#filter #Juno #New #pokemon #game #sold ! #pokemonscarlet #gottacatchemall #scarlet #switch #nintendoswitch #aesthetic #pokemon25 #seller #gwao #gamersweareone #GWAOI #gamecartridge #nintendo https://www.instagram.com/p/ClQd6pfOm-X/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

PhD day 638. Finally put my favourite quote on my office door 😎

Here's the article:

Powell, S., Ah-King, M., & Hussénius, A. (2018). ‘Are we to become a gender university?’ Facets of resistance to a gender equality project. Gender, Work & Organization, 25(2), 127–143. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12204

Digital Citizenship and Health Education: Body Modification on Visual Social Media

In today's world, social media has evolved from a simple platform where people discuss their raw daily lives to a platform full of important figures who appear to live a perfect existence. It has become "ubiquitous in the world of plastic surgery" and has prompted worries about the influence of online celebrities in setting high aesthetic standards (Dorfman et al 2018, p. 332).

Instagram filters impact our perception of the people we see online. We can walk down the street and see people who depict themselves online as this great slender girl boss, but who are very different in person without the world of filters. I discovered an essay by Drenten in this week's readings that reveals the way women portray themselves on social media as some type of sexual dream to their followers.

Posing for their followers while wearing no clothing. The article examined how this may affect the mental health of those who use social media and how these females are projecting an image that younger girls, in particular, look up to. The demand on 'looking beautiful and sounding right' has become a battleground for many ladies nowadays.

Celebrities are frequently portrayed as unrealistic beauty standards on visual social media sites such as Instagram. Because of amazing editing and retouching skills used by media models, it has produced a quagmire of unattainable ideals that consumers, regrettably, attempt to meet. Instagram's popular aesthetic templates include publishing sexualized photographs on the platform while posing with promoted products that generate revenue for influencers (Drenten, 2018). Although money may benefit from the monetization of IG posts, there is a clear link between pornography and sexualized labour. Thus, it boils down to broader cultural forces that communicate to women that sexiness is both appreciated and a method of attracting attention.

However, in recent years, body positivity has enabled people to feel more at ease and secure in their own flesh. Instagram has also begun to include "content promoting acceptance of a diverse range of body sizes and appearances" (Lazuka et al 2020, p. 92). Lizzo is well-known for her online comments about body positivity and being "body normative" and "normalising" all body kinds (Mamo 2020). As a result, people can feel more confident and accept their appearance.

REFERENCES

Lazuka, R, Wick, M, Keel, P & Harriagar, J, 2020, ‘Are We There Yet? Progress in Depicting Diverse Images of Beauty in Instagram’s Body Positivity Movement’, Elsevier Ltd, vol.34, pp. 85-93

Drenten, J., 2018. Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gwao, pp. 1-26.

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 (3),  pp 332–338

Week 7: Digital Citizenship and Health Education: Body Modification on Visual Social Media

The complex and delicate issue of body alteration has found a fertile home in the modern era's visual social media platforms. Being aware of the influence of platform algorithms, cultural norms, and the fuzziness of boundaries between individual agency and peer pressure is crucial for digital citizens to approach these discussions critically.

The discourse surrounding body alteration and health education is impacted by algorithms that have the power to magnify or censor material, which creators in these settings frequently encounter (Duffy & Meisner, 2022).

The "promotion" and "reconnaissance" tasks that young women undertake in relation to their body image on social media are explored (Carah & Dobson, 2016). This begs the question of the veracity and potential health effects of body alteration content, and it also highlights the extreme self-surveillance encouraged by these sites.

The reasons for body alteration procedures can be better understood with the help of David C. Lane's process-based model (Lane, 2017). It makes us think about the ways digital platforms might change or alter these drives, impacting how people see things and what they do, which could have negative consequences.

Body alteration as a means of monetizing attention is highlighted by Drenten et al.'s research on the sexualization of labour in digital culture. In the case of social media influencers trying to make it big, this phenomena might amplify the already existing demands to adhere to unattainable ideals of beauty.

Concerns regarding the ethical implications of selling medical treatments as lifestyle choices and the potential minimisation of risks and effects are raised by Dorfman et al.'s research on the use of hashtags on Instagram for plastic surgery.

