#microcelebrities

Aesthetic templates can be defined as the deliberate aesthetic choices made by content creators, which typically involves “morphing yourself into an online brand”, and are considered a “necessary component of Internet participation” (Mavroudis 2020). The mainstream popularity of aesthetic templates is arguably led by the Kardashians, who are famous for their provocative poses and posts. This has also led to the rise of social media influencers and microcelebrities, who emulate the Kardashians through their own content, poses and product placements. Theresa Senft, author and researcher on Internet culture and self-branding, defines microcelebrities as a “new form of identity linked almost exclusively to online spaces” (Senft 2012). These performances of self involve “creating and maintaining an online identity that resembles a branded good in order to gain status through visibility online” (Marwich 2013; Senft 2012). Therefore, in the digital context, many women are presenting a highly sexualized version of themselves online (Mavroudis, 2020). Popular poses include serious ‘model’ type facial expressions and pouting to accentuate full lips, and sensual positions that emphasis a woman’s hips, bottom and breasts. In a similar vein, in recent years, heavily contoured and bronzed makeup is also popular and full-face of makeup selfies tend to receive lots of likes on social media.

Digital media and identity scholar, Dr Jonathan Mavroudis, describes these girls as looking essentially “like porn stars” (Mavroudis 2020). Within Western societies, is has become normalized and common-place for women to display sexuality which reflects the aesthetics of commercial pornography (Drenten & Gurrieri 2019). To clarify the meaning of this movement of pornification and suggestive poses, pornification can be defined as “portraying a heteronormative display of sexuality or ‘porn chic’ aesthetic orientated towards a male audience” (Drenten & Gurrieri 2019). This ‘porn chic’ aesthetic is evident through the way female influencers pose alongside the products they’re promoting, as objects themselves, illustrated through common gestures and body language that accentuates bodily curves (Mavroudis 2020). Some famous examples include brands like ‘Skims’, a shape enhancing undergarments line created by Kim Kardashian West and ‘Fashion Nova’, a popular online women’s fashion store specializing in cheap club dresses, bodysuits and other tight-fitting clothes. Both these brands exemplify the mainstream aesthetic templates that portray women as a commodity and sexual objects, and promote one specific body type – typically curvy figure, accentuated hips, large bottom and large-breasted.

Many of these microcelebrities and influencers have formed hugely popular digital communities with the public through social media platforms, particularly on Instagram and YouTube. However, these aesthetic templates can also be incredibly damaging and harmful for their audience’s mental health and self-esteem. In particular, many public ‘health campaigns’ promoting aesthetic templates are often unachievable and unhealthy, on a physical, emotional and social level. This is because they’re enforcing potentially damaging heteronormative ideals which perpetuate patriarchal ideals and strict gender roles” (Mavroudis 2020). The popularity of aesthetic templates on social media is also closely linked to Body Dysmorphic Disorder, as many young people struggle to “manage the tensions between their offline bodies and who they aspire to be on social media” (Mavroudis 2020). This is why microcelebrity-endorsed products relating to restrictive diets and detox teas, shape-wear and meal-supplements, can have very serious implications on vulnerable audiences and followers who would try anything to recreate the idolized body types they’re incessantly exposed to on social media.

Secondly, aesthetic templates has also led to greater cosmetic seeking behaviours, particularly amongst women who are dissatisfied with their personal image and are desperate to look like the digital microcelebrities they idolize. Visual social media platforms, particularly Instagram and YouTube have become popular platforms for people to search for reviews of procedures and ‘before and after’ photos of cosmetic surgery. However, this can be dangerous, as cosmetic surgery related content online is “predominantly framed… in a positive manner” and may include experiences that patients have been paid to share; and therefore aren’t always unbiased and trustworthy (Wen et al. 2015). Consequently, “the Internet and social media have become ubiquitous in the world of plastic surgery” (Dorfman et al. 2018, p. 332).

Therefore, body satisfaction levels, in both women and men, have been significantly impacted by the one-size-fits-all approach to body image, facilitated through popular aesthetic types, which are promoted in the digital sphere. This also highlights the deeply intertwined connection between aesthetic templates and public ‘health’ campaigns. Therefore, raising concerns about the problematic nature of these aesthetic templates, and the many negative repercussions these can have on an individual’s self-worth and body satisfaction, and society as a whole.

