Tuesday, 17 March 2026

Exploring narrative and media language in Zoe Sugg's more recent vlogs

Tzvetan Todorov - narrative equilibrium

Narratives work by moving from a state of equilibrium to a state of disequilibrium. At the end of the narrative, the equilibrium is restored.

In Disney’s Tangled (2011) an equilibrium is established where Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower. Suddenly, a charming rogue infiltrates the tower, and Rapunzel kidnaps him, signalling the disequilibrium. The partial restoration of the equilibrium occurs at the end, where Rapunzel becomes a princess and sexy thief stops being a thief.

Tangled targets an audience of young children. Zoe Sugg now targets an audience of 30something women and aspirational mothers. Yet the narrative for Tangled is vastly more complicated than the narrative for Zoe Sugg's vlogs...

Exploring narrative and media language in ‘cosy Sunday…another visit from the Grinch’

The Grinch is a copyrighted character who first appeared in children’s book. However, modern audiences are more likely to recognize the Grinch from modern film adaptations This video, as all of Sugg’s videos demonstrates hypermodality. With a single click we can move from one mode to another. We can for example click a hyperlink to access Sugg’s Amazon storefront, providing audiences the opportunity to ‘become’ Zoe Sugg, or at least to be able to relate to her from a consumerist perspective. This complex interaction is typical of vloggers.
The camera angles are often from the view of her children, having been actually shot by her children. This constructs a personal mode of address. However, this technique is highly unprofessional , and demonstrates noticeably low production values. This is anchored through the low budget Grinch costume, which helps the viewers to engage with this relatable situation.
Sugg’s Bonne Maman jam advent calendar is potentially out of reach for many of Sugg’s fans. However, this provides the audience with both entertainment and escapism. The MES of the large advent calendar communicates an escapist fantasy to her working class target audience.
A number of activities are presented in sequence, to construct the reality that the Sugg’s are stereotypical, when clearly they are not. Activities such as building a fort, baking cookies, eating jam and, most excitingly, reading the radio times are depicted in painstaking detail. A shaky, zoomed in camera tracks the MES of Sugg’s finger as she excitedly describes Christmas day television. The symbolic effect is a nostalgic, Christmas videotape feeling, home movies. However, this sequence clearly does not resemble actual home movies, yet is a hyperreal construction. The confusion we feel simultaneously with the cosy comfort is typical of the postmodern condition.
While the video clearly subverts traditional narrative forms of equilibrium, there is still some form of disequilibrium when the character of the grinch emerges. However, the Grinch demonstrates no conflict whatsoever, aside from the negative reaction of Zoella's child. The video therefore lacks any real sense of problems, imperfections, disequilibrium or any disruption.
This is emphasised and reflected through the perfectly manicured lawn, the matching Christmas pyjamas, the beige décor, the complete lack of any personality. By presenting such a bland MES, this on trend and agreeable décor can appeal to her target audience and therefore increase engagement
The editing is extremely simple, with no sound effects, no fade outs, and aside from the introductory montage generally consists of long takes, with little editing. The advantage of this simple editing increases the verisimilitude of the video and makes it seem more real and relatable to her target audience. It also makes it a lot easier to edit, allowing for more effective releasing of content . Shirky argues that we have moved to an amateur model of media production.
Sugg represents herself as family oriented and working class. Yet her pyjamas are £70, and she buys groceries M&S, constructing a performative middle class mode of address, that seeks to influence and effect her target audience. The preferred reading of this is that we are not supposed to focus on the middle class commercialism, but appreciate her status as a caring mother. Yet also, this is pointed out in the video description, and clearly is important.
The narrative of the video is simple and straightforward, beginning in the morning, and ending at night in bed. The fact that a child could understand this simple chronological narrative assumes that her target audience lacks the intelligence to comprehend complex narrative.