It is our responsibility as digital citizens to critically engage with body alteration content on social media, calling for openness, ethical practices, and safe spaces that put health and wellness ahead of superficial appearances. Here in the internet realm, we have a once in a lifetime chance to spread an educated, balanced view of body modification that prioritises individual responsibility, well-being, and security.

References

Carah, N., & Dobson, A. (2016). Algorithmic hotness: Young women’s “promotion” and “reconnaissance” work via social media body images. Social Media + Society, 2(4), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305116672885

Dorfman, R. G., Vaca, E. E., Mahmood, E., Fine, N. A., & Schierle, C. F. (2017). Plastic Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilization on Instagram: Implications for Education and Marketing. Swinburne University of Technology; Swinburne University of Technology. file:///Users/hanhtrang/Downloads/Dorfman%20et%20al%20Plastic%20Surgery-Related%20Hashtag%20Utilization.pdf

Drenten, J., Gurrieri, L., & Tyler, M. (2019). Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention. Gender, Work & Organization, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12354

Duffy, B. E., & Meisner, C. (2022). Platform governance at the margins: Social media creators’ experiences with algorithmic (in)visibility. Media, Culture & Society, 45(2), 016344372211119. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221111923

Lane, D. C. (2017). Understanding body modification: A process-based framework. Sociology Compass, 11(7), e12495. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12495

Week 7 - Are those beauties realistic?

The lecture this week covered the topic of micro-celebrity practices on social media in contemporary times, detailing the process of monetization through visibility labour and the phenomenon of pornification that shapes the aesthetic templates adopted by many users, often reinforced by platform algorithms. Additionally, it explored how the heightened visibility of these aesthetic templates can contribute to concerns regarding body image.

How attention is monetised

According to Drenten et al. (2019, p. 42), the ability to monetise relies on the attention garnered by digital content. In the "attention economy," attention is a scarce and valuable resource that functions as a form of capital since once attention is measured, it can be marketised and financed (Drenten et al., 2019, p. 42). This has led to the emergence of "influencer commerce," where individuals create digital content to attract attention from a following on social media, often incorporating commodities into their everyday lives, and thus, influencer marketing on social media has become a multi-billion-dollar industry, with influencers predominantly being women who set cultural scripts adopted by everyday social media users, particularly on platforms like Instagram as depicted by Drenten et. al (2019, p. 42). 

The problematic side of the influencers industry

Drenten et al. (2019, p. 42) noted that influencer marketing in the attention economy significantly reinforces conforming to heteronormative standards of attractiveness and femininity, often through sexualised self-presentation on social media. This aligns with the concept of "porn chic," where mainstream culture incorporates aesthetics from pornography (Drenten et al., 2019, p. 42). Ultimately, influencers aim to attract attention, gain likes and increase monetisation potential, with adherence to these norms being valued and attention-grabbing.

Some examples of those heteronormative standards in both masculinity, as Terry Crews, a sports player who is considered to work in a testosterone-fuelled environment, and femininity, as Kylie Jenner, who was described to have ideal beauty with exaggerated curves to their noticeably plumped lips below (Rix-Standing, 2018; Senft, 2013). 

By continuously reinforcing the particular templates of beauty, for example, the template of Kylie Jenner as a perfect beauty standard for feminity, those templates would likely become a mainstream criterion of beauty that women "should" orient to. However, it could lead to a body image crisis relating to the unrealistic standards backed by the inequality in the way platforms’ algorithms choose what is to visible and what is not. According to Duffy and Meisner (2022), people of marginalised groups such as ones with queer identities or with ethnic identities would likely receive both formal and informal punishments from TikTok. As a result, there is evidently a bias toward what is normative and mainstream as well as excluding what is beyond it would directly lead to a crisis of body image for users who cannot adopt or are not naturally born with mainstream identities, including their appearance. 

In summary, the rise of micro-celebrity culture on social media, driven by the attention economy and platform algorithms, has reshaped influencer marketing. While this has led to the monetisation of online personas and the establishment of cultural norms, it also raises concerns about body image. The normalisation of heteronormative ideals perpetuated by influencers can exacerbate insecurities and marginalise non-conforming individuals. As we engage with digital platforms, it's essential to critically assess their impact on societal perceptions of beauty and identity.

