Zendaya Language and Representation

Question 1

What is Zendaya’s mode of address?

Answer 1

The content features a blend of formal promotional material and personal insights, with a notable shift towards more polished and less personalised content in recent years. This makes her feel less like the authentic girl-next-door and instead conveys her transition to a megastar celebrity

Question 2

What’s an example of a more personalised post from Zendaya?

Answer 2

On her 27th birthday, she posted a picture of herself from when she was very little. It shows he in pyjamas with mis-aligned tooth as they’ve fallen out and grown back to reinforce ideas of being youthful. The use of the oval frame shows how the picture is just a memory, suggesting she has changed a lot since then, but also that it’s a photo she keeps in her house and so is close to her heart. She posts a picture of herself on her birthday every year to show the importance of her younger self.

Question 3

What are the effects of the personalised content on her Instagram - referring to one specific example?

Answer 3

The picture from her youth shows:
-humble beginnings, making the consumer feel on her level and like they could achieve what they have
- the journey she has come on since then as she now has a life of stardom thanks to her hard work.
-It particularly stands out on her Instagram because all the other photos are so polished and so makes the consumer feel like they are being given more personalised insight into her life as if she were a friend - personal relationship and gratification

Question 4

What does Zendaya use her account for which particularly stands out?

Answer 4

Her use of social activism and advocacy around diversity, female empowerment, LGBTQ+, unrealistic body standards in the beauty industry and the emergence of a Gen Z culture

Question 5

What’s an example of a post showing female empowerment

Answer 5

The photoshoot with Bulgari, which was posted on the 19th April 2023 makes her seem powerful and controlling through the use of:
-dark eyeshadow
-a snake necklace
-direct address alongside a stern face

Question 6

How can the Bulgari post be analysed under post feminism, and Van Zoonen?

Answer 6

She has a stern face because she has control as she defies any patriarchal structures. It seems as if she is controlling of the snake (symbolic code) to show ultimate power status and although she is sexualised, this is used in a way of owning her sexuality and a way of using her feminine features as power

Question 7

How can the Bulgari post be analysed under bell hooks

Answer 7

Her use of laid baby hairs (symbolic code) shows reference to the black beauty industry and how she’s carrying this style as an icon of power. This means she is emboldening black women to be powerful and giving the style greater status. Also the fact she is a black women looking powerful defies stereotypes that they are at the bottom of the patriarchy (although her low cut dress may conform to the idea that black women are sexualised)

Question 8

How can the Bulgari advert relate to Laura Mulvey?

Answer 8

Because she’s a threatening women she must undergo punishment and this is shown through the fact she is seen as threatening due to the semantic code of dark eyeshadow and well as the snake which could be a referential code to Medusa- this could make her seem like a villain

Question 9

What’s significant about Zendaya posting about the death of Tina Turner?

Answer 9

She was a black women -African American- who had become incredibly famous in the music industry. By Zendaya posting about her death it shows that she wants to carry on Tina Turner’s legacy of being a powerful black women and it highlights to other black girls the power they can achieve - intersectionality

Question 10

What does the shift from personal anecdotes on her social media to more formal, promotional content reflect?

Answer 10

A strategic shift in how she wishes to be represented, aiming for a more aspirational and elevated image

Question 11

What’s an example of pastiche used by Zendaya’s posts?

Answer 11

Her post on the 28th of February 2023, which shows her at the saga awards, with short curly hair, a side parting, a glamorous natural makeup look and large diamond jewellery could be seen as paying tribute to Marilyn Monroe, but also reflects how as a black women, Zendaya is now just as much of an icon and has just as much power as her showing she is somewhat replacing her. This could reflect Paul Gilroy’s postcolonial theory as Zendaya is no longer seen as the other or through civilisationism, but instead has become the icon, showing multiculturalism and an age of acceptance and black power

Question 12

What is an example of Zendaya portraying the emergence of the Gen-Z culture?

Answer 12

On her Twitter, she has reposted what Variety said about her, which comments on how she is making history ‘left and right’, becoming the ‘youngest women ever nominated for producing at the Emmys’

Question 13

When and where was Zendaya born?

Answer 13

Born 1st September 1996 in Oakland, California

Question 14

Who is Zendaya?

Answer 14

American Singer, actress and dancer

Question 15

When asked in a British Vogue interview, what is feminism, what did Zendaya reply?

Answer 15

True feminism has to be intersectional and inclusive of all women, showing her to be a fourth wave feminist. She also said “a feminist is someone who believes in the power of a woman the same way they believe in the power of anyone else”

Question 16

What’s an example of Zendaya promoting commercial interests on her Instagram?

Answer 16

On the 1st January 2024, she posted the movie cover for the new film Challenger which comes out on the 26th of April. This was followed by the film’s advert which she posted on the 21st of February. The sharing of teasers will generate publicity and excitement. Together these posts have racked up 6.2 million likes

Question 17

How is her role in Dune typical of the values her social media is trying to convey?

Answer 17

Zendaya plays Chani – a strong and independent character who uses her combat skills to survive the harsh desert environment of Arrakis. Stereotypically, heroes surviving the vast and isolated nature of the desert would be portrayed as men, showing subversion of societal patriarchy. This representation is typical of the unwavering confidence Zendaya encodes in her social media output.

Question 18

What effect does the pink campaign post for Valentino create for the consumer?