Christmas Shopping, Spot of Lunch & Surprise Photos | Vlogmas Day 10 - exploring media language, genre, narrative in this vlog

“That’s quite cool isn’t it, with the tree against the wall”

“I’m just getting some shots of you walking”

“We must have walked around 80% of the Brighton lanes”

“What are you getting?” - “I don’t know”

The video starts with fast paced montage of the exciting events that will occur in this vlog. It functions as a proairetic code, symbolising the varied content that will be included.
There are multiple shots of the handwarmers on the buggy: close ups that situate the audience in a direct mode of address, and positioned directly with Zoe Sugg. This constructs a reality where the most important thigh in the world is Sugg, her family and the products that construct them, a deeply consumerist ideology. This consumerist ideology is reinforced through the content of the Brighton montage. The Sugg’s trawl from shop to shop and attempt to buy food at the expense of exploring the sights of Brighton. We have a brief and tantalising long shot of Brighton Pavilion, which is swiftly ignored being not topical to the video
The video provides many opportunities for the audience to practice hypermodality. We can click on different videos to move to completely different themes and ideas, but we can also click on the affiliate hyperlinks, linking to Sugg’s fashion choices, and allowing the target audience the pleasure of forming a closer bond with Sugg. Of course this bond is meaningless and completely based on consumerist ideologies
Sugg does not discuss the hyperlinks within her most recent content, allowing the description to hide the mass of hyperlinks, and diverts the audience from these clear consumerist tendencies
Additionally, there are hyperlinks to Sugg’s social media platforms, including Instagram, which allow the effective targeting of diverse audiences.
The sound quality is appalling, and dialogue is sometimes obscured through the sound of the harsh Brighton wind. This ‘mistake’ left in symbolises naturalness and authenticity. However, this is clearly a recording, a hyperreal reconstruction of a shopping trip, editing in such a way to construct a boring, dull and reliable day. This allows fans the opportunity to form a parasocial relationship with the ‘unedited’ Zoella’. The low production values are relatable, and encourage her audience to do the same, building a sense of community.
The audience are positioned and situated directly with the Sugg family. Sugg shared explicitly with the audience that she lives in Brighton, and walks us around with an amateurish handheld tracking shot.
The lexis “That’s quite cool isn’t it, with the tree against the wall” is a bland, dull and pointless comment. It constructs Alfie as a bland everyman with no interests that he target female audience can aspire to obtain
The audience is older, and has a longer attention span. The video is long from, and lacks bright colours, graphics, sound and other elements. The complete lack of any real disequilibrium or content of interest suggests the target audience desires this unedited, raw footage are conservative, unwilling to change their ideas, and unlikely to engage with alternate ideologies. For the target audience the lack of edge and conflict is the unique selling point.

Gender performativity in 'Live Smear Test, Q&A With The Nurse & Office Group Discussion'

Judith Butler and theories of gender performativity.

Gender performance refers to the rituals and routines that we carry out to construct our gender. Butler argues that sex and gender are separate concepts. Gender is fluid, and we can shape our gender performance through our actions.

Gender performativity refers to how our performance of gender affects the world around us. For Butler, gender performance has no intrinsic meaning: it is the REACTION to these elements that reconstructs reality!

Zoe Sugg’s gender performance

Suggs wears makeup. This makeup is part of her everyday routine, and demonstrates a hegemonic norm. Her makeup is stereotypically 00’s, although she has gravitated towards a more ‘natural’ style
Her hobbies and interests are stereotypically feminine, for example, jam, kids, makeup, cookies, and bland homeware.
Her costume is stereotypically feminine, and emphasises a traditional representation of gendered female identity. However, her costume tends to be modest, demonstrating conservative values
The MES of her costume and jewellery and homeware emphasises, flowers, stereotypical of femininity
Her voice is affected and middle class. Her sentences end with inflections, symbolic of femininity
She is often constructed through her relationship with her children, constructing her as a mother
Her smile is over the top, overemphasised and constructs a reality where women are cheerful, and should fulfil a role of making other people happy!
Her use of makeup is done in such a way to construct a certain kind of hegemonically attractive. She is attractive in an attainable and relatable way, and clearly not intimidating
In her videos, she repeats stereotypically feminine routines. Her adoption of the ‘get ready with me’ archetype describes how she puts on makeup and gets ready, constructing a reality where wearing makeup is a part of her life. This constructs the reality that wearing makeup is an essential routine for women, and women are not ready until they’ve achieved this
Sugg’s costume is feminine, and accentuates her figure. Her crew neck dress constructs a reality of women where to cover skin is to present modesty. It constructs a reality where she does not intimidate women, and fulfils a patriarchal masculine ideation of female desirability.
Sugg’s hair is stylish, long, and glamorous. It constructs a reality where hair exists as a signifier of essential feminine beauty
Her facial expression is poised and clearly practiced in order to construct the most affect possible

