The host in the shell: Constructing female identity in the embodied animated media

Digitally created Virtual YouTubers (VTubers) have gained great popularity around the globe. The VTuber genre has allowed human actors to endow virtual female characters with a level of agency through real-time voice processing and motion-capture technology. Although some studies have begun to explore this emerging phenomenon, there is still a lack of clarity regarding how human actors of digital female characters construct a virtual female identity. To address this research gap, we analyzed 300 videos from 64 popular VTuber accounts, focusing on the performance strategies of VTubers. We show that creators inject human qualities into their personas and re-enact idealized feminine tropes prevalent in animated media through sophisticated vocal strategies. We also identify a new type of performance phenomenon called “virtual breaking” in which human voice hosts unmask their digital avatars and directly reveal their real identities, challenging conventional feminine representation in digital animated media at their core.