4. DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
4.1 Analysis of Yi’s Image Repair Strategies
4.1.1 Bolstering
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4. Data Analysis and Results
4.1 Analysis of Yi’s Image Repair Strategies
Among all the image repair strategies used, “Reducing Offensiveness of Event” is the major strategy used in Yi’s publication, with 29 presences. “Denial” also has two presences.
However, there are no presences of “Evasion of Responsibility”, “Corrective Action” or
“Mortification” in Yi’s blog3.
The strategies used by Yi in her blog are basically consistent with Benoit’s investigation of Hugh Grant’s image restoration discourse. Both of them used “bolstering”, “attack one’s accuser” and “denial”. However, Yi did not use mortification in her blog, which was one of the major strategies used by Hugh Grant. As for the variant strategies used, “bolstering” is the most used, with 22 presences, followed by “transcendence”, five presences, “attack accuser”, two presences and “denial”, two presences. These are detailed below.
4.1.1 Bolstering
Yi rarely addressed her extramarital affair directly in her blog, but emphasized her positive characteristics to offset the offensiveness of the event. Celebrities’ blogs may be more appropriate spaces for celebrities to use a bolstering strategy for two reasons. Firstly, if we compare blogs to other media, when celebrities use mass media like television or newspapers to repair their images, they inevitably have to interact with either reporters or hosts, and it may not be easy to stress their positive characteristics during an interview.
However, on blogs, they can take their time to think about the words and phrases to use without worrying about being pressurized on the spot. This helps celebrities to create the impression they want their audiences to receive.
3 See appendix for complete data collection
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On the other hand, the use of bolstering may also be due to the nature of blogs. Blogs are spaces for people to record their lives, and so they tend to reflect their more favorable side to audiences. When celebrities use bolstering in a blog, their positive traits can be wrapped up in a more natural fashion to make their audiences believe “that’s who they are”
in private. Compared to other strategies, bolstering seems to be a better strategy to use in a blog.
In Yi’s case, bolstering can be divided into two aspects: her charitable deeds and her personal favorable characteristics. Many celebrities often published their benevolent behavior in their blog to enhance their image. After Yi’s extramarital affair, she enhanced her image by publishing the good things she had done. For example, in “Y1201”, she wrote about her benevolent deeds with her son; in “Y0217”, she depicted her help to raise money for poor kids; in “Y0121”, she described her efforts to help victims of then Sichuan Earthquake. When these charitable things are demonstrated, they are put in a natural context, with her own words and moods about the event added. For example, in “Y1201”, Yi introduced the idea of the charitable event first, and then described her working process with her son. Doing this gives these bolstering efforts more humanity.
On the other hand, her bolstering efforts are demonstrated through her personal qualities. Basically, they are shown in three dimensions, including her generosity, caring, and talent.
Firstly, Yi created a generous impression by maintaining a forgiving attitude toward her critics. When the affair broke out, many people insulted her and attacked her with all kinds of rough words and mocked her. However, she expressed in her blog that she would take those attacks as life lessons and learn from them. For example, in this post:
“One day I will appreciate all the thistles I have passed and see big flowers
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bloomed from the palus. I will reborn myself and walk toward eternal light and love, without any fear.”
(Y0105 烙印)
she compares the attacks with “thistles” and says she would be reborn from within.
By doing this, she made a contrast between the mass media’s aggression and her forgiveness.
The following are other examples:
“Those noises will by any means continue. All the exaggerations and provoke will still exist. However, I will stride forward with thanks in mind.”
(Y0111 謝謝你們)
“Thanks to those who harm and those who give hands. Keep all the disasters and graces in mind. No matter what, always believe and love……”
(Y1208 一條簡單的道路)
Secondly, she created a caring image to her fans, her son and her co-workers. Fans are the premise of a celebrity’s blog and it is important to maintain a bond with them. Yi often shows her appreciation and thankful attitude for the support and love given to her by her fans in her blog. They are often put in the last paragraph when Yi has already finished her description of her moods or work. This connection with her fans was even tighter after the affair. For example:
“I don’t feel disappointed toward people’s indifference. On the contrary, I can see those people, partners, family, good friend who still by my side in this moment, and those who never met but kept giving me temperatures.”
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(Y0102 幸福的可能)
“Thank you guys for giving me so much. Trust, love and persistence.
Sometimes when I close my eyes, I can feel support from you guys around my ears.”
(Y0126 新年新人)
“I will keep going forward. Thank you for your kind heart and love you guys.
Please still stay here silently.”
(Y0327 心理月刊)
Apart from her fans, Yi also created a “good mother” image in her blog writing.
Yi’s son is an important character in her blog and is often mentioned. She gives her son the nickname, “Little Prince”. In many of Yi’s posts, one can see her caring and love for her son.
For example:
“Your adorable face is like the cute panda in this picture. Your eyes always full of love to this world and always have smile. Thank you for drawing picture from 6 to 9. Thank the teacher who accompanied you in the classroom, though you still fell asleep on the way home.”
(Y1201 小王子的慈善彩碟)
The mass media had reported that she did not treat her son well and often left him alone. However, Yi created a good mother image in her blog through her vivid portrait of their life together. Here are other examples:
“From Christmas, New Year, New Year’s Eve, winter vacation to
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Valentines’ day, I can spend my time with you. That’s my happiest moment.”
(Y0304 天天快樂)
“On the Valentine’s Day we went to beautiful Danshui with Sister Candy. We wandered around in the night market, played video game, tried to catch fish, played beads. It was as if we were also back to our childhood.”
(Y0313 因為懂得)
Apart from her fans and her son, she often showed her appreciation to work-related people. For example:
“I really appreciated all the crew members who taking care of me in this period of time…You guys love me as family, comfort me as friends, care me as children. I can say thanks anymore because it can’t be expressed by words.”
(Y0111 謝謝你們)
“As an endorser of brands, I still believe a responsible client will make efforts to shoulder every result. I wish everyone can look things from a more large-minded perspective. Finally I want to thank to those clients, friends, family and working partners who still accompany me and protect me at this moment.”
(Y0402 掌上明珠)
As seen above, Yi used a lot of “thanks” and “appreciated” in her blogging posts, and this gives her a modest and thankful impression in the minds of audiences.
Thirdly, Yi maintained her image as a talented writer. Yi is liked by many because of her beautifully written texts. Many people have left messages on her blog saying that they like her because of her beautiful texts and her intelligence. Stressing her favorable
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characteristics that are liked by her fans is a measure to counter any possible offensiveness of the event. For example, she sometimes wrote her blog in a prose style with a lot of metaphors. The texts were like her mood reflecting the extramarital affair. For example:
“See, then run; maybe in the back of the light is just darkness. Listen to the wind and close my eyes. Imagine opening my wings. Maybe there are no wings. But still craving to fly. Feel the temperature, hot and cold and freezing and I hug myself. Know I still exist and breathe hardly. Let my tears drop down and smile.”
(Y1226 way back into love)
“As if waking up from hibernation, I gradually feel my body temperature. Finish one job and I can finally sleep well. Without dreaming and awaking, just like death. When wake up, it’s already a century passed. The world has changed its appearance.”
(Y0112 冬眠)
Some of her fans expressed in her blog that they could feel the kind of person she is from her texts. If this writing ability is the reason she is liked by her fans, enforcing this ability in her blog may help her to solidify her fan base. The following are other examples:
“Maybe there are different styles and appearances, which can’t be understood by this world. But I still believe possibility of love and well-being. You also should believe that, life is always on the road of warm spring and flower blooming. It’s not far from the days of facing the wide ocean.”
(Y0102 幸福的可能)
“The world is big, with many bothering. All the distracting thoughts only
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exist in the blink of eyes. Maybe one day I will disappear in front of people’s eyes. But what is hardest to forsake is the gaze from you guys.”
(Y0130 異鄉人)
As shown above, although Yi’s image was jeopardized by the extramarital affair, she did not just keep justifying herself, but maintained her habit of blog writing and emphasizing her positive characteristics.
The bolstering efforts shown above are different from those used by Hugh Grant in the mass media. When Hugh Grant used a bolstering strategy, he created an impression of honesty through his appearance, maintained a modest attitude by praising others, and expressed his concern for his girlfriends (Benoit, 1997), and these efforts are still made “for the wrongdoing”. However, in Yi’s case, when bolstering is shown in her blog, her positive traits are demonstrated on a daily basis, instead of presented in a deliberate way or specifically referring to the critical event.