Tuesday, 3 March 2020

Zoella, gender performance and gender performativity

Sugg's relationship with Deyes is a carefully constructed, hyperreal and,
tellingly sexless representation of an idealised relationship

  • Zoella's house is stereotypically 'female'. She is surrounded with gendered aspects of MES such as flowers. Reinforces a stereotypical representation of gender
  • Heavy makeup, including 'smokey' eye-shadow, symbolic of sexuality? Yet Zoella appears 'sexless'. She seems normal, approachable, a girl on the street
  • Outfit: 'normcore' plane jumper, grey and non-form fitting. Crew-neck grey jumper, symbolic of a standard and straightforward and non-sexualised fashion.
  • Setting: kitchen. Symbolic of old fashioned representations of femininity, and reinforces hegemonic norms and social values regarding women
  • "they're too big to get in the back", clear distinction between genders. Alfie announces loudly he has been down the gym, and is wearing a vest, emphasising his body
  • A clear binary opposition is constructed between Zoella, who is particularly small, and Alfie, who is significantly larger. This binary once more constructs a binary opposition between gender
  • Zoella's lifestyle: "I've been really busy baking" - a clear and gender role is constructed through the two characters and their choice of leisure activity
  • Yet Alfie subverts representations of masculinity through sharing his life and his emotions. He demonstrates extreme happiness at having completed a gym workout
  • Zoella's gender performance is arguably conservative. She does not wear any revealing clothing, nor does she use bad language. Constructs a stereotypical 'soft and caring' representation of women
  • Shot of Zoella in the bath covered ion toys and laughing with Poppy is a stereotypical girlish construction of gender. Again defies any hint of sexualisation. 
  • Zoella is pushed in to bed by Alfie, in a gesture that briefly hints at eroticism. Yet instead, the simulate having 'a nap' while lying down and not kissing. Their gender performativity constructs an idealised, non-sexual, childish and loving relationship. Aflie is non-threatening, and there is no hint of sex and sexualistion through their performance. 
  • Instead, Zoella turns the conversation immediately to candles. Here commodity fetishism replaces any reference to sexual intercourse!
  • A reference to the Madonna/whore complex? Zoella is completely sexless, and sells this ideology to her target. In performing in such a way, Zoella reinforces that sex and sexuality are undesirable aspects in young women.