Researching beauty in meat space � my brush with the beauty vloggers
My PhD research centred on beauty vloggers, namely, young women who regularly produce beauty content on YouTube for a living � it�s their jobs. In my work I demonstrate how although the beauty vlogger appears solo in front of a camera, they rarely work alone. The UK (and many other countries) has a sizable beauty vlogging industry, which (in addition to YouTube and brands) also features a proliferating number of intermediaries, managers and �i ndustry experts�. A significant element of the beauty vlogging ecology is the � networking event �. These events are highly feminised and ostensibly centred on leisure: they often featuring a �tea party� or �cocktail� theme, but are branded through post-feminist logics of girl-boss empowerment. In highly decorated rooms, often around a high-end centrepiece cake, stakeholders give lectures, and successful vloggers and influencers speak on panels. Beauty and lifestyle brands horseshoe around the peripheries of event locations, giving out products ...