This one is going to be a little different. I wasn't planning on writing a post today, but then I read an article that made my head spin and I felt that I needed to address it (after calming down... angry rants don't solve anything). I think it's important that we discuss what seems to be a disconnect between traditional media (television, news outlets, newspapers, etc.) and the internet. In the end don't we have very similar goals?
The article that made me see red came from the Independent Voices section of the Independent. The story was about mega-famous beauty vlogger/blogger Zoe Sugg (a.k.a. Zoella) titled "Of course, teenage girls need role models- but not like beauty vlogger Zoella." If that title is making you want to throw things then you probably shouldn't look at the subtitle: "her particular brand of sickly sweet girl power brings me out in hives."
I want to start off here by saying that absolutely everyone is entitled to their own opinions, however I feel that there is a fine line between stating your opinion and angrily attacking someone. The author of the article starts out with the line: "her eyes are enormous." Excuse me for being dense, but what exactly does someone's physical appearance have to do with her ability to be a role model?
The main argument of the article, as I understand it, is that Zoella shouldn't be able to tell young girls to love themselves just the way they are while still doing beauty product reviews and makeup tutorials. As the author puts it:
It’s maddening that a girl who has made it her business to tell teenagers how to put make up on, or get their hair just right, now feels she’s in a position to admonish them for “fretting” about their appearance.
This really makes me sad and angry at the same time. Are you saying that even in 2014 those of us who love makeup aren't allowed to feel like empowered women who can make a difference? The author says that Zoe should be encouraging young girls to go buy a book instead of eyeliner. Personally, I am a beauty blogger with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. Does my love of eyeshadow offset my love of learning and knowledge? God I hope not. I am a strong believer that makeup can and should be used as a way of expressing yourself. I strongly advocate that you should only wear makeup because you want to... not because you think you have to in order to please the society you live in.
This whole thing brings to my attention that there are still those in traditional media who don't understand/fear the internet machine. Zoe found success by being herself and following her passion, and she did it on her own without the help of traditional media. As bloggers we now have the awesome opportunity to share our lives and the things we care about with people all over the world. That is the power of the internet.
Why is the internet and traditional media in a power struggle? We as humans typically fear things we don't understand. I think that's one of the things that is happening here. How could a girl who sits in her bedroom and reviews mascara on her camera have literally millions of followers (over 6 million Youtube subscribers to date)? The answer: those who are logging on to the internet aren't necessarily looking for an expert opinion. We want to hear from someone we can relate to, someone who can give us their honest opinion without the fear that they are just speaking for the company that pays them. Wouldn't this all be a lot more constructive if the internet and traditional media worked together instead of pushing against eachother. After all don't we want the same things: for people to see and enjoy our content? We are already starting to see some internet/traditional media collaborations, but clearly a complete truce isn't here yet.
There is quite a bit more I could say about this, but I don't want to put you to sleep. What I do want is for all of you to think about these things. The disconnect between traditional media and the internet, and can someone who reviews makeup still promote inner beauty? It's easy to get angry about these things, but I think we would all be better off if we instead had a really great conversation about it.
As always your opinions are 100% welcome here (no matter what they may be).
<3
XO- Brittney
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