BEAUTY, BRAINS, AND BOLDNESS: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF INFLUENCER-EDUTAINER JACKIE AINA’S “UNPOPULAR OPINIONS”

Abstract

Jackie Aina, a popular Nigerian American beauty vlogger and influencer-edutainer, has received attention for her candid stances on the beauty, fashion, and social media industries, along with her outspokenness about social justice issues. Notably, several of the videos on her YouTube channel contain “Unpopular Opinions” in their titles. In these videos, Aina conducts makeup tutorials while voicing viewpoints that she deems controversial. This thesis uses Aina’s “Unpopular Opinions” videos as a case study of Black women influencer-edutainers’ use of critical discourse in their content. It utilizes critical discourse analysis (CDA) with elements of multimodality and other critical disciplines such as critical race theory and feminist studies to examine how Black women vloggers and influencer-edutainers balance their dual responsibilities as influencers and educational entertainers.