#pornification

CW: brainwashing, corruption, pornification, femsub,

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Minako sat beneath the bright studio lights, posture perfect. Her chin angled just as instructed as she looked into the lens. A wide smile stretched across her face, practiced and radiant, the kind that made fans believe it was meant only for them. When the flash burst, white and overwhelming, she didn't flinch. Her posture slightly shifted.

When scrolling through Instagram, it is highly unlikely to avoid pictures of women in small bikinis or lingerie, accentuating their features on pages such as the Kardashians’ or Fashion Nova. This can be described as “pornification” of the media, a display of heightened female sexuality as a form of self-commodification to gain likes or followers (Tyler & Quek 2016). For the modern feminist this arises an inner conflict; is pornification a movement of body positivity and removing shame around female sexuality, or is it purely the objectification of women in a heteronormative society?

One of the most followed accounts on Instagram is that of Kylie Jenner, having a total of 174 million followers. Many of Kylie’s posts are of her wearing minimal clothing, accentuating features such as her breasts and her behind. From a sex-positive outlook, it is important to  explore women’s sexual desire, agency, and to challenge traditional femininity. Posting these images of herself may be a format to show young girls that sexuality is nothing to be ashamed of, that it is normal and necessary for self-love and self-care (Trinh 2016). From a feminist outlook, women’s bodies are beautiful and have no need to be hidden, and it is liberating to be able to celebrate them online (Ross 2010). 

Image from @kyliejenner on Instagram.

The issue then arises when these influencers idealise their lifestyles, promoting body image ideals that are almost unachievable and unhealthy both physically and mentally. With many of these influencers being celebrities, they have the luxuries to create perfectly-lit photos with professional make-up artists and photographers. They have been taught how to angle their body to enhance their features, and many have had some form of fillers or botox (Malacoff 2019). Repeated exposure to these images may present them as a being normative, which may lead to women participating in harmful activities to “fit in”. Such include drinking dangerous weight loss substances such as Kim Kardashian’s “flat tummy tea” (Malacoff 2019), or showing heightened interest in body modification, as according to 2017 statistics from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 42% of surgeons report that their patients are seeking aesthetic surgery to improve their appearance on social media channels (Dorfman et al. 2018). 

Image by @florencegiven on Instagram.

These “perfect” women are often called out and ridiculed by other influencers, who identify with the body positivity movement. Celeste Barber, often hailed as the “celebrity queen of comedy”, has an Instagram account with over 7.1 million followers (@celestebarber). The premise of her Instagram account is to parody model shoots of the most famous and beautiful celebrities by comparing what it might look like for an average woman to strike those same poses (McKay 2019). The images and videos posted mimic those of celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Beyonce, the Kardashians and Gigi Hadid, highlighting that often the content posted by these influencers is unrealistic. In her interview with Vogue, Celeste explores her outlook on body positivity throughout her life, outlining her discovery that “looking a certain way has currency”, and that “body shaming and healthy living are not the same thing”. She is often approached by detox tea companies, however turns them down as she refuses to promote any products that make women feel we need to look a certain way to feel a certain way (Baker 2019).

Image from @i_weigh on Instagram, artist is @shopsundae 

Similarly, Jameela Jamil is an actress, feminist and advocate who has utilized social media to create an online space for body-positivity. On Jameela’s Instagram account (@jameelajamilofficial), holding over 2.9 million followers, the actress posts uplifting messages for women, sparks political conversation and calls out other celebrities and influencers promoting dangerous ideals. She has emphasised the harmful effects of detox teas and appetite-suppressing lollipops promoted by Kardashians (Dickson 2018), and detailed her views of waist trainers such as ‘Slim Tum’, stating in the caption of her post that “feminine is a vibe, not a fucking shape”. She has also established a second Instagram account (@i_weigh) with over 1 million followers, sharing messages of intersectionality and body positivity, creating a space for followers to share what they value about themselves other than their appearance. The account was established as she was “tired of seeing women just ignore what’s amazing about them and their lives and their achievements, just because they don’t have a bloody thigh gap” (Dickson 2018).

Image from @i_weigh featuring @ssedonaa

Ultimately, women have the right to express their sexuality and celebrate their bodies without shame, provided they are not fostering negative, damaging standards of beauty. It is important for large influencers to remain honest with themselves and with their followers in order to empower and healthily support each other.

References:

Baker, V 2019, Celeste Barber on body image, social media and the realities of healthy living, Vogue, viewed 8th May 2019, https://www.vogue.com.au/beauty/wellbeing/celeste-barber-on-body-image-social-media-and-the-realities-of-healthy-living/news-story/6213ecafcfb4badf85cdc18e9138a6bd (Accessed: 8 May 2020). Dickson, E.J 2018, How Jameela Jamil built a brand around body positivity, Vox, viewed 8th May 2020, https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/12/4/18124392/jameela-jamil-good-place-body-positivity

Dorfman, R, 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, pp. 332–338 Malacoff, J 2019, Following Your Favorite Celebs On Instagram Might Be Bad for Your Mental Health, Shape, viewed 8th May 2020, https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/celebrity-social-media-affects-mental-health-body-image 

