.org. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ Weiss, Geoff (October 21, 2020). "Boutique Talent Management Firm Rare Global Signs Fashion Creator 'BestDressed'". Tubefilter. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ Watson, Madalyn (July 20, 2019). "Meet Ashley, aka bestdressed, the Queen of Aesthetic Thrifting". Study Breaks. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ Mackin, Ali (March 30, 2024). "Where is Ashley of BestDressed? – ALLIE NYC". Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ McGinty, Julia (January 20, 2023). "Ashley Rous is Redefining Influencer Fashion | VALLEY Magazine". Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ "YouTuber of the Year in Social Media - Shorty Awards". shortyawards.com. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
- ↑ "9th Annual Streamy Nominees & Winners". The Streamy Awards. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ↑ "10th Annual Streamy Nominees & Winners". The Streamy Awards. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2024.