#claradao

💕 Clara Dao 💕

And… I'm back with another week of Yapping with Gladys! For this week, have you ever wondered? If social media is supposed to be a space for self-expression, why does it feel like everyone is following the same “look”? 

It’s like we Scroll through Instagram and you’ll start to notice patterns: similar poses, body types, editing styles. This is not a coincidence. It reflects what scholars describe as aesthetic templates, where certain appearances are repeated because of clicks, views and fame.

In today’s digital culture, being seen online isn’t just luck, it's work. Influencers operate within microcelebrity culture, where they present themselves like a brand to gain attention. This involves visibility labour where we have to constantly curate content to fit what performs well (Marwick, 2013).

Over time, this becomes aesthetic labour, where creators adjust how they look, pose, and present themselves to match platform expectations.

This is where creators like Clara Dao become particularly interesting. I’m sure you’ve heard of her if you’ve been on the internet. She challenges unrealistic beauty standards by promoting body acceptance for being flat chested. Her content pushes back against the idea that only one curvy body deserves visibility. Of course she can’t stay relevant forever as she recently undergone surgery to enhance her chest.. well… that’s another story for another time

Duffy and Meisner (2022) talk about algorithmic (in)visibility, where content that doesn’t fit dominant norms may get less reach. So even when creators try to challenge beauty standards, the system itself can limit how far their message spreads. In this sense, the platform itself becomes a gatekeeper, subtly encouraging creators to align with what is considered “acceptable” or “engaging.”

This also connects to the idea of pornification, where female influencers are often expected to present themselves in sexualised or highly curated ways to gain attention (Drenten et al., 2019).And this isn’t just about trends… it affects how people see themselves. When we constantly see idealised versions of bodies such as big balloons, it creates pressure to match them.

From a public health perspective, this environment can contribute to body dissatisfaction and identity dissonance, where there is a gap between one’s real body and the idealised versions seen online. Over time, this may lead to more serious issues such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), as individuals attempt to reconcile these differences. Social media, therefore, does not just reflect beauty standards as it actively produces and amplifies them.

At the same time, we’re not completely powerless. Carah and Dobson (2016) describe a kind of loop where users shape platform culture, while also being shaped by it.

Which means creators like Clara Dao do matter…even if they can’t fully escape the system, they can still challenge it.

So maybe digital citizenship here isn’t just about posting or engaging.

It’s understanding the structures that shape visibility, identity, and representation because at the end of the day…

We’re not just scrolling. We’re part of what decides what gets seen.