My thoughts on the Zoella debate!

It seems everybody has been having their say about high-flying blogger and YouTuber Zoella, last week. For those of you who don’t know, Zoella aka Zoe Sugg is a blogger specialising in beauty tutorials, product reviews and fashion posts. But over the past few years, the medium of social media has meant her passion has exploded into a whirlwind career, surpassing anything she thought she’d ever achieve, and much more. Her latest feats include launching her own beauty range, signing a book deal and joining partnership with the mental health charity, Mind. Zoe’s blog can be found at http://www.zoella.co.uk/

Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not a gushing Zoella fan girl, rushing to her defence. Admittedly, her blog was one of the first I came across and it was really motivating in my own pursuit as a writer to see someone – a woman, at that, and so young too – being so successful.

So I am writing as one blogger to another, albeit still a newborn learning the ropes, to show my support for Zoella and criticise the personal and snide comments written against her in the Independent Voices article. It seems Chloe Hamilton’s opinion is an unpopular one as several journalists rally to her defence to commend Zoella and her success. You can read the article here: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/sure-teenage-girls-need-role-models–but-not-of-the-zoella-kind-9809136.html

I question what sort of a world we live in when people are given bad credit for making something of themselves. It seems it always fall back to young people too. At both ends of the spectrum, it appears that young people are being criticised. Young people who are unemployed are often portrayed with negative connotations of being lazy, having no aspirations, and other such prejudices. Then, when someone with a passion and drive comes along and exceeds expectations, we still aren’t happy. Zoe isn’t the first, and she won’t be the last, but she has intelligently branded herself by the means of her blog, which appeals to the internet savvy generation of today. And we should be commending anyone who can do that, and be successful with it.

Chloe Hamilton makes a point that Zoella encourages young girls to become more and more fixated with their image through the content she provides on her blogs. Young girls and women have been obsessed with their appearance for far longer than the existence of Zoe Sugg’s blog, and the like. Zoe was probably just one of those girls herself, who wanted to share the products she had found to work, with others of a similar age, with similar attitudes towards their appearance. And whilst Chloe Hamilton may have a point in that Zoe’s blog may encourage her readers to purchase more cosmetics and spend more time over their make up and hair regimes, such is the nature of the young female generations in today’s society. The audience have so much power over the media, and Zoe’s success will likely be attributed to the audience finding something that they want to read about in her blog, and sharing that further amongst their friends on social networks.

It is suggested in the article that Zoella is a bad role model for those impressionable teenage readers that are a hefty portion of her fans. But I don’t believe that to be the case. It isn’t promoting anything dangerous, illegal or taboo. I’m getting my claws out a little bit now so far as to say that, far worse “role models” are shown on television, particularly reality television, who have made their fame and fortune by doing things that they shouldn’t. We should celebrate what Zoella has achieved for herself as a 24 year old young woman, and the inspiration she has undoubtedly instilled in others; to be bloggers, to follow their dreams and turn them into a career, to run a whole business branded on yourself, and independently too. And if readers are inspired to be beauty bloggers or make up artists, is that such a bad thing? There’s certainly the industry and the audience for it, and more importantly, it is encouraging girls and women to establish their aspirations and not just theorise, but be practical about achieving them. I really support Vicky Chandler who wrote a defending article for Independent Voices: (You can read the full article at http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/zoella-is-a-great-role-model–she-changed-my-life-9811326.html )

“…she has taught me, a woman eager for success, that you can earn money doing something that you love. She has shown me that you can care about the way you look, and still be a feminist. She empowers young women by demonstrating to them that they can be who they want, that they can identify with feminism and still love lipstick, but if they don’t, then that’s fine too.”

I think it is also fantastic that Zoe has extended the content of her blog to include very personal stories of her past, and the dealings she has had with anxiety. Not only does she present herself as just an ordinary human being with flaws, she combats the ongoing stigma surrounding mental illness. Becoming an ambassador of the mental health charity Mind is using her online reputation and popularity and attaching it to a charity and issues that need to be spoken about. Zoe has been a trend setter with the likes of her online career, and it is heart warming to see her having aspirations to do the same on a wider and charitable scale.

Essentially, this becomes about more than Zoella and her blog. It is about why should success be comparative, and not celebrated for each individuals’ achievements. And about lots more deep, philosophical concepts which, if you know me, I am all for. I am grateful for the issue being raised, but it is unfortunate that it is at the expense of Zoe Sugg. Meanwhile, I’m not out to get at Chloe Hamilton for her article; whilst I wholeheartedly disagree with the way she wrote it and the content, she is entitled to her own opinion. Not everyone will be liked, and it is unfortunate that people in the public eye have to be penalised for their attempts, especially when they are with good intentions.

I’ve ranted everything that I wanted to say, but as readers, whether Zoella fans or not, what do you think?

Jasmine x