Zoella - Representation Flashcards
Sexualisation
- Zoella and other women are not often sexualised in her content.
- Women are often shown in quite ‘family friendly’ ways e.g. no swearing, no revealing clothing and a focus on fun rather than shock value.
- Zoella may choose to represent herself and others like this because of the young age of her target audience.
- Another reason is that she may want to avoid bad publicity, to avoid losing sponsers or brand deals.
- Zoella ‘performs’ a lot of tasks repetivively in her videos. Tasks that often associted with feminity, e.g. apply make-up, trying on clothes, cooking, cleaning etc.
- These performances may construct her identity as female, and reinforce notions of what feminity means to the audience.
Mental Health
- Seeing ‘imperfections’, e.g. no make-up, spots, crying, messy house etc, adds to this representation of ‘reality’ and makes it feel like we are seeing the real Zoella, even though it is likely stilll heavily constructed.
- Zoella even tackles some isssues that are often seen as ‘taboo’, e.g. mental health such as anxiety, depression, sexual health such as smear tests etc.
- This adds to the feeling of reality as well as we are seeing aspects that might traditionally be left out of typical media representations that are idealised.
- Fans feel as though she is exposing her real life.
- Despite this, Zoella’s posts are still heavily constructed, e.g. images chosen, edited, text written, etc.
- Thus, what we are seeing is a hyperreal ‘simulacrum’ of Zoella.
Relatablity
- Zoella’s videos and posts feature her doing a lot of relatable actvities such as cooking, cleaning, going out with friends etc.
- This helps the audience relate to her / identify with her and see her as a normal person.
Main focus of content
- Zoella also uses a lot of shots of make-up and hair products being used and demonstrated.
- Zoella uses reasonably overtly feminine body language and actions such as applying make-up, touchinh her lips and hair, etc.
Representation of Gender
• The emphasis on Fashion and beauty that is commonly found in blogs and vlogs
aimed at teen and pre-teen girls could be seen to reinforce stereotypical understandings of gender.
• In many ways, the function that these products perform, particularly in term of
gender socialisation, is similar to the role that has traditionally been performed
by girl’s magazines.
• The make-up tutorials and demos that feature prominently on YouTube channels
of beauty vloggers like Zoella and Tanya Burr could be said to perform a function in reinforcing beauty standards and consumption of beauty products.
• Significantly, these channels are often monetised through advertising and
sponsorship relating to the beauty industry
Zoella and Femininity: What are the most common videos/blog posts
that Zoella makes?
- Most common types of content on her YouTube: Makeup tutorials, fashion hauls. E.g. what’s in my make-up bag, autumn favourites, Summer makeup tutorial, half up knot hair tutorial.
To what extent does Zoella’s femininity reinforce or challenge gender stereotypes?
- Make-up tutorials:
How is Gender represented in ‘My Boyfriend vs My Brother,’ by Zoella?
Zoella:
- Pink clothing -> stereotypically feminine.
- Heavy make-up -> Full beat, Glamour, Opposes her boyfriend and Brothers bare faces, reinforcing the association of make up with women.
- Favourite hobbies guessed: Flower arranging, shopping, baking —> stereotypically female hobbies.
- Constantly fixing her hair, checking her appearance —> reinforces stereotype that women are particularly conscious of their appearance.
- Giggling, feminine representation
- Female frustration at male behaviour, mothering.
How is gender represented in ‘My Boyfriend vs My Brother,’ by Joe and Alfie.
- Male immaturity/childishness —> smelling feet, silly noises, squabbling with each other.
- Relatability: ‘Crappy camera.’
- Binary opposition of clothing —> Alfie wearing a black hoodie, Joe wearing a nude hoodie, Zoella wearing a pink jumper.
Examples of gender representation in Zoella’s old content:
- ‘Huge PO Box opening,’ —> overconsumption, female stereotypes of shopping reinforced.
- ‘Boyfriend does my ASOS shop.’ —> code of expression: fear —> men know nothing about shopping unlike women.
- ‘Teen years,’ -> Personal, relatability. Representation of women’s issues.
Examples of gender representation by Zoella in her new content:
- ‘Preparing for the new body’ —> Maternal content, child in thumbnail, represents women as maternal, family oriented.
- ‘Bump update,’ maternal, relatability.
More than a stereotype
- While Zoella’s content does have
a lot of stereotypical representation. - It’s important to remember that this is
constructed and she is also a self made business woman who built a platform to monetise! - She’s more than just the beauty and fashion videos.
Relevant theory:
