Zoella 28 years old, she was born in Wiltshire, England as Zoe Sugg. She created her online blog- 'Zoella' in February 2009, which then expanded into a fashion, beauty and lifestyle youtube channel. She occasionally talks about her anxiety, panic attacks and mental health in some videos and is also an ambassador for a mental health charity. Her videos are usually quite repetitive light, bright and happy and suitable for younger children. Her video content is generally- hauls, favourite videos, makeup tutorials and daily vlogs. She has released three books- Girl Online, which has become one of the fastest sellling books of December 2014, Girl Online: On Tour and a non fiction book- Cordially Invited. Merchandise Zoella launched a range of beauty products called Zoella Beauty in September 2014. Since then the line has expanded into different lines- 'Tutti Frutti', 'Sweet Inspirations' and 'Jelly and Gelato' Awards and nominations
Stats Total number of subscribers on youtube- 12,040,042 Followers on Instagram- 10.6 million followers Followers on Twitter- 13.1 million followers Controversies December 2014- Criticized for vlogging while driving- the Met Police said she could have killed someone November 2017- Received criticism for releasing an advent calendar with cheap quality items at an extremely high price November 2017- Some old tweets that she tweeted containing offensive and homophobic language were found. Article 1: www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/zoella-is-a-great-role-model-she-changed-my-life-9811326.html This article is very much against Zoella and her video content and channel and the main basis for that is that she contradicts herself a lot and projects the wrong image to young girls. The article explains this; she frequently tells girls not to worry about their appearance but she is " unaware that she’s forged an entire career by prattling on to young girls about how to look good." It also goes on to explain that she could use her influential platform to shine light on different topics empowering to teens- pressure on looking pretty all the time, the unfair advantages given to boys etc. then she could be an accessible, relatable, easy to understand feminist role model for young girls but instead she reinforces the stereotype that women must be beautiful to be successful and happy and that they are only worth their looks. This links in with my research because it shows that she is slowly decreasing in popularity and that could be due to the fact that her videos are repetitive, boring and too childish. They haven't changed to keep up with the change in YouTube content and many of her viewers, who used to watch her at the peak of her fame, have grown up and don't want to watch hauls and makeup tutorials anymore. Article 2:www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/zoella-is-a-great-role-model-she-changed-my-life-9811326.html In contrast to the other article, this supports Zoella and her content and was written in defence of her. The article says that although Zoe might seem girly, silly and giggly- behind all of that she is a very successful businesswoman who has created her own brand from scratch and has proven that you can make money out of doing something you love. It goes on to say that Zoe has shown her " and many others - that feminism can come in all forms, even a pixie-like vlogger with a love of cosmetics." This shows that young girls can be girly, love makeup and fashion and still be a feminist and they can still be successful. It says that, Zoe is an accessible, girl-next door type of role model rather than the super famous actors and A listers you see on the front of magazines. Zoella has also used her platform to speak out about mental health issues, including her own and also is an ambassador for a mental health charity. To conclude the article says that Zoe has taught young women everywhere that you can be successful doing something you love and you can care about the way you look, like makeup and fashion and still be a feminist. "She builds us up, rather than knocks us down. " This article portrays Zoella in a very positive light and it contradicts many of the points the other article has made and the points made in this article link in with some of the comments on her YouTube channel from young girls, what fans say about her etc. Reception Theory- my opinion: I think that I am a negotiative reading for Zoella. I was in her target audience a few years ago and I did watch her content, however I have grown up and I feel that her content is generally too boring and childish for me. However, I do agree with many of her ideologies and statements. For example- I like how she openly talks about her own mental health and anxiety issues and is also an advocate for many mental health charities to promote openness. I also admire how she managed to start her own brand and business from nothing, doing what she loves and being a successful businesswoman. In that sense, I guess she is quite a positive and strong role model for young girls. On the other hand, I dont agree with many of the messages she promotes- for example she tells teenagers over and over again to not "fret about their looks' but her entire YouTube channel is primarily based on videos to do with appearance- makeup tutorials, lookbooks and shopping hauls. Another point is that she has lied many times to her followers and fans. From lying about writing her own book when in fact she used a ghostwriter or saying that she dosen't choose prices for her overpriced advent calender when in fact she does- she has lied a lot. |
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EBI work- ZoellaCritical analysis:
Zoella uses a number of different shots, however one of her favorite ones is a regular shot of her head from the shoulder up. She generally uses this shot in most of her main channel videos where she is talking and many of her thumbnails include the same shot of her face. I think she chooses to use this particular shot because it puts an emphasis on what she is saying, just her face as there are no distractions in the background. As the main focus of her channel and brand is her as a person it is important to convey this through her channel content. How does Zoella access her audience? Zoella accesses her audience mainly the content and videos on her YouTube channel- hauls, makeup tutorials and lookbooks. Her audience is mainly made up of 12-13 year old girls and she accesses them by making videos which appeal and interest them. One of the main ways she reaches out to her audience is how and where her videos are filmed. As seen on her main YouTube channel, most of her videos are filmed in her bedroom. This not only helps the audience learn more about Zoella, but it presents an intimate view of her life. Many of her videos are casual and not very scripted- this point, added with the mise en scene- casual clothes, warm and cozy lighting and a bed in the background, makes it seem like a friendly conversation or chat with a friend or big sister rather than a video. This makes Zoella seem approachable and accessible to her younger audience, while still being someone to look up to and follow. |