References

Drenten, J., Gurrieri, L., & Tyler, M. (2019). Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention. Gender, Work & Organization, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12354

Duffy, B. E., & Meisner, C. (2022). Platform governance at the margins: Social media creators’ experiences with algorithmic (in)visibility. Media, Culture & Society, 45(2), 016344372211119. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221111923

Lang, C. (2023, July 28). Even the Kardashians Can’t Keep Up With Their Beauty Ideals. Time. https://time.com/6298911/kardashians-kylie-jenner-boob-job-beauty-standards/

Rix-Standing, L. (2018, November 19). Six male celebrities changing the conversation around masculinity. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/international-mens-day-2018-masculinity-mental-health-prince-harry-daniel-craig-dwayne-johnson-a8641256.htmlSenft, T. (2013). Microcelebrity and the Branded Self. In A Companion to New Media Dynamics. Chicester : Wiley.

Week 7: Body Modification on Visual Social Media

With the wake of digital technologies revolutionising what we would consider a job, ‘online influencer’ and its plethora of synonyms such as ‘e-celebrity’ and ‘content creator’ have all become highly sought after occupations (Duffy B, Meisner C, 2022). A report by the Morning Consult in 2019 identified in their survey of millennials that 54% would be willing to pursue the career if given the opportunity. But why? One’s exposure to an online influencer is generally through the viewing of an already successful creator. In this regard, the lifestyle has built the stigma that it's easy, gives freedom of work, and makes a lot of money. While partly true, Brooke Erin Duffy and Colten Meisner in their literature, ‘Platform governance at the margins: Social media creators’ experiences with algorithmic (in)visibility’, measured the common sentiment amongst questioned influencers to be that the career path is more stressful and jarring than people assume.

Unlike more traditional jobs, as being a creator is linked to digital platforms, many current and aspiring creators echo the feeling that effort and hardwork don’t directly correlate to growth or performance; rather they are at the mercy of a black box algorithm to decide. Without any concrete way of knowing how to increase one’s own favorability in the systems, guidance is often seeked through continuous exposure to the environment. 

A by-product this leads into, however, is the modifying of one’s self image and character in an attempt to not only seemingly appease various social media algorithms, but also contribute to the normalised ‘porn chic’ culture that seems to thrive across social platforms. Jenna Drenten, Lauren Gurrieri, and Meagan Tyler (2018) coined the concept after assessing the trend of visual and textual sexualisation in abundance. A major driver they found is that provocative labour and photo editing to appear more “beautiful” connotated to greater avenues to monetization, faster growth, and interestingly, higher self-esteem. 

With this pressure to maintain this online appearance, what we’re seeing recently is the emerging socio-issue of body dysmorphia to the most minute degree.

References

Duffy  BE and Meisner,  C 2022. “Platform governance at the margins: Social media creators’ experiences with algorithmic (in)visibility,” Media, Culture & Society. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221111923.

Morning Consult. 2019. "The Influencer Report Engaging Gen Z And Millennials". https://morningconsult.com/influencer-report-engaging-gen-z-and-millennials/

Drenten J. Gurrieri L. Tyler M. 2018. "Sexualised labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetisation of attention". Gender work and organisation. DOI:10.1111/gwao.12354

Week 7: Body Modification on Social Media, Pornification on Instagram

On social media, many women who are content creators present a sexualized version of themselves online in order to attract followers so that they can therefore monetize their social media account. This is most commonly seen with the social media application Instagram. Female content creators on Instagram often post sexual imagery conforming to the heteronormative standards of beauty, openly subjecting themselves to the male gaze online for money. This concept may be referred to as pornification, which entails a porn chic aesthetic and sexual posing in images online. They may also modify their body through filters and photo editing to enhance their physique.

Instagram users that subject themselves to pornification are known as boosters. In the text “Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention’ Drenten defines a booster as: “influencers who promote access to self‐marketed products and perform sexualized labour to exploit the attention of social media followers for monetary compensation” (Drenten et al. 2018, p. 56).  Instagram creators post provocative and almost nude images online in order to promote products.  Furthermore in “Aglorithmic Hotneess", Carah states “the escalating capacity of social media platforms to calibrate flows of attention depends on users' work in curating flows of "hot" body images" (Carah & Dobson, 2016, p. 1).