McKay, R 2019, Celeste Barber: 11 Things You Didn't Know About Celeste, Who, viewed 8th May 2020, https://www.who.com.au/celeste-barber-11-things-you-didnt-know-about-celeste 

Ross, K 2011, ‘Gendered Media: Women, Men and Identity Politics’, in J Wood (ed), Communication Research Trends, vol. 30, no.4, pp. 37

Trinh, S. L 2016, ‘“Enjoy Your Sexuality, but Do it in Secret”: Exploring Undergraduate Women’s Reports of Friends’ Sexual Communications’, Psychology of Women Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 96–107

When we think of the old Instagram, we think of a wholesome platform for family and friends to share photos of their life and adventures, although this is still the case in current times, the platform is now being used as a marketing tool, and a place for women to express themselves in more ways than one. When we look at our social media feeds, in particularly Instagram, it is rare to scroll through without seeing a woman in a bikini or wearing clothing that extenuates their body and features. This is commonly known as ‘Pornification.’ Which is where women gain attention on social media through a highly sexualised aesthetic, which is commonly ‘pornified’ borrowing similar looks from mainstream pornography images. (Drenten, Gurrieri & Tyler, 2019). This can be viewed in different ways, is it a way for women to embrace their bodies and encourage body positivity in women, or is it is seen as a negative portrayal of women where young girls have high expectations for their bodies from these highly photoshopped images.

Chessie King is an Instagram influencer who I have been following for quite some time now with 789 thousand followers. She believes in ‘breaking up the perfect Instagram feed’ by posting raw and unedited photos of her belly rolls, cleavage area and backside photos. @chessiekingg. For instance, she posted a video of her tummy clenched and looking thin and perfect, but when she turned to her side she relaxed and showed what her tummy actually looked like. “It’s not an illusion, it’s not tricker, it’s the human body, a body that moves, reshapes with movement.” (King, 2020). Looking at this from a feminist outlook, and the idea of girls supporting girls, posting these images of her unperfect, natural body shows women all over the world that they shouldn’t be ashamed with what they look like, they should just embrace it. “Body positivity is about making people ‘love’ their own bodies no matter what size and embracing your flaws. It is. About making everybody feel happy and comfortable in their own bodies and respecting all other bodies.” (Van Es, 2019). Chessie is a great example of this as she has stated in interviews that with her large Instagram following, she is someone that a lot of girls can look up to and say if Chessie is going through it so can I. (Alexander. 2019).

Image Found: https://www.instagram.com/chessiekingg/

However, looking at this from an objectifying perspective, posting sexualised images on social media has been associated with wider culture pressures (Daniels, 2016). The use of pornographication has been heavily enabled by the growth of internet and digital communities. (Thompson, 2016). This is done through a range of beauty practices such as appropriate lighting, body enhancement, and photo editing which is commonly used by celebrities. (Abidin, 2016). This can lead to girls having high and unrealistic expectations about their body and comparing themselves to these famous Instagram influencers. Let’s look as Kim Kardashian for example. A very famous American media personality, model, businesswomen, and most of all, a huge social media influencer with over 170 million Instagram followers. Kim is known for posting bikini and lingerie images to her many followers. Not long ago she posted an Instagram sponsored by Flat Tummy Co where she was promoting their meal replacement shakes. The ad did not go down very well and people were claiming that the shakes were dangerous, misleading and inappropriate to expose laxatives to millions of her young fans. (Nzengung, 2019). Deanna Puglia, a specialist in media states, “social media is a new avenue for individuals to engage in maladaptive body comparison processes, creating a need for health communication and behaviour change interventions.” (Puglia, 2019). Young girls already have incredibly high standards when social media influencers like Kim Kardashian post their exposing and revealing images of their ‘perfect’ and unachievable body, promoting meal replacement shakes is taking it to the next step in a negative way as it is promoting unhealthy dieting that can be very dangerous for young girls.

Image Found: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47090374

To conclude, at the end of the day, women have a right to express their bodies without shame or embarrassment, social media, specifically Instagram, is now a platform where girls can support girls in a positive and uplifting way, where women shouldn’t be ashamed to show who they really are. However, this does not mean that social media influencers should encourage negative and harmful standards of beauty. Social media influencers have a large following, so they should be honest and upfront with their viewers about how they achieve their body without promoting negative substances.

References

Alexander, M 2019, If you follow one person on Instagram today, make it Chessie King, viewed 17 May, 2020, <https://www.stylist.co.uk/people/chessie-king-instagram-influencer-body-positivity-love-your-body/274717>.

Drenten, J, Gurrieri, L & Tyler, M 2019, How highly sexualised imagery is shaping 'influence' on Instagram - and harassment is rife, viewed 17 May, 2020, <https://theconversation.com/how-highly-sexualised-imagery-is-shaping-influence-on-instagram-and-harassment-is-rife-113030>.

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.

Nzengung, C 2019, Kim Kardashian Is Back to Promoting Flat Tummy Co, and the Internet Is Not Happy, viewed 17 May, 2020, <https://www.instyle.com/news/kim-kardashian-flat-tummy-meal-replacement-shakes>.

Thompson, s 2016, How Social Media Is Transforming Medical Care In The Developing World, viewed 17 May, 2020, <https://www.fastcompany.com/3057869/how-social-media-is-transforming-medical-care-in-the-developing-world>.