The study will focus on the website and social media presence of Zendaya and how she constructs her online persona.
Notes from the lesson
Zendaya: introduction
Zendaya is a celebrity who bridges Gen Z and millennial generations (born in 1996). Her career began as a child star in Disney sitcoms and she produced and starred in the spy series K.C. Undercover for the channel. Her persona shifted with her role in the HBO series Euphoria where she played a teen drug addict.
Zendaya is known for her advocacy for a range of charities, describes herself as a feminist and discusses her identity in terms of her African and European heritage. Her output on social networks can be seen as a way to construct and protect her persona as well as a form of marketing for her career.
'Woke' culture wars
Zendaya would be considered ‘woke’ in the modern culture wars between left wing and right wing - or in America, between liberals and conservatives.
Woke definition: a political term of African American origin that refers to an awareness of issues concerning social justice.
Alongside promoting her work, Zendaya comments on issues of politics, racism and feminism - important aspects we need to be aware of. However, she also manages her celebrity persona carefully to avoid too much controversy and alienating potential audiences.
Zendaya: Oscars controversy
Zendaya went viral after the 2015 Oscars when E! TV show Fashion Police commented on her hair. Zendaya’s powerful response gained acclaim from major celebrities and established her as a voice for a new generation.
Zendaya: representations
LL Cool J on Zendaya: “She’s cool. You can manufacture fame. You can manufacture publicity. You can manufacture songs. You can’t manufacture cool.”
Zendaya reflects social and cultural developments in contemporary society around diversity in celebrity culture, young female empowerment and the emergence of Gen Z/millennial culture.
Zendaya’s reach across the platforms in constructing her brand makes her a notable contemporary figure, suggesting a new kind of celebrity power. Some have said this is due to her authenticity – but is this ‘reality’ just a highly constructed media representation?
Zendaya: Language and Representations blog tasks
Work through the following tasks to complete the first half of your blog work on Zendaya.
Introduction and background reading
Read this Vox article on what makes Zendaya a great celebrity. Answer the following questions:
1) What was the 2015 Oscar controversy involving Zendaya?
2) How did Zendaya control the narrative of that controversy?
3) What examples are provided of Zendaya using her celebrity to raise issues of race and social justice?
4) Zendaya insisted on a black family in Disney’s KC Undercover show. How can we link this to the ideas of Paul Gilroy?
5) Who is Zendaya’s stylist and how did Zendaya use fashion and appearance to develop her celebrity persona?
6) How has Zendaya influenced the representation of characters she has played?
7) How did LL Cool J describe Zendaya?
8) Do you agree with his assessment? Is Zendaya authentically cool or just another manufactured celebrity?
Zendaya textual analysis
Work through the following tasks to complete your textual analysis of Zendaya's social media.
Social media analysis
1) Visit Zendaya's Twitter feed. Analyse her use of tweets - are they promoting her film/TV work, linked to fashion or sponsorship work or more socially or politically oriented?
2) Look at Zendaya's Instagram account. She has said this is the one account that is always 100% created by her - can you find any evidence of that in the way posts or images are constructed?
3) Watch Zendaya's 73 questions Vogue interview. How is this constructed to create a particular representation of Zendaya?
4) Research Zendaya across any other social media accounts - e.g. Facebook. Do you notice any differences in how she represents herself on different platforms? Comment on text, images or tone/content.
Representations
Go to our Media Magazine archive and read the article on Zendaya, social media, feminism and celebrity (MM81 - page 12). Answer the following questions:
1) What the concerns around social media discussed at the start of the article?
2) What example is provided of Zendaya’s authenticity – or possible lack of authenticity?
3) What is the one social media app that Zendaya manages entirely herself?
4) What are the issues highlighted by Billie Eilish regarding self-representation and feminism?
5) How authentic do YOU feel Zendaya’s media representation is? Is it the real Zendaya or a media construction designed to look authentic?
A/A* extension work
Read this academic history of celebrity culture and social contexts. How much can we find that is relevant to the kind of celebrity persona Zendaya has created?
How does the construction of Zendaya's online presence reflect the social and cultural changes of the last 10 years?
You will have some lesson time on this but will need to complete for homework. Due date on Google Classroom.
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