References

Dorfman, R G., Vaca, E E., Mahmood, E, Fine, N A. & Schierle, C 2018, ‘Plastic surgery-related hashtag utilization on Instagram: Implications for education and marketing’, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 332-338.

Drenten, J, Gurrieri, L & Tyler, M 2019, ‘Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention’, Gender Work Organ, vol. 27, pp. 41-66.

Mavroudis, J 2020, ‘Lecture 8. Public health campaigns and social media influence’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning materials via Canvas, Swinburne University of Technology, 6 May, viewed 6 May 2020.

Senft, T M. 2012, ‘Micro-celebrity and the branded self’, in J Burgess & A Bruns (eds), A companion to new media dynamics, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 1-9.

Digital Platform Influence: What are Microcelebrities?

Microcelebrities are a form of influential individuals that are primarily built through digital platforms. Unlike traditional celebrities, they build relationships with their followers by branding themselves through smaller scale platforms (Abidin 2018). They exert more influence on their followers by projecting authenticity, familiarity, and realness, which in turn garners their trust and attention. They make influencer culture an important and integral part of the modern media society.

Microcelebrities not only exert influence by branding themselves through digital platforms but also treat themselves as a commodity. They use self-branding to commodify their appearance, personality, values ​​and lifestyle, and use endorsements and sponsorships to build their careers and generate income (Marwick, Redmond & Marshall 2015).

Responsibility as a communicator in the digital age: Microcelebrities and ethics

Microcelebrities are closely related to digital citizenship in the modern online environment, centered on media platforms, from various perspectives. First, as described above, microcelebrities have the power to communicate by branding themselves. On the other hand, digital citizenship requires healthy and responsible behavior and behavior online (Öztürk 2021). Therefore, as they influence many people, they are required to be aware of this and act ethically in accordance with their influence and to communicate in a manner appropriate to their position. It is essential to be careful when communicating, in preparation for the risk of unconscious actions such as discriminatory remarks, actions, and the spread of misinformation. In addition, microcelebrities often communicate commercial content such as sponsored posts and product introductions, and ethical issues are sometimes pointed out, especially in "stealth marketing" that is difficult to recognize as advertising (Jin, Muqaddam & Ryu 2019). Therefore, transparency and legal compliance as a sender are important, and the credibility of a digital citizen greatly affects the sustained influence of a microcelebrity. Moreover, their audiences are often made up of impressionable young users who mimic the digital behavior of microcelebrities. As a result, microcelebrities not only shape trends but also serve as informal norm-setters for responsible digital engagement.

References:

Abidin, C 2018, Internet celebrity: understanding fame online, Emerald Publishing, Bingley, viewed 6 June 2025.

Jin, SV, Muqaddam, A & Ryu, E 2019, ‘Instafamous and social media influencer marketing’, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 567–579, viewed 6 June 2025, https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09-2018-0375.

Marwick, AE, Redmond, S & Marshall, PD 2015, ‘You may know me from YouTube: (Micro)-celebrity in social media’, in A companion to celebrity, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp. 333–350, viewed 6 June 2025, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118475089.ch18.

Have you ever:

been scrolling and come across a feminine influencer’s post, showcasing their skinny waist, perfect face and big bum, and thought why don’t I look like that?

been scrolling and seen a masculine influencer’s post, that focuses on their tanned skin, chiseled abs and sharp jawline and instantly felt bad about yourself?

This is because the social trend of ‘ideal body’ has joined forces with social media, leading to users being constantly reminded of these desired body types and how they differ from them.

Body shapes and sizes have gone in and out of fashion for thousands of years, especially for women. In Ancient Greece between 500 – 300 BC, a plump, light skinned and full-bodied woman was the perfect shape, and men’s standard of beauty mattered much more, which favoured muscular and sharp features. The roaring 20s saw the ideal woman’s shape being ‘boyish’, flat chest, downplayed waist and short bob hairstyle. Nowadays, the ‘healthy skinny’ is trending, with features such as large breasts and butt, thigh gap and flat stomach.

These social ideals for body and looks are called aesthetic templates, and with the rise of social media, these templates have become increasingly harmful.

Aesthetic templates refer to individual’s embodying ideal attributes and norms of an environment, such as wearing a suit and tie to a workplace. On social media, current beauty standards have become one of the most important features of the template.

