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makeup tutorials on Youtube: the power of expression

MAKEUP TUTORIALS ON YOUTUBE: THE POWER OF EXPRESSION
Jarrod stiver
Youtube is one of the most popular social media platforms. Youtube is the most popular video sharing
platform. This platform allows its users to access thousands of videos from many different genres online
with one search. One genre that has been increasingly popular is beauty “vlogging,” or video blogging.
Beauty vlogging is a way for the user to “teach new makeup techniques, demonstrate and review new
products, or circulate beauty-related information” (p.1). While these videos are meant for the use of
beautification, the producers and people in the vlogs tend to share very personal stories of their lives.
By telling these stories, they are self-representing themselves to their viewers much like users of other
social media platforms, like twitter and instagram. Kennedy says that beauty vlogging is unique due to
the producer “not only presenting the self, but they are also visually constructing the self on camera”
(p.1). This new identity is nothing new to society,as it is the idea of who that person wants to be. The
producers see this identity as their “true” identity. Beauty vlogging gives the producers a place to
construct their identities just as we all do in our everyday lives.
Makeup shaming is seen as a social norm in our society. Some see the use of makeup as a way to try
and please others or to hide our imperfections from the world. We perceive makeup as said by Kennedy
as “made-up face isn't the ‘real you’” (p.3). “The Power of Makeup Movement” then challenges these
societal norms on the use of makeup. The movement is the use of beauty vlogging but only transforming
one half of your face and leaving the other half natural. By these vloggers only transforming half their
face, they still emphasize that being natural can still be beautiful, but their main focus is using makeup
as a transformative tool. These videos give informational tips for the use of makeup in order to hide
blemishes or scars and introducing applicable products. However, they also use makeup as “an extension
of the self, and tools for self-expression, self-realization and ongoing transformation” (p.4). These
videos have brought about inspiration and happiness of their self image in many people who really
come to embrace and love their blemishes or scars.  “The Power of Makeup Movement” has not only
helped the self-representation of others but has brought about communities for people. These
communities allow people to post their tutorials, share their stories, and give feedback to others.
Another important part of this movement is the “transformation of the way people talk about and
eventually perceive the use of makeup” (p.5). This movement has been a huge success with many
beauty vloggers taking part in it and others trying it for themselves. The perception of makeup will
continue to gradually change over time as more and more people begin to accept the use of makeup
as an expressive outlet of one's own self.
References:

Kennedy, Ü. (2016). Exploring YouTube as a Transformative Tool in the “The Power of MAKEUP!”
Movement. M/C Journal, 19(4), 1. Retrieved from https://login.duproxy.palni.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=118199776&site=ehost-live&scope=site

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Comments

  1. KHNovember 7, 2018 at 7:24 AM

    Jarrod,

    This is something of a mixed bag. On the downside, you've got some errors in formatting (font size/style) and capitalization (i.e. Capitalize the first letter of your last name).

    On the upside, you've identified and made use of a relevant piece of scholarship that considers a new video genre: the makeup tutorial.

    What I'd encourage you to work on is moving beyond a simple restatement of what this author has to say. Here, for example, you might make more productive use of the pull quotes you've inserted into your post and "run" with some of these ideas.

    Equally important, consider how you can use this (and other) scholarship to inform an original analysis that explores another iteration of vlogging.

    In short, this is a vast improvement over your previous effort. Moreover, it demonstrates your ability to locate and discuss a relevant piece of scholarship. Now I want to push you to deploy this scholarship in more original and effective fashion.

    26 pts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 8, 2018 at 12:03 PM

    Jarrod,

    I really enjoyed the topic you chose for your blog post because I think it is not talked about enough- especially from a man's point of view. The power of makeup movement has shown that people still love their blemishes and scars, which is excellent, but the movement has also received a lot of backlashes. The comments on those videos are nothing short of " just proving the fakeness of makeup even more." But I liked how you wrote on the artistic nature of makeup and how specifically these beauty vloggers use their platform to create their identity.

    Makeup is often seen as "fake" or not showing the "real you." However, it is the exact opposite. It is a form of expression, just as people dress or do their hair. Interestingly, on the other hand, society has a way of criticizing those women who do not wear makeup too; saying things like "she doesn't care at all," "she's lazy," and more. It is really a no-win situation to try to please society. However, most women I know who wear makeup including myself don't do it to please society anyway. But hopefully, as you ended your post, society begins to accept makeup as a form of self-expression, art, or even a hobby and not all the stereotypes that come along with it, such as fake, unconfident, hiding, and more. Overall, nice job with your post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 8, 2018 at 12:05 PM

    Jarrod,

    I enjoyed reading this post very much. I think you do a great job identifying and describing the beauty industry that has taken to online platforms like YouTube. Personally, I love watching makeup tutorials and seeing the beauty that each of the artists create on their channels. James Charles is my absolute favorite beauty icon on YouTube right now, and even though I don't go as "extra" with my makeup as he does, it's still super fun to see the looks he creates. Throwing in the part about how makeup is perceived in the public was also very interesting to add. Makeup shaming is a very real thing, although I believe it's more of an older generation idea. Even though makeup is supposed to empower those that wear it, many still try to achieve "natural" looks to reduce the risk of being called out. The "Power of Makeup" movement you talk about is something I've never really heard of, so it was fun learning something new. Overall, I enjoyed your take on this topic and thought you did a good job!

    ReplyDelete

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