Live Smear Test, Q&A With The Nurse & Office Group Discussion

Explore how Zoe Sugg constructs complex representations of femininity . [15]

Sugg uses an informal mode of address, communicating to the female target audience that they should feel comfortable. Examples of informal lexis include ‘foof’, referring to her vagina, which constructs a reality of being comfortable, relaxed and friendly in this situation
The discussion of something so personal cultivates a parasocial relationship. By sharing information about an intimate procedure, Sugg constructs a reality where we are positioned as her trusted beast friends.
Sugg constructs a reality where she is a fan of the TV series Game Of Thrones, making intertextual reference to a quote (“I volunteer”), suggesting a surface familiarity with the series. By constructing herself as a GoT fangirl, a familiar friendly MOA is therefore constructed. She avoids discussing the transgressive themes of the show, instead focussing on it’s popular appeal.
Sugg is working with a charity that highlights the problem of cervical cancer. This constructs a representation of a strong, impactful woman, drawing attention to an issue suffered by women.
Sugg directly addresses a female audience, and excludes men. This video doesn’t feature Alfie, the consultant is a woman, and both members of her team, behind the camera, are women. This constructs a reality where men do not exist in the realm of gendered problems.
Her address is appealing to women by being radically open about issues that affect women. However, she does so by excluding men. In fact, bell hooks makes the argument that men should engage with issues that affect women. Yet Zoella constructs a world where this woman’s issue is one that can only be solved by women.
Sugg is represented in her car on her own, constructing a narrative that she is travelling by herself. Yet by mentioning her production team, clearly suggesting that she is not by herself. This constructs a hyperreal mode of address.
The video starts with a warning to audiences about the content of the video. A form of self-regulation, the background of the warning is in pink and utilises the lexis ‘a teensy bit of blood’, constructing a reality where women are stereotypical and naturally drawn to this colour.
Sugg uses Lo-fi music in the introduction, that is clearly copyright free, constructing an unprofessional address. This is anchored through the ‘mistake’ of clattering around her car, constructing Zoella as down to earth and reliable. This in turn constructs a deep parasocial relationship.
The music and her makeup and highly stereotypical and feminine, constructing a realty that women are soft and non-threatening. Here, Sugg constructs a brand identity that is approachable, and completely non-controversial.
Sugg’s makeup is stereotypically feminine and on trend. IT’s notable through how noticeable it is, and over time, Sugg has shifted her representation of femininity. This confirms the myth that in order to fit in to society, women must wear makeup. Additionally, the fact that Sugg is so performatively made up for a smear test confirms a reality where hegemonically women are expected to wear makeup to confirm their readiness. Similar to the 1950 Tide advert, it reinforces a reality where even mundane activities must be dealt with glamorously.
Sugg repeatedly refers to her vagina as a ‘foof’, a symbolically childish and naïve terminology that reinforces a reality that in order to be acceptable, women must be as sexless and innocent as possible. She knows she is talking to an adult audience, yet still chooses to use the childish lexis.
Sugg makes a controversial statement that schools simply do not cover smear test and cancer screening, yet backtracks on this, suggesting a lack of research. Additionally Sugg makes intertextual to Game Of Thrones, yet accidentally refers to The Hunger games. These mistakes construct a reality that women are ill educated and unprepared to discuss difficult concepts.
Sugg presents herself as a woman going alone to the clinic, yet also makes explicit reference to her production team.
This fear of referring to female coded products, e.g. tampons and sanitary towels are referred to as feminine products, constructing women as simply their menstrual capabilities. This is an example of...

Metonymy - where an attribute or characteristic is used to describe something in totality. For example,

“Number 10 has responded to the Kremlin” - metonymic of the institution
“I love Hollywood films!” - Metonymic of high production values
Referring to women through the context of their womb, reproductive capabilities etc is metonymy

Monday, 16 March 2026

Hypermarket and Hypercommodity

Jean Baudrillard kept returning to the motif of the hypermarket in his writing. A sort of huge, French supermarket, for Baudrillard it presented a microcosm of consumerism, and of capitalism as the predominant logic of postmodern existence. Hyper means to go beyond, and this prefix is used in much of Baudrillard's writing, most notably in the concept of hyperreality. This suggests a world beyond, reality, but also one more real than reality. To make things more confusing, Baudrillard posits that reality never even existed in the first place.

