YouTuber Ms Rachel is one of Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year
The children's entertainer has been recognised for her expansive media footprint and her vocal activism.
Children’s educator and YouTube star Rachel Accurso, better known to the world as Ms Rachel, turned heads on the red carpet at Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards — not just for her recognition, but for the little designers behind her dress.
The award-winner arrived at New York’s Plaza Hotel on November 4 in a custom upcycled gown embroidered with artwork created by children from Gaza. Each illustration, paired with the artist’s name stitched in Arabic, told a story — one she “proudly carried”, quite literally, on her sleeve.
Accurso was honoured with a spot last month on Glamour’s Women of the Year list. She started posting videos of herself on YouTube six years ago to help her son manage his speech delay. What began almost half a decade ago as a mother’s attempt to help her son has now turned into a global phenomenon.
Her YouTube channel — once just a handful of cheerful sing-alongs — has grown into a media powerhouse: 13 billion views, 17 million subscribers, which she now uses to advocate for the most vulnerable of the world’s children, particularly in conflict zones such as Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine.
According to Glamour, she had asked a few children from Gaza to create artwork that told their stories for the event. She then got the artwork embroidered on an upcycled dress.
Speaking to red carpet hosts Brooks and Grace Ann Nader, she said, “I’m carrying their stories in my heart. They all know about the dress, and they’re so excited.”
She also carried printed portraits of each child alongside their artwork.
According to Glamour, Ms Rachel requested the children to create drawings that reflected their stories. The finished artworks were then embroidered onto the black gown with a cream overlay on top — transforming it into a wearable gallery of hope, home, and resilience.
Here’s a closer look at the art (and artists) that adorned her dress:
Luna painted a self-portrait of a little girl hugging a slice of watermelon with a little heart on top — a symbol of Palestinian identity and love for her land.
Shahed painted a boat with sails in the colours of the Palestinian flag, with the words “Ride with us” written across its hull.
Rana created a heart-shaped Palestinian flag encircled by the leaves of an olive tree — representing their enduring connection with the Palestinian land.
She also painted another whimsical visual of the universe, where stars, planets and the moon poured out of a bucket.
Ahmed drew a heart-wrenching drawing of a small boy carrying the burden of his entire house and belongings on his shoulder, depicting the story of millions of displaced Palestinians by capturing the grief of displacement.
For his second drawing, he drew a girl in red skates standing tall with wings on her shoulders.
Anne drew a large dove covered in colourful flowers — placed prominently on the front of Ms Rachel’s gown — symbolising peace.
Sara drew a sunset by the shore, with a house and tree beside it — perhaps a longing for home. The sun, painted as a watermelon, echoed the Palestinian spirit of resilience.
Mohammed painted two yellow birds perched on a branch, facing each other, with three hearts in the colours of the Palestinian flag between them.
Rama painted a little girl walking alone down a long road towards her school, marked by a Palestinian flag atop the building — a scene both hopeful and haunting.
Lastly, Rahaf’s artwork’s life-sized embroidery along the tail of Ms Rachel’s dress told a tender story — a little girl feeding an injured cat from a bowl labelled “Hope”. The scene was rich with detail: a bandage on the cat also marked with “hope,” and beside them, a torn book with a single flower blooming from its pages.
The extraordinary attention to detail and the love with which Accurso shared the stories of the artworks just proves why she’s everyone’s favourite advocate for children around the world.
All photos via Ms Rachel For Littles/Instagram