On Instagram, pornification is monetized through the use of advertisements. Advertisements on Instagram may look like regular posts however they are promoting a product. For instance, many creators may take sexual images on a beach in a bikini they were sent by a brand, therefore it is a brand deal for them. They may post a porn chic photoshoot wearing the bikini, which will receive a lot of likes, and then they are paid for it. However, they may also promote their own products in a similar way: “boosters mark a shift toward access‐based influencer labour as they create and promote their own products or services, such as swimwear, clothing, make‐up, sunglasses and fitness guides, among others” (Drenten et al. 2018, p. 56). Once they have created a strong following by posting sexualized images, they may begin to do so for their own products as well.

Lastly, many of the overtly sexual images seen online are edited and modified. Users can edit their bodies to enhance their curves, erase any blemishes, darken, or lighten their skin and add filters to their images to present the perfect 'hot' body. Additionally, users can undergo plastic surgery procedures on their faces and bodies such as nose jobs. According to statistics from 2017 “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, Vaca, Mahmood, Fine & Schierle 2018, p. 332). The use of body modification on social media creates an unhealthy and unrealistic beauty standards for users and may increase their insecurities within themselves leading to dangerous disorders.

References:

Carah, N., & Dobson, A. (2016). Algorithmic hotness: Young women’s “promotion” and “reconnaissance” work via social media body images. Social Media + Society, 2(4), 205630511667288. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305116672885

Dorfman, R. G., Vaca, E. E., Mahmood, E., Fine, N. A., & Schierle, C. F. (2018). Plastic surgery-related hashtag utilization on Instagram: Implications for education and marketing. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 38(3), 332–338. https://doi.org/10.1093/asj/sjx120

Drenten, J., Gurrieri, L., & Tyler, M. (2019). Sexualized labour in Digital Culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention. Gender, Work & Organization, 27(1), 41–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12354

Body Modification on social media

This week is about body modification on social media. With the advert for social media, people give more public health awareness. Works become associated with sexuality and sexual desire, called sexualized labour (Drenten et al., 2019). Sexual attraction has become a way for work to earn more profits and gain more potential consumers. For females, the pornification templates mainly focus on the features of lips, waist, and hip. Women usually have some sexy poses to show their perfect bodies and wonderful faces. Conversely, males care more about their strength and the power they have. But girls and young women always get more attention than young men on digital media (Carah & Dobson, 2016). That is why women have 20 percent more than men to get body dysmorphic disorder (Phillips, MD, 2023), so more women do not really satisfy their own bodies after seeing the “perfect body” on social media. They have more pressure and anxiety than men.

In addition, platforms also have algorithmic invisibility for people who have marginalized identities (Duffy & Meisner, 2022). For example, TikTok’s algorithms are unpredictable, and it is hard to know which content would be preferred by algorithms. Sometimes the content that is easier to make or the content that is never considered popular gains more attention (Duffy & Meisner, 2022). It is never known when the governance of the platform would limit or make your content invisible, and it is all about luck, especially for people with different races, skin, or LGBTQ (Duffy & Meisner, 2022). Great appearance, emotions, and body may bring good results or benefits to the workplace, but stress and discrimination for the employee would also impact their psychological health their body. The important thing is not to over-emphasize the appearance and presentation of aesthetic labour, especially for women and marginalized groups, and employers should care about the emotions and thoughts of employees to ensure their safety and health.

References：

Carah, N. and Dobson, A. (2016) “Algorithmic hotness: Young women’s ‘promotion’ and ‘reconnaissance’ work via social media body images,” Social Media + Society, 2(4), p. 205630511667288. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305116672885.

Drenten, J., Gurrieri, L. and Tyler, M. (2019) “Sexualized labour in Digital Culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention,” Gender, Work & Organization, 27(1), pp. 41–66. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12354.

Duffy, B.E. and Meisner, C. (2022) “Platform governance at the margins: Social Media Creators’ experiences with algorithmic (in)visibility,” Media, Culture & Society, 45(2), pp. 285–304. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221111923.

Phillips, MD, K.A. (2023) Who gets bdd?, BDD. Katharine A. Phillips, MD. Available at: https://bdd.iocdf.org/about-bdd/who-gets/ (Accessed: April 15, 2023).

