What’s in a Face
Why some YouTubers and gamers choose not to reveal this characterizing human feature.
From educational pages (CGP Grey) to pranksters (Ownage Pranks) to gaming YouTuber TheRPGMinx, there’s a niche of YouTube Creators who generally do not reveal their faces. Let’s jump right in as to why they (and others) do so.
1. (Bullet)proofed against discriminatory baggage that comes alongside
Like singer-songwriter Sia, acclaimed for performing and appearing on stage with her signature wig to guard against criticism directed at her material self, YouTubers may wish to blur their physical presence in their video content. You ask where’s said discrimination in this 21st century? — Let me recapitulate, since I’m sure you’ve encountered discourses on these previously. Racial discrimination, colour discrimination, gender discrimination, discrimination by age, body image discrimination — you name it, most of it’s got a physical backing, and there’s a chance it’s happening somewhere in this 7.7 billion peopled world. And to work against this negativity, to rebel in a way, is to make the world a little more accepting, a little freer, a little better.
2. Self-esteem
In continuation with the last point, perchance the YouTuber may have started off with a bit of nervousness, consequently not displaying their face. And having seen fellow YouTubers undergo oppressive treatments for the way they look, their resolve to remain faceless online may have been cemented. Perhaps it may even be seen as a statement of their power, that they do not sell their content depending upon an ancillary factor, i.e. visuals.
3. Focus
As celebrities in the music industry (Slipknot) have asserted that wearing masks drives public attention to their music, which allows personal intimacy with their art, gamers and YouTubers, in general, may intend to draw the audience’s focus to their game and not to noise.
4. USP
I’m pretty certain that in this world full of people decking up their faces with exponentially rising layers of what has come to be known as beautification, this rebel statement also works for many as a unique selling point (USP). You want me to pretty-up my face? I won’t. Because when the competition is cutthroat, the need for uniqueness increases evermore. And since make-up is the mainstream modification of looks, whose climax can only be so far, a break-through is the need of the times — to not overdo it while also cutting through the competition.
5. Strategic placement of “reveal”s
The human mind is curious. If there’s a hint towards a subject but it’s not explored, it keeps bugging most of us in the back of our heads. YouTubers, in not revealing their face since the start, can exploit this tendency of humankind to their own benefit: likes, views, subscriptions. Take for instance ASKA (formerly AsKaGangsta), who did an “eye reveal” at 500k subscribers, a “hair reveal” at 600k, a “forehead reveal” at 800k, and finally a “face reveal” (on Instagram) at 1M subscribers.
In the scores of reasons as to why some YouTubers may not display their faces, we’ve looked at the most prominent ones, and this defamiliarisation of the “face” works to many YouTubers’ and gamers’ advantage. And in the capacity of making people reconsider value, I think this facelessness is working towards making a better world. Or perhaps it’s my wishful thinking.
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References:
“Top 10 YouTubers Who Rarely Show Their Faces.” YouTube, 26 Aug. 2016, youtu.be/qK7Vf4gKH_8.
