The Kitchen as Space: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Gender Representation at Babalu Cafe and in Farida Nurhan’s YouTube Content

Dapur sebagai Ruang: Analisis Wacana Kritis tentang Representasi Gender di Babalu Cafe dan Konten YouTube Farida Nurhan

Abstract

The advent of social media particularly YouTube—has transformed many aspects of life, including how the kitchen is interpreted as a space for the production of meaning, particularly regarding gender. This stands in contrast to the past, when the kitchen was viewed as a secluded domestic space. This article examines critical discourses surrounding gender representation, focusing on Babalu Cafe and Farida Nurhan as YouTube creators selected to exemplify the discourse of the kitchen as a space. A qualitative approach was employed, utilizing observation and literature review for data collection. Data gathered from seven YouTube videos were categorized into primary data (videos from the Babalu Cafe and Farida Nurhan channels) and secondary data (coverage videos by Mgdalenaf, Dyodoran, and Bang Tarjo Vlog). The study yielded three key findings: (1) at the textual dimension, the two creators construct the meaning of the kitchen differently through their choice of jargon, title and thumbnail strategies, and the use of audience nicknames to evoke emotional responses; (2) at the discursive practice dimension, the kitchen is represented as a "cooking space" by the male creator through a "rebel cooking" style, whereas the female creator represents it as a "kitchen space" through aesthetics, taste, and interpersonal relationships; (3) at the social practice dimension, kitchen representations reflect the reproduction of patriarchal ideology, the gendered professionalization of cooking, the commodification of the kitchen within the creator economy ecosystem, social class contestation through lifestyle, and the naturalization of gender ideology via digital entrepreneurialism.