U Ok Hun?: The digital commodification of white woman style. (2nd April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ilbury, Christian
• Is Part Of: Journal of sociolinguistics. Volume 26:Number 4(2022)
• Page Start: 483
• Page End: 504
• Publication Date: 2022-04-02
• Subjects: digital culture -- identity -- LGBTQ+ -- memes -- social media -- stylisation; Sociolinguistics -- Periodicals; 306.4405
• DOI: 10.1111/josl.12563
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1360-6441

Abstract

Abstract: Sociolinguistic research has increasingly explored the ways in which semiotic features are variably recruited to stylistically perform enregistered social personae. In this paper, I add to this body of work by exploring the emergence of a stereotypically feminine style and persona that is widespread in British social media. Specifically, I examine the prevalence of non‐standard spellings (e.g., darling, gorgeous ), discourse features (e.g., hun, babe, u ok hun? ), and characterological tropes (e.g., the life motto ' live, love, laugh ') as indexical representations of a particular type of classed, gendered, and ethnic identity in a corpus of Instagram memes. I demonstrate that these features have become enregistered as a characterological figure of a British working‐class White woman—the Hun—that is stylistically deployed as a digital commodity register. Concluding, I emphasise the need for research to engage more fully with stylisation and commodification in social and digital media interaction.