Using a hypermarket or a supermarket as an ontology (a way of thinking about life) can help use to not only understand Zoella, online media, and media in general, but also the ways in which we are subjectified and acculturated by postmodern existence.

From Hypermarket and Hypercommodity

From thirty kilometres all around, the arrows point you toward these large triage centres that are the hypermarkets, toward this hyperspace of the commodity where in many regards a whole new sociality is elaborated. It remains to be seen how the hypermarket centralizes and redistributes a whole region and population, how it concentrates and rationalizes time, trajectories, practices-creating an immense to-and fro movement totally similar to that of suburban commuters, absorbed and ejected at fixed times by their work place.
At the deepest level, another kind of work is at issue here, the work of acculturation, of confrontation, of examination, of the social code, and of the verdict: people go there to find and to select objects-responses to all the questions they may ask themselves; or, rather, they themselves come in response to the functional and directed question that the objects constitute. The objects are no longer commodities: they are no longer even signs whose meaning and message one could decipher and appropriate for oneself, they are tests, they are the ones that interrogate us, and we are summoned to answer them, and the answer is included in the question. Thus all the messages in the media function in a similar fashion: neither information nor communication, but referendum, perpetual test, circular response, verification of the code.
No relief, no perspective, no vanishing point where the gaze might risk losing itself, but a total screen where, in their uninterrupted display, the billboards and the products themselves act as equivalent and successive signs. There are employees who are occupied solely in remaking the front of the stage, the surface display, where a previous deletion by a consumer might have left some kind of a hole. The self-service also adds to this absence of depth: the same homogeneous space, without mediation, brings together men and things-a space of direct manipulation. But who manipulates whom?

(From Simulacra and Simulation, 1994)

What is postmodernism?

As a discourse and as a theory, postmodernism is exceptional hard to pin down, as it essentially argues that there is no meaning, and therefore there is no definition. However, postmodernism can be 'defined' through the themes and qualities of the world that we live in.

Postmodernism is...

The inability to differentiate between reality and hyperreality
We live in a depressing world which makes no sense
Reality does not exist and never did
Media products rely on intertextuality, or the referent, which may or may not exist
Simulacra is the perceived ‘real’ - A simulacra is a representation of something which never existed
Simulation is the perceived ‘false’ - A simulation is a false reality that cannot be differentiated from our reality
We live in a world with more and more information but less and less meaning
Information destroys meaning: the more we find out, the less we understand

Notes on Hypermarket and Hypercommodity

The hypermarket is a site of hyperconsumerism. We can define ourselves through our selection of products, which are advertised through the way they can change your life as opposed to their simple
There are no options for interaction outside of commodification and commercialisation. We define ourself through choices of product
Supermarkets are constructed in such a way to shape our consumerism. We start off with flowers, luxury donuts and magazines, all aspirational objects. We move to fruit and vegetables, essentials, and then conclude with chocolate, nuts, and finally, alcohol and gambling.
Supermarkets will regularly change the location of items to keep consumers in as long as possible, creating a sense of confusion and delight.
A supermarket construct an emotional hyperreality, a reflection of the postmodern condition. We are not the ones who buy products: the products buy us. We are the product.
The hypermarket is the maximum possible commercialism and consumerism, where the product themselves is us that is buying them. It disrupts the traditional chain of command, where we are unsure as to whether we are buying products, or they are buying us.
The Supermarket is constructed like a labyrinth of meaning, constantly screaming at us for attention
Walking into a supermarket, we typically first experience flowers, magazines, and small chocolates, inviting, cutesy and delightful. Then we pivot to fruit and vegetables, essentials. We move through through the supermarket, ending at alcohol. This programs the users of supermarkets and subjectifies them to the logic of the hypermarket.

How can we apply the concept of the hypermarket to Zoe Sugg?