Answer 18

It’s ironic and a symbolic symbol, because in the past associations with females and pink have seen them as weak and in traditional roles, such as housewives. However, by dressing completely pink, Zendaya is showing she can choose her own narrative and doesn’t conform to societal norms of the patriarchy. Under post feminism, pink doesn’t make her weak but shows she is owning her sexuality, especially as the pink tone is slightly darker and less warm - show’s she’s not naïve and pushed about. It also shows how she’s defining her gender through her actions rather than simply being female (butler)

Question 19

What does the Lancome advert tell us about Zendaya’s values and beliefs?

Answer 19

The perfume advert for Lancome features Zendaya riding through the desert through the vast desert. The film was “a metaphor for the epic, yet intimate journey towards the future every woman lives”. She is taking control of her life in the same way she is talking control of the horse. The message is inspirational: be your own idol, subverting Mulvey and Van Zoonen as females are empowered rather than put down below men.

Question 20

What did Zendaya say when she received the gamechanger award?

Answer 20

“I have this platform that I’m standing on, and sometimes when you get there, you realize that your purpose is not to stand on it anymore, but to get off and let somebody else stand on it.”

Question 21

What are the themes of Zendaya’s website?

Answer 21

Themes of modernity and simplicity

Question 22

What does the typography of Zendaya’s website suggest? How does this contrast with the colour of the website?

Answer 22

The website uses sans serif typography, which is bold and loud, reflecting her role as an activist. By blending this with a sophisticated pastel peach background, it shows how her product is something modern and new as sophisticated is juxtaposed by boldness. This highlights how as a person, she has both of these qualities

Question 23

How does the colour of the website show simplicity?

Answer 23

The pastel peach is soft and so forces our eyes onto Zendaya and her name in bold, leaving the long lasting image of her brand identity

Question 24

What is significant about the curved edges of the photos on her website?

Answer 24

This contrasts with the sharp edges of the sans serif typography, meaning that her personal brand and the name Zendaya stands out to us more than anything else. It also creates a feel of digital convergence with the photos feeling like apps on a phone, creating a more user friendly feel for a Gen-Z audience

Question 25

How could Van Zoonen be applied to the website?

Answer 25

The bold typography creates an extended metaphor that she refuses to be looked at under the male gaze and instead she defies patriarchal notions by exerting power. Her brand isn’t there to be looked at, instead it’s there to be admired and bold. This is further reinforced by the lack of direct address in the first photo, showing she doesn’t look to the audience for approval

Question 26

How does Zendaya’s product align with third wave feminism?

Answer 26

She is expressing her sexuality in whatever way she wants and is choosing to use it as her power. This can be contrasted between the Vogue Italia front cover and the October 2021 front cover

Question 27

What is an example of Zendaya conforming to feminine actions, inviting the male gaze?

Answer 27

1. In her intertextual post to Marilyn Monroe on the 28th of April 2023, at the Saga Awards, she wears a huge necklace, has a pink dress with roses sown all over it and the last photo of the post show her having her eyelashes done, which could be said to be conforming to narrow beauty standards as she creates a natural look
2. In her more recent Vogue Italia photo shoot, she’s wearing a flapper dress, conventional of the 1920s, under which females were very subservient to their husbands still. There is minimal coverage of her breasts and her head tilt suggests male gaze invite, which is reinforced by the fact her hands are placed as if she’s hugging herself and she needs someone to be dependent on

Question 28

How does Zendaya sometimes portray more masculine notions of performance, showing she refuses to be looked at under the female gaze?

Answer 28

1. On the front cover of Vogue October 2021, she uses direct address with her hands on her hips and uses direct address with dark eyeshadow to convey her power and how she is asserting herself as a the main character rather than someone who needs to be saved
2. At Vanity Fair 2022, she is seen wearing a suit, with wide shoulders and a tie, to convey she is serious and powerful. However, she still defines femineity through the fact that the suit comes in at the waist and then hangs down somewhat like a skirt.
3. When she posted a picture in Paris on her Instagram, she is wearing an animal print shirt and shorts. However, the camera is positioned at a high angle and she looks down into the camera to show her dominance. She’s looking down at us, so we’re not in a position to look at her

Question 29

How do the pictures on Zendaya’s website compare to those on her Instagram?

Answer 29

The pictures on Instagram, while some serious and promoting commercial interests, she can still be seen as the girl next door and authentic in many ways as she posts pictures of her younger self, pictures with Tom Holland and some with her friends. There’s also many symbolic posts of female empowerment, showing her website and brand identity is like the gateway to her feed; her website is more serious and sees her as a professional to aspire to, with more controlled content.

Question 30

How does Zendaya’s role in The Greatest Showman conform to Paul Gilroy’s theory and ideas about race relations?

Answer 30

She’s a black women, shown as one of the ‘freaks’ in the circus, showing her as other and as part of a less civilised society. However, by the end of the movie, she is adored and seen as someone to aspire to be as she fights to be loved. She is no longer seen to be less civilised or other, but instead accepted into society

Question 31

How can Stuart Hall’s theory of representation be applied to Zendaya’s social media?

Answer 31

Her social media shows examples of counter typing, where representations actively combat stereotypical thinking, promoting a more progressive society. This is shown through the fact she is often portrayed as a primary character who is powerful, rather than someone who is sexualised or needs to be saved- consider the 2021 Vogue cover or the May 2023 shoot with Bulgari. Her feed can very much be said to be an intentional construction as the media language used expresses female empowerment and advocacy, rather than being influenced as much by discourse, where being a black female makes her less powerful in a patriarchal society (although contemporary media is becoming more open to the empowerment of black women).