women’s bodies are used as spectacles in media products. For example, heterosexual women may aspire to Zoella’s beauty standards. She also argues that gender is constructed through codes and media language, and that different genders are constructed in different ways.
Women’s bodies are used in media products as a spectacle. For example the hegemonically attractive Zoe Sugg provides an aspirational mode of address for her straight female target audience
Gender is constructed through media language and men and women and other genders are represented completely differently through media language
bell hooks
feminism is for everyone. Intersectional feminism. Different women have different experiences. We should take an active role to challenge to patriarchal society
Feminism is for everybody. Different women have completely different experiences of life.
Intersectional feminism argues that all people are welcome in feminist discourse, including trans people
Feminists should challenge the patriarchy for the benefit of everybody
Past paper question - Explore how representations in Zoe Sugg/Zoella may position audiences. [15]
My Newborn Favourites & Things I'll Use Again With Baby Number Two | Vlogust Day 20
“Craters through the nips…”
“My nipples were wrecked” - Here Sugg talks with absolute openness to her target audience of younger and middle aged women who relate to this representation of becoming a mother. Here Sugg takes the role of a wise mother, teaching her audience and sharing information. By discussing her ‘cratered nips’, Sugg is subverting hegemonic stereotypes of women and motherhood being a perfect and flawless experience. His is in stark contrast tov historical representations of women, they represented motherhood as a perfect and flawless experience
Sugg’s lexis, ‘craters through the nips’ is highly visual and even potential disgusting, subverting hegemonic expectations of female beauty
However, Sugg’s dress DOES reinforce feminine hegemonic beauty stars, as it encodes a stereotypical representation of a mother. The dress is white, which is connotative of purity and innocence, conversely yet another hegemonic expectation of mothers.
Sugg’s necklace is pearl, which has connotations of a middle class and middle aged lifestyle. This reinforces Sugg’s middle class lifestyle, which also contradicts her previous representations, for example, as a Primark shopper
Additionally, this conservative video is radically different from content on Zoella.co.uk that features tutorials on ‘how to squirt’ and reviews of sex toys.
This fractured set of representations is clearly postmodern. However, from a more straightforward perspective, Sugg is using conventional and hegemonic representations to conform to and to appeal to a simple and straightforward audience. In doing so, she appeals to her aging audience, and therefore minimises risk and maximises profit.
This version of motherhood is not relatable to many audiences. The breast pump that she advocates is £250 new, and in combination with all the products that she is using, demonstrates a significant investment. By demonstrating all of these products, Sugg constructs a representation of motherhood as yet another consumerist experience, and an opportunity to buy yet more stuff. Arguably, rather than helping her audience, Sugg is using her platform to manipulate her working class target female audience in to buying things through affiliate links
Sugg’s voice takes the tone of a teacher, as someone knowledgeable who wishes to impart her knowledge. This constructs a representation of women being knowledgeable about motherhood and pregnancy, which constructs a highly stereotypical mode of address.
The stereotypical MES of Sugg’s dress constructs a hyperreal representation of a mother. For example, the colour white is connotative of innocence, purity, and virginity. This stereotypical construction of motherhood raises an issue, as in order to be a mother usually requires having sex. Additionally, this contradicts Sugg’s previous sex positive image, where on her blog, her team discuss female ejaculation and sex toy review. Not only does this allow active audiences to pick and mix which version of Zoella they wish to engage, it also presents a highly postmodern mode of address.
Sugg refers to her cracked and cratered nipples, presenting an unpleasant image for her target audience. This clearly subverts the stereotypical ideology that women’s bodies are used as a sexual spectacle. The lexis ‘my nipples were wrecked’ directly addresses a younger female and potentially mother audience, presenting a realistic and relatable mode of address to an audience who may have gone through this.
Previously, motherhood was constructed as a solely positive, yet Sugg constructs motherhood in a more complex and challenging way. Here Sugg constructs a realistic representation of motherhood, which will appeal to her target audience.
Her very long hair is stereotypically feminine, hegemonically attractive, and constructs a hyperreal representation of women. Her makeup here is natural, and reflects her more mature and older brand identity.
The breast pump that Zoella advertises in this video has an RRP of 269 pounds. This is a substantial amount of money for a low income audience. Sugg advocates a consumerist lifestyle, where the audience can become a better mother through buying products. In doing so, she also profits off the fear and anxiety that first time parents face.
Zoe Sugg represents a conservative, ‘trad wife’, representation of motherhood. She is white and middle class, and represents a very particular type of woman.
