Kermit and Marbles

So, I was watching a Jenna Marbles youtube video last night and realized how popluar she has become. Everyone I know who has seen her videos, likes to watch her- males and females included. It makes sense that guys would like her; she’s an attractive, blonde female. And somehow, her attractiveness does not prompt us girls to loath her but rather see her as a role model.

First of all Jenna Marbles establishes her ethos very strongly. She shows her viewers her college diploma in psychology, speaks to her dogs in “doggie” voices, does goofy things, and even shows us pictures of herself without makeup or in unflattering situations. This shows us that she is a real person. Yes, she looks pretty and seems smart, but she actually doesn’t simply wake up in the morning looking totally awesome, and she has a degree to back herself up when she analyzes people on her show.

She also establishes logos. The topics that Jenna Marbles speaks about and what she says about them seem genuinely true to us. Since she talks about people, and each one of us tries to analyze people and figure people out, we can first of all relate to what she is saying and credit her logic. She also says a lot of the things many of us wish to articulate, but maybe are not able to, especially not on camera for the world to see. She has valid points that connect to anyone’s lives, and even invites people to refute them if they want to (further establishing ethos, recognizing that others have different opinions than her).

Lastly, she establishes pathos in a few ways. First of all, she presents herself hilariously and sarcastically. She makes light of uncomfortable situations and this makes us happy. We want to watch her because we know she will cheer us up. She is also attractive so she appeals to men, but also women because she has established herself already, and therefore we want to watch her to become inspired and to be more like her. Lastly, she has her dogs with her on camera for each of her webshows. She has a very loving bond with her dogs, which many of us can relate to with our own pets, and therefore we can relate further to her.

Jenna Marbles has become popular quickly. She clearly has faults and is not perfect, but the ultimately,  she is a great rhetor and we respond to that.

This entry was posted in Rhetoric and Civic Life and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Kermit and Marbles

  1. Pingback: Jenna Marbles’ Civic Education By Stealth Kathleen Collins / John Jay College | Flow

Leave a Reply