When we land on Sugg’s landing page, we are presented with a series of options that digitally resemble the aisles of a hypermarket. We are encouraged to enter a rabbit hole of hypermodality, which Sugg has encouraged through a range of disparate content.
Sugg presents herself as the sole producer of this content, while acknowledging her production stream. This suggests that much like a supermarket that attempts to keep you in it, Sugg’s production team is aware of what produces maximum engagement.
We are the product. Sugg’s money and success is dictated by the engagement, i.e. clicks, purchases, and screentime of the many audiences. We have been acculturated to accept the logic of capitalism, and can only interact with Sugg through buying stuff.
Sugg’s videos demonstrate the same hyperconsumerism as a hypermarket, with the only way of defining ourselves being to buy things.
Sugg’s landing page is similar in structure to the confusing yet hyperstructured presentation of a supermarket. The mess of thumbnails invite us to define ourselves through straightforward predetermined actions
It creates a sense of autonomy. We thing that we are engaging with a reality, where in fact we have been acculturated to only view the options that we have been

Monday, 2 March 2026

Let's learn InDesign using ChatGTP for help :)

Prompt: construct a step by step written tutorial for using adobe InDesign. The tutorial should cover how to start a project, how place text and images within a project, and finally how to export this project.

Here’s a step-by-step written tutorial for using Adobe InDesign. This guide walks you through:

Starting a new project
Placing text and images
Exporting your finished document

🖥️ Part 1: Starting a New Project

Step 1: Open InDesign

Launch Adobe InDesign from your computer.
On the Home screen, click Create New.

Step 2: Set Up Your Document

A New Document window will appear.

Choose Preset

Select Print, Web, or Mobile depending on your project.
- For brochures, flyers, or magazines → choose Print.
- For digital PDFs → Web or Print both work.

Set Document Details

Adjust the following:

Width & Height – Choose standard sizes (e.g., Letter 8.5x11 inches).
Orientation – Portrait or Landscape.
Pages – Set number of pages (e.g., 1 for flyer, multiple for booklet).
Facing Pages – Turn ON for books/magazines.
Margins – Default is usually fine (0.5 inches typical).
Bleed – Set to 0.125 inches if printing to edge.

Click Create.

You now have a blank document.

✍️ Part 2: Placing and Editing Text

InDesign uses frames to hold content.

Step 1: Create a Text Frame

Select the Type Tool (T) from the left toolbar.
Click and drag on the page to draw a text box.
A blinking cursor appears inside the frame.

Step 2: Add Text

You can:

Option A: Type Directly

Start typing inside the frame.

Option B: Place Existing Text

Go to File → Place.
Select a Word (.docx) or text file.
Click Open.
Click on your page to place it inside a frame.

Step 3: Format Text

With text selected:

Change Font & Size (top control panel).
Adjust:
- Line spacing (Leading)
- Alignment (Left, Center, Right, Justify)
- Paragraph spacing
Open Window → Styles → Paragraph Styles to create consistent formatting.

🖼️ Part 3: Placing Images

Images must be placed inside image frames.

Step 1: Create an Image Frame

Select the Rectangle Frame Tool (F).
Click and drag to draw a box.
You’ll see an “X” inside the frame (placeholder).

Step 2: Place an Image

Select the frame.
Go to File → Place.
Choose an image file (JPG, PNG, TIFF, etc.).
Click Open.

The image will appear inside the frame.

Step 3: Resize and Adjust Image

Use:

Selection Tool (V) → Move the frame.
Drag corners to resize.
Right-click → Fitting → Fill Frame Proportionally (recommended).

🎨 Part 4: Arranging Content

Move Objects

Use the Selection Tool (V).
Click and drag elements.

Align Objects

Select multiple objects.
Open Window → Object & Layout → Align.
Choose alignment options (center, left, distribute evenly).

Layers (Optional but Useful)

Open Window → Layers.
Lock or organize elements on different layers.

📤 Part 5: Exporting Your Project

Once your design is finished:

Step 1: Save Your Work

Go to File → Save As.
Save as an .INDD file (editable project file).

Step 2: Export for Print (PDF)

Go to File → Export.
Choose Adobe PDF (Print).
Click Save.

In Export Settings:

Choose preset:
- High Quality Print (general printing)
- Press Quality (professional printing)
Under Marks and Bleeds, check:
- ✔ Use Document Bleed Settings (if using bleed)

Click Export.

Step 3: Export for Web/Digital Use

File → Export
Choose .jpg
Select:
- Smaller file size
- Optimize for viewing