23rd October 2014
Thoughts: An Open Letter to Chloe Hamilton
This article is an open letter addressed to The Independent Voice’s Miss Chloe Hamilton who, on Tuesday the 21st October, wrote a report slating Zoe Sugg and her YouTube empire. The report ultimately accused Zoe of exacerbating body anxiety in young girls. If you’d like to read the awful piece in question, click here – though I will warn you that loss of brain cells through reading Miss Hamilton’s work may be a subsequent side effect.
Dear Chloe Hamilton,
I am writing in response to your recent article, ‘Of course, teenage girls need role models – but not like beauty vlogger Zoella’. My initial reaction ranged from absolute disgust to hysterical laughter at your own stupidity. As you can presumably guess, I have a few questions and corrections I’d like to put forward.
You open your piece with a vulgar low-blow; you criticise Zoe’s physical appearance. To insult the looks of a young girl, be it an internet superstar or a random stranger on the street, is just nasty. You even go on to ludicrously abuse the size of Zoe’s eyes; it can only be described as a pathetic attempt to seek attention. If Zoe Sugg is to be seen as ‘ugly’, then goodness help the rest of us.
Interestingly, the excessive remainder of your article progresses to blame her for the insecurities our generation has in abundance. This is perhaps the height of hypocrisy in your writing, though unfortunately the rest of your nonsense follows swift.
Zoe is a hugely influential YouTube sensation, using the platform she has worked extremely hard with to build herself a comfortable lifestyle. It goes without saying that a large majority of the Zoella demographic are female. One common denominator with this audience is an interest in make-up. You scrutinise Zoe in some depth surrounding her uploads with the themes of fashion and beauty, claiming that she should not be promoting the covering up of one’s flaws. However, the point you are making actually ricochets back to your own ill-informed self. Zoe is a firm supporter of loving the skin you are born in. She has made many a ‘vlog’ in which she explains that make-up is something fun to experiment with and to wear, not a way to hide your imperfections. Many of these videos include Zoe with an unashamed bare-face. Would you feel comfortable appearing in front of millions this way, might I ask?
In your post, you even mention the titles of Zoella videos. Unfortunately you appear to have forgotten that the rest of the world may access this also. I’d like to illustrate my own point with a few more of Zoe’s video taglines: Dealing with Panic Attacks and Anxiety, Your Skin Doesn’t Define You, Little Ways to Change Your Life, Anxiety Q&A. I could go on. You certainly seem to. You claim that Zoe does not use her influence to help others; I profusely disagree.
Naturally, your unnecessary 800 word rant of stupidity was met with great backlash. I assume this was the desired effect. YouTube’s expanding community came out in force to support one of their much loved members in retaliation to your vile write-up. As a journalist you have a responsibility to produce engaging, interesting articles, though you waste your time bullying and belittling.
Being a self-acclaimed feminist, you should be supporting a woman doing so well in what is typically a male-dominated industry, rather than showing viscious envy. You have contradicted your own ideologies repeatedly.
I ultimately question your over-riding intention. Were you trying to ridicule Zoe? Did you truly believe that teenage girls across Great Britain would suddenly unsubscribe to her channel upon your revelation? Or did you actually mean to embarrass an acclaimed news platform? The Independent should be ashamed, for, after all, they must have commissioned this monstrosity in some way. You have in fact only proved further how out of touch the media are becoming. YouTube is one of the world’s fastest growing social platforms, home to one billion unique monthly users. Unfortunately, most mainstream media outlets are not evolving alongside the rest of the planet.
I personally believe that Zoe Sugg is a fantastic role model. She represents self-loving (without being at all narcissistic or arrogant), having fun and doing what you love to change the world. Building people up and telling them they're beautiful is more important than comparing them to others, something Zoe does very well. Her advice towards anxiety sufferers does not fall on empty ears; you only have to read her responses to understand that.
- Jack Edwards, The Jack Experience
I have tried to cover the basics, without even delving into the stupidity in which Chloe Hamilton randomly speaks of YouTube beheading and porn. She picks up a totally different point at the end of the article, seeming to have forgotten that she is supposed to be leading an embarrassing rant about Zoe.
Finally, I’d like to reach out to Zoe Sugg herself. Please, please, please don’t let this moron get you down. The community still support and adore you, no matter what out-of-touch journalists believe. We appreciate your hard-work and determination. Ignore the ridiculous comments in regards to your beautiful face; jealousy is the only thing which is truly ugly. Keep doing what you love and the world shall continue to love you for it. You’re on a rollarcoaster that only goes up, my friend.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, goodbye!
Educate yourself, C-Ham! Zoe's videos Dealing with Anxiety and Your Skin Doesn't Define You.
By Jack Edwards