This is partially due to the insurgence of microcelebrities, which refers to an ‘online performance involves creating and maintaining an online identity that resembles a branded good in order to gain status through visibility online’ (Senft quoted in Drenten et al, 2018, pg. 42).

These microcelebrities use their posts and social media interactions to present a version of themselves they believe to be perfect, which they can then benefit from through brand deals and creator funds. Attention economy refers to attention being social media’s most valuable commodity (Drenten et al, 2018, pg. 42) and influencer marketing is estimated to be valued between $5 and 10 billion by 2020 (MediaKix quotes in Drenten et al, 2018, pg. 41).

To profit, microcelebrities have turned to ‘porn chic’ to succeed in this constant battle for attention, which is related to wider cultural pressures of a woman’s looks to represent her value in the modern world (Daniels quoted in Drenten et al, 2018, pg. 42). The microcelebrities can rely on large amounts of makeup, plastic surgery and fake tan, with their posts usually being highly edited and specifically designed to amplify certain areas. 

Consequently, these posts are not real life.

This unfortunately results in ordinary people attempting to recreate these aesthetic templates, in order to feel valued by society. 2017 statistics from American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reveal ‘42% of surgeons report that their patients are seeking aesthetic surgery to improve their appearance on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and other social media channels’ (Dorfman et al, 2018, pg. 332). Body dysmorphia is at an all time high, as ordinary individuals are constantly encouraged to compare themselves to images that mislead and misrepresent.

So what do we do? Since this issue is a social one, it is up to each individual to surround themselves with positive and encouraging online content that makes them feel better rather then worse. 

Some positive social media habits include:

Make an effort to follow people with a range of body types, especially people that look like you

Remind yourself that what you see online is rarely the truth, ie. You come across a picture of Kylie Jenner and take a moment to acknowledge her posts are not real life

Focus your social media on people that you know in real life, rather than ‘celebrities’

Take a social media detox

These videos below also have great explanations and recommendations on how to combat body issues caused by social media.

Social media’s impact on women’s body image:

Fitness industry body dysmorphia:

The online world and aesthetic templates are a dangerous combination, but social media can be used to promote body positively and support people in their journey to self-love and acceptance.

If you or someone you love is suffering from issues with body image or eating disorders, please call the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673.

References:

Dorfman, G, Vaca, E, Mahmood, E, Fine, N, Schierle, C 2018, Plastic Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilization on Instagram: Implications for Education and Marketing, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, vol. 38, no. 3

Drenten, J, Gurrieri, L, Tyler, M 2018, Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instragram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention, Gender Work and Organisation, vol. 27, no. 41

Duffy, BE, Meisner, C 2022, Platform governance at the margins: Social media creators’ experiences with algorithmic (in)visibility, Media Culture & Society, vol. 45, no. 2

Edwards, V 2022, Beauty Standards: See How Body Types Change Through History, Science of People, viewed 17 April 2023, <https://www.scienceofpeople.com/beauty-standards/>

LX News, Social Media’s Impact on Body Dysmorphia NBCLX, 3 September, viewed 17 April, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bnNxGhnLQo>

{Week 7, Self-Branding and Micro-celebrities: Identify a micro-celebrity and discuss how this person used social media to achieve this status. Mobilise at least one key concept from the week in your discussion.}

Shannon Harris or more widely known as Shaaanxo is a micro-celebrity from New Zealand who first gained ‘fame’ from her YouTube channel ‘Shaaanxo’ in which she posts beauty videos in particular make-up related. Posting her first video in 2009 she found that she “started out with little skill and almost no viewership” but as her skills improved and she posted more, her channel began to take off. Today Shaaanxo has just over 3 million YouTube subscribers called the #shanclan, with her most popular video gaining 7.7 million views.

Shannon has found this success through her own self-branding using the domain name ‘Shaaanxo’ in which she creates a large media presence where those who have the same passion for all things fashion and beauty can interact and keep up with her across her multiple social media platforms: Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and her Blog using that domain.

With the success of her YouTube channel brought about the opportunity for Shannon to launch her own brand ‘xoBeauty’ in February 2013, just 4 years after starting her YouTube channel. Her brand ranges from makeup to brushes, lashes, and accessories. She has also partnered with makeup brands such as Clinique and Smashbox Cosmetics.