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