Youtube beauty videos: female empowerment or female subjugation?

Abstract

The objective of the study "Youtube Beauty Videos: Female Empowerment or Female Subjugation?"' is to explore whether the images of women in YouTube beauty videos show female empowerment through beautifying practices or subjugation to male gaze. This study is a qualitative research applying third-wave feminism, girl empowerment, female subjugation, the relationship between women and mass media and visual analysis as theoretical frameworks. This study examines selected scenes and some voice-overs in videos selected from five channels with the most subscribers namely Bethany Mota, Zoella, Michelle Phan, CutiePieMarzia, and Meredith Foster. The result of the study shows that five beauty gurus empower themselves through applying beauty regimes and sharing their videos. These beauty gurus gain power from freedom of choice and expressing their external appearance. These beauty gurus use beauty regimes as a form of marking their identities, expressing their individuality, and resisting ideal beauty. Diversity among a group of beauty gurus allows them to break through beauty stereotyping. And they achieve social and financial status from broadcasting beauty videos. However, it is found that there is no explicit message or image suggesting that they present themselves as an object of desire for men, rather only a small portion of the videos shows dedication to ideal beauty by concealing their natural flaws and selecting harmful or painful beauty regimes and duplicating celebrities' looks.