“THE TALE OF THE BLEEDING CUTICLE”: CANONS AND CONFLICTS IN BEAUTY BLOGS

Abstract

The paper has been developed from a wider project looking at the ways in which fashion and beauty are discussed online. The sources include popular sites and blogs about beauty, such as MichellePhan.com, LisaEldridge.com, BritishBeautyBlogger.com, TheBeautyBrains.com. The paper explores the ways in which the discourse of digital media influences the content of beauty blogs. Tracing the specific language of beauty blogging, it draws on contemporary research around the style of digital self-presentation and identity management. The initial hypothesis was that the style of blogs resembles the writing of beauty glossy magazines. However, further research demonstrated that bloggers normally adopt a more personal approach to beauty and frequently base their arguments on emotional aspects. Although, digital beauty deals with virtual bodies, most bloggers discuss beauty as an embodied experience. Creating virtual identities, the bloggers assume appropriation of beauty norms by showing how they are achieved. Numerous blogs suggest alternative ideas of beauty.