@legionscall​ sent:  [ COVER ]:   sender lunges forward to throw their body over the receiver and shield them from harm during a fight /  for Thranduil from Lark

    What to an heir is accession in the midst of battle? A bloodied crown passed unto the son whilst slain kin stare blankly, seeing nothing. There was no funeral procession and no coronation procession. Only continued duty that demanded no time for grief. Thranduil stood with a longsword in each hand, head raised in defiance to what his eyes beheld. And it was there in his gaze that living memory endured--- filled with horrors and loss of home and kin. There also in his gaze was the disbelief that death came yet again, now leaving none else save the new Elvenking. Eyes widened, but not yet breaking from the sight of his father slumped lifeless amidst their kin (the kin who accepted them as their own long ago). More than two thirds of their own surrounded the former King in eternal guard. Thranduil took one step back. Too soon had his father led the charge-- too soon had they gone to their deaths.  But no more. 

    “Call them back,” came his first command as Elvenking. “All who survive shall return to the main host, ere we go to slaughter.” The Captain who stood beside his new King blew the horn, calling what was left of the host from the Woodland Realm. Cut off from the others of their Alliance, Thranduil turned to face the enemy to give his kin a chance at escape. “Lead them away,” he commanded the Captain ere he raised his swords. “Gwao hi!”

   Swift and seamless were the Elvenking’s blows, for such skill with the blade had long been with him. Swiping left, then right, then crossing both and releasing out, his blades found the weak points in the foul creatures’ armor to deliver mortal blows. He remained--- he endured--- to cut down the enemy whilst his kin were able to slip free from a fate he would not allow them to face. 

     For some time, Thranduil prevailed, yet the enemy seemed not to dwindle. Suddenly, the hook of one Orc blade caught one of the Elvenking’s swords, thrusting it from his grasp. If the blade made noise when it thudded to the ground, he heard it not, for Thranduil heard only the clang from his remaining sword serving as a block between the Orc blade and his face. He stepped forward swiftly, using force to push the contender back into its own line to meet the blade of another Orc. Vengeful eyes gazed upon the Orc as its final breaths were guttural and blood-choked. Upon its death, Thranduil stepped back, sword at the ready. Enraged, the others descended upon the Elvenking, knocking him to the ground. The fall caused his final sword to slip from his grasp, settling upon the ground mere inches beyond reach.

     He was alone, or so it seemed. Fallen upon his back, the Elvenking stared up at a line of foul faces that relished in the prospect of yet another death.

    But there was another from their alliance, and Lark gave rise to her presence in one fell swoop--- throwing herself upon him as a shield. He had not the time to question her reasons, for her selflessness gave them extra time--- precious few seconds for them to survive this yet. The line of Orcs stumbled back in half a moment’s confusion, granting Thranduil opportunity to reach for his sword. He looked at her, eyes full of conviction that no more Elvish blood would be spilt this day. Thranduil would not allow it. “Come, rise and shield me no more! Our blades together shall grant both of us a path through.”

Conclusion

Although the way racism is displayed may be different than the way it used to be, it is still just as important of a problem. Racial inequality can be found everywhere, such as many different types of media, at the workplace, in school, and in criminal justice. Depending on the type of media and the opinion of the person creating or publishing it, events, people, and problems can be portrayed in many different types of ways. After Freddie Gray passed away and protests occurred, the media portrayed what happened and what the issue was in many different types of ways. The real issue was that in Baltimore, racial inequality is highly present and that there are systemic issues and underlying causes of unrest (Biswas & Kim, 2022, p.14). At the workplace, racial microaggressions occur, making it hard for African American women to move up to higher positions in their job. Organizations need to better understand their workers, recognize different forms of racism, develop responses to racism, and create policies that support Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic employees to achieve managerial positions (Miller, 2021, p.1679). Racial inequality also connects school punishments and incarceration. One of the ways to improve this is “if the probability of suspension/expulsion was equalized across black and white students, we might expect to see as much as a 16% reduction in the racial inequality in later arrest risk” (Barnes & Motz, 2018, para.40). Even though this would not completely solve the issue, small improvement always helps.

Word Count: 249

References

Barnes, J. C., & Motz, R. T. (2018). Reducing racial inequalities in adulthood arrest by reducing inequalities in school discipline: Evidence from the school-to-prison pipeline. Developmental Psychology, 54(12), 2328-2340. https://doi-org.ezