Beyond the Screen: Moroccan Women Crafting Digital Empowerment through Personal Branding in Social Media

Abstract

This article investigates the concept of personal branding via digital platforms and its influence on Moroccan women's empowerment. By leveraging social networks, Moroccan women have cultivated a distinct digital identity, which helped them establish lucrative online businesses, leading to financial autonomy. Employing a feminist approach, we analyzed data collected from a sample of five prominent Moroccan bloggers and influencers, whose effective personal branding in social media drives them to "stand out from the crowd", transgress into the male-dominated digital world, overcome the pre-determined gender stereotypes, and set up a self-made career. The research explores how these women have created and marketed their personal brands, examining the strategies and processes that have contributed to their online success. Through a qualitative content analysis and a quantitative assessment of the reception and prospects of female blogging in Morocco, the study uncovers the empowering effects of personal branding on women's confidence, visibility, and economic independence. The findings emphasised the transformative potential of personal branding to enhance women's self-esteem, challenge societal norms, and create new possibilities for gender equality within the online sphere. Ultimately, the study contributes to gender studies literature by examining personal branding through a gender-centric lens and highlighting its benefits for women's personal, social, and economic well-being.