How does Zoe Sugg use media language to construct re-presentations of gender?

 My Newborn Favourites & Things I'll Use Again With Baby Number Two | Vlogust Day 20

The following notes were made by two separate groups, so some repetition will feature. Which is great, because repetition is revision!

Feminist media theory in a nutshell - gender is constructed through media language, with the primary function of any media product being to represent female bodies as sexual objects. We should actively resist the sexist representation of woman as a political act

Therefore, when discussing representations of gender in media products, absolutely everything should be related to media language and specific examples!

Zoe Sugg presents a complicated and frequently contradictory representation of femininity, and therefore presents a resolutely postmodern mode of address

• Sugg’s frank discussion of her nipples subverts Van Zoonen’s notion of the male gaze, and in fact completely subverts the idea that women’s bodies are sites of sexual objectification. Her frank discussion borders on abjection with the lexis ‘cratered’, ‘hurt’ and ‘cracked like an egg’. This intimate mode of address forms a binary opposition between the sexual context of female presenting nipples and the grotesque image of a cracked nipple. The hegemonic function of a female nipple is to provoke sexual desire, yet Sugg clearly contradicts this hegemonic assumption, and therefore presents an unconventional representation of femininity 
• The MES of Sugg’s dress is reasonably revealing, yet avoids sexual connotations due to featuring no cleavage. Her dress has frills, with this leading aspect of MES having connotations of stereotypical femininity. The colour white has connotations of purity and innocence, which is further anchored through the pastel MES of flowers. This stereotypically, performatively feminine mode of address additionally reinforces Sugg’s child-like persona. Sugg’s looks significantly younger than her real age, which helps her to appeal to her audience. Yet her innocent and child-like address once more forms a binary opposition, as Sugg has had one child, and is pregnant with another.  Therefore Sugg presents a complex, contradictory and potentially confusing mode of address to her audience. 
• Zoe Sugg presents a hegemonically straightforward and potentially conveniently marketable representation of being a woman. Sugg’s self represents and defines herself as a woman not through a detailed exploration of her own sexuality, but instead through the complex set of ideologies of pregnancy, family, and her distinctive use of makeup. This straightforward representation allows Sugg to appeal to her broadly less educated and socially conservative audience.
• Zoe Sugg metonymically defines herself and her gendered identity not through a complex set of performances, but instead through her womb, and through her status as a pregnant woman. Sugg’s progression from a young fashion and lifestyle vlogger to a mother charts an interesting and at times compelling set of metonymical self-definitions, that presents the preferred reading that women are not women until they become a mother. This highly conservative mode of address once more will appeal to her fans 
• Sugg self-represents through the MES of her costume and her makeup. While her shoulders are bare, here they do not symbolise sexuality or sexual availability. Instead, her hegemonically attractive body here functions as a stereotypical site of aspiration for her primary target audience of middle class white women. 
• Sugg is clearly pregnant with her second child. The ideological implications of her motherhood status are clearly related to her carefully self-constructed identity, where being pregnant symbolises the ability to create new life, as well as her maturity and living up to hegemonic societal expectations. By becoming pregnant and sharing this information with the world, Sugg is coveting hegemonic societal expectations of being a woman, and therefore reinforcing a Judeo-Christian ideological perspective.
• This stereotypical representation of gendered identity will clearly appeal to her young female target audience, and the preferred reading is that Sugg is a role model, and presented a definitive and agreeable life choice. 
• Sugg does not advocate certain other alternative lifestyles. While she is not currently married to Alfie Deyes, her monogamous relationship by default excludes other lifestyles such as polyamory and child-free lifestyles 
• Her dress has connotations of sophistication, maturity and an almost angelic mode of address, which is reinforced through her smooth delivery, and gentle hand gestures. However, this persona forms a binary opposition with Sugg’s status as a sexually active adult woman. Additionally, by being unmarried unmarried, Suggs models an alternative lifestyle while never explicitly advocating this. This clear contradiction is glosses over in a hyperreal mode of address which will certainly appeal to her fans 
• The graphic description of her bleeding and cracked nipples splitting open ‘like an egg’ presents abject and upsetting mental images that provide a counterpoint to the idealised representation of motherhood that many vloggers present . This helps Sugg present a relatable and complex representation of both motherhood and femininity 
• Zoella is defining herself as a women, not through a complex set of intensifying features, but instead through her metonymic status as a woman, which is defined and reinforced through her ability to get pregnant

Attitude Online - initial discussion and analysis 2024

For this initial analysis, the site attitude.co.uk was accessed on 18/03/2024

Key terms for this study:

• Camp - refers to a deliberately silly and trash aesthetic. Often over the top and very visible, it may involve the combination of both high and low culture
• Heteronormativity - the assumption that everyone is straight 
• Out/coming out - being out is being openly gay, either to a select group of people, or to the world at large. Coming out is the process of announcing this 
• Homoerotic - that which connotes eroticism and appeals to gay people. Homoerotic content may be explicit (two men kissing), or more subtle (a sexually charged gaze shared between men in a film)
• Queer coding - the construction of an individual as ‘gay’ through a series of symbolic codes
• Advertorial - a combination of an advert and an article. In the UK, it is legally essential for producers to declare if an article is actually an advert, in order to allow the audience to make an informed decision, and so as to mislead anyone
• Queer - A catch-all and potentially inclusive term to refer to gay, lesbian, transgender etc people. 
• Ally - a straight person who supports the LGBTQ+ community
• LGBTQA+ - Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, asexual and so on

Analysis

• A number of adult themes are alluded to, including references to sex toys, and sponsored advertorials about adult toys 
• The representation of out and proud gay people is still a point condition among some people in society, and even teaching attitude online may be seen as problematic to certain people
• The website often features highly sexualised images that verge on soft-core pornography
• The article “14 not entirely SFW images of gorgeous guys from BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! volume 7”. This article features full frontal and sexualised nudity, yet justifies its inclusion by taking an artistic and even classy mode of address. The article also allows gay men to feel the gratification of seeing representations of themselves. By being represented, Attitude attempts to avoid the othering of gay men, presenting a strong and proud representation of queer identity. Also, the article provides the audience with sexual gratification
• The politics tab covers broadly UK political news, indicating a British target audience. However, every story discusses how this political news related to queer people, and therefore allows the website to target its audience. In the article “Keir Starmer was ‘beaten up’ as a teen after protecting gay friend”, Starmer is represented as an ally, and therefore aligned with the ideological perspectives of the website. Additionally, by being ‘beaten up’ Starmer is represented as being brave, selfless and even vulnerable. By being beaten up for his beliefs, Starmer therefore is highly relatable to many gay people. 
• However, Attitude will often fixate of a negative and upsetting representations of discrimination against queer people. 
• In the article “Trans campaigner Jaxon Feeley vows to fight Liz Truss’ bill targeting trans children and healthcare”, a defiant mode of address is constructed, while it still being acknowledged that that rights of queer people are under threat 
• In the article “Prepare to sleigh with MODUS VIVENDI’s Party Collection for Christmas 2023”, the male models are heavily queer coded. The extravagant elbow high leather gloves, the revealing and highly sexualised costumes, and the emphasis on muscles all construct a stereotypically gay representation. The article is clearly objectifying and sexualising these male models in a manner switch is highly conventional for mainstream 
• The ideologically and hegemonically cultivated norm in media is that women are often sexualised. However, by drastically subverting this norm, attitude online is specifically differentiating itself from mainstream, hegemonic and ‘heterosexual media’ 
• A different standard of male attractiveness is cultivated through the website that clearly presents it as a product targeting gay men
• In the article “14 not entirely SFW images of gorgeous guys from BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! volume 7”, gay men are represented as both beautiful and appreciated. In a black and image of A nude man on a horse, a series and yet artistic mode of address is constructed. The target audience for this website is clearly gay men, and the specific emphasis of muscled bodies and buttocks points to a queer coded and highly sexualised representation of gay men for gay men. The emphasis on buttocks is quite different from the sexualisation of men in non-queer media, and presents a rebellious over-emphasis on sexuality to challenge the dominant ideology that gay people ‘should’ be invisible 
• In the article “Mary & George’s Tony Curran on gay roles and giving Nicholas Galitzine a ‘Glasgow kiss’ during an intimate scene”, the website focuses on queer aspects of a new TV show itself focuses on queer themes. By featuring a new and popular TV, Attitude is able to appeal to a broader gay audience
• There are a variety of articles featuring celebrities coming out. The target audience will look up to celebrities as inspiration. The normalisation of coming out, itself a huge aspect of many gay people’s identity, and promotes an ideology of being comfortable and proud of one’s sexuality 
• Even straight men are objectified in the website. In the article Harry Judd wants you to watch him getting nailed for Sport Relief”, Attitude represents a heterosexual man as a sexualised representation for a gay male audience. The sole purpose of many of these articles is sexual gratification. Such representations are vital for certain artists, as it helps them to attract a completely new audience. Statistically, gay men are less likely to have dependants, and more likely to have disposable income. Sometimes referred to as the pink pound, this means gay men are often particularly desirable to advertisers
• While many articles focus on positive and cheerful representations of smiling gay men, many other articles focus on negative representations. For example the article “LGBTQ charities respond after NHS England pauses puberty blockers for children” discusses a measure which will be close to the heart of many people reading this . Additionally, articles such as “Trans campaigner Jaxon Feeley vows to fight Liz Truss’ bill targeting trans children and healthcare” serve to reinforce the ideally that queer people are being erased, and marginalised in society. However, these representations of queer people as vulnerable are balanced out through the ideology that such measures should be fought against. These articles represent queer people as both vulnerable, yet strong, as political and willing to fight
• The inclusion of ‘style’ as a subheading in the menu bar reinforces a stereotypical assumption that gay men are stylish and interested in fashion
• In the article “Prepare to sleigh with MODUS VIVENDI’s Party Collection for Christmas 2023”, a camp mode of address is constructed. 

Newspaper representation case study revision

For this post, we're going to look at two approaches to performing a representational comparative analysis on the set newspaper edition. Both groups chose the daily mirror, but please remember, The Times set edition could also come up for representation in component one section A! If none of this makes sense, get down to the past papers section and familiarise yourself with the exam!

You need to get very familiar with this front page!

Example one

2 - Compare how these pages from the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror construct versions of reality. In your answer you must: 

consider the choices media producers make when constructing versions of reality 

consider the similarities and differences in the representations 

make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations relate to relevant media contexts. [30]

Examples of UK left wing newspapers 

The Daily Mirror/ The Mirror on Sunday (tabloid) 

The Guardian/ The Observer (broadsheets) 

Knee - jerk reaction - The Daily Mirror and the Daily Express are fundamentally different in terms of their political views

Plan

Rule of thirds

Camera shot types

Masthead

MES

Z pattern

Lexis

Layout

Font

Sans/serif

Tabloid

Broadsheet

Codes and conventions

David Gauntlett - identity

Stuart Hall

Stereotypes 

Ideology

Headings

Gender performativity

Bylines

Hegemony 

Introduction - DAC

Representation refers to how something is presented again, by the producer, for the purpose of constructing and reinforcing their own ideological perspective. By presenting something again, a producer can construct a new version of reality, and, in turn, can manipulate the ideology of the target audience for the purpose of power and profit. In order to explore this idea, I shall look at these two newspapers, in particular, the front page of the daily mirror, a left wing UK tabloid, and the daily express, a right wing UK tabloid

Paragraph one: main headline and lexis

The MES of the colour yellow for the lexis ZERO SHAME has symbolic connotations of a stern warning, and suggests to the target audience (working class and left wing) that Johnson is a threat. 

Paragraph two: the main images 

The front page of the daily mirror uses a striking main image of Boris Johnson in order to construct a highly leading version of reality. The producer has selected a mid shot of Johnson, which emphasises the MES of his smug expression. This version of reality is further anchored through the MES of his un-brushed hair, which symbolises Johnson’s incompetence, and reinforces the preferred reading that Johnson is an unreliable PM. The image compliments the text through the layout and position, with the lexis of the headline NO SHAME further anchoring the ideological perspective that Johnson is a bad character. Hall argues that representations are constructed through a series of stereotypes. Stereotypes have the function of manipulating the ideology of the audience, and provide an excellent short cut for the producer to present their own ideology and specific version of reality. 

Paragraph three: Composition and layout

Example two

1. Compare the ideologies conveyed through the representations in front page of the times and the edition of the Mirror you have studied with Boris Johnson on the front page..

In your answer, you must:

consider how representations convey ideologies

consider the similarities and differences in the ideologies conveyed

make judgements and draw conclusions about how far social and cultural contexts affect the representations. [30]

Knee jerk reaction - the newspapers present completely contrasting representations, that also depict contrasting ideologies 

High key lighting

Codes and conventions

Masthead

Lisbet Van Zoonen - feminist theory

Hard news

Soft news

Gauntlett identity - identity

Stuart Hall representation

Stereotypes

MES

Lexis 

Text font

Gender performativity 

Semiotics 

Hegemony

Patriarchal hegemony

Encoding and decoding 

Columns

Gutters

Main image

Front page

Copy 

Journalists

Byline

Skyline

Cost

Barcode

Propaganda

Audience manipulation

Working class

Tabloid

Tories

Introduction - DAC

Representation refers to the ways in which a producer represents a person, issue or event using media language to encode their own ideologies. Therefore representations can be used to persuade an audience to believe the dominant ideology of the producer. In this this essay, I shall argue that two completely different and contrasting ideologies are constructed through these newspapers. To explore this idea, I shall use the examples of The Daily Mirror, a working class, left leaning tabloid newspaper published by Reach PLC, and The Daily Telegraph, a right wing broadsheet newspaper targeting a more middle class audience with a higher level of education. 

Paragraph - main image

MES of messy hair constructs an ideology of Johnson as a slacker, who is not taking his highly important job seriously. This representation is further anchored his smug, tired facial expression, which constructs a representation of an irresponsible middle aged man. The MES of Jojhnsons’s slouched shoulders, further reinforce this representation. Constructed through a mid shot, Johnson presents a powerful representation to the target audience, who are positioned to accept the preferred reading that Johnson does not feel guilty for his enormous incompetence. Furthermore, the enormous size of Johnson on the front page not only symbolically represents his power, but also his complete lack of responsibility. Stuart Hall argues that stereotypes are used by powerful people, in this case Mirror Journalists, in order to simplify complex political ideologies. The working class target audience of the mirror will identify with this simple and straightforward representation, and therefore agree with the political ideology of the newspaper. This ensures that audiences will continue to read the newspaper, and will continue to identify with the dominant ideological position.

However, The Daily Telegraph presents a radically different ideological perspective of the Tory Party through the selection of the main image

Paragraph 2 - lexis, headlines, captions

Paragraph 3 - non-headline stories and soft news 

The Battle of Algiers - encoding conflict

Unless it is a very bad film, ideological perspectives do not simply 'happen'. It is rare a commentator will appear on screen and explain exactly what the ideological perspective of the director is (unless it's a Hitchcock film...). However, expertly applied film language can encode an ideological perspective in a clear and insightful manner.

In this session, you will be analyzing a key scene from Battle of Algiers.

1 - Task one: watch 'the bombing of the Casbah and the aftermath' 

You can find the film by clicking here. Watch from 37m 42s to 42m 55s

2 - Analysis 

Just as a reminder, the five micro elements, or elements of film language are

• Sound, including diegesis
• Editing, including pace
• Mise en scene
• Performance, including proxemics, address etc.
• Cinematography, including lighting, blocking, framing, shot types, camera angles

In the hands of a skilled director, they combine to create meaning

Using these elements of film language, analyze the following screenshots from the sequence outlined.  If you get stuck, the following questions will help you:

• How does framing align the audience to the values of the director? 
• How is a sense of conflict constructed through MES and editing?
• How is a heroic ideological perspective encoded through cinematography?
• How does the MES make the film resemble a newsreel? And what ideological perspective does this heighten?
• How does the stark binary between light and dark constructed through lighting present an ideological perspective?
• How is the spectator positioned through the combination of editing and sound?
• How does the naturalistic performance of the Algerian actors heighten spectatorial emotional involvement?

Fandom and Assassin's Creed

Previously we have considered the (largely fallacious) idea that videogames have a 'direct' affect on their audience. We have furthered this idea by thinking about Stuart Hall's reception theory, and how different audiences will of course react in completely different ways. However, there are still two more theories that we can apply to help us understand how audiences react to videogames.

Active models of audience: Henry Jenkins and Clay Shirky

Task one - defining theory

We've looked at these two guys before! But, using your own notes, an internet resource, the theories and theorist post, and/or the theories and theorist video, write down a short, sharp definition of both of these theorists (Jenkins and Shirky)

Task two - examples of fandom: active audience engagement

This next bit is simple!

Jenkins often referred to the active process of audience participation as 'textual poaching'. Basically audiences can 'poach' or steal exactly what they want from a media product, and the most active fans will then take their favorite bits and create their own fan works, which can include fan films, fan fiction, fan art, cosplay and so on. For Clay Shirky, this whole process proves that the audience are now basically producers in their own right, which is something that videogame producers are increasingly relying on! 

For the following examples of fandom, click the following links, check out the fan material, try not to cringe, and make notes under the following bullet points

1. How does this fan product allow fans the opportunity to explore their favorite franchise?
2. How does Ubisoft benefit from fans creating this product?
3. Why on earth would a fan make this, beyond just liking the franchise?
4. What opportunities does this product give fans the opportunity to interact with other fans?
5. How does this product meet the needs of the audience of Assassin's Creed?

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