The girl in the corner : aesthetics of suffering in a digitalized space

• The Internet may provide the means for otherwise marginalized groups – such as young people with mental health problems – to make their voices heard in public, and online representations are therefore an important source for studying how emotions are conceptualized and communicated in these groups. In an on-going study of YouTube video montages on the subject of self-injury, we have found one emblematic and frequently occurring character: a girl sitting alone in a corner, on the floor, with drawn up knees and head bent down. Images of this character are widespread, not only on YouTube but also on blogs, discussion forums and websites. Together with her likewise sitting 'sisters' – the girl on the swing, the girl on the pier and on the railway track – she is taken to represent young people's unhappiness, pain and misery. Our chapter sets out to explore in greater detail how this character emerges as a signifier of gendered suffering in online contexts. We argue that it contributes to an aestheticization of suffering that often seems to emanate from the rejection of conventional ideals and hegemonic definitions of normality; the embracing of suffering might, thus, be used as a strategy for achieving social distinction. Also, we suggest in our chapter that the girl in the corner and similar representations may be seen as facilitating certain emotional identifications, especially as regards gender.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Annan humaniora -- Kulturstudier (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Other Humanities -- Cultural Studies (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Konstvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Art History (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Genusstudier (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Gender Studies (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Annan humaniora -- Etnologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Other Humanities -- Ethnology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Aesthetics

emotions

gender

girls

femininity

identity

Internet

social media

suffering

representation.

Humaniora

Humanities

Gender Studies

Genusvetenskap

Art science

Konstvetenskap

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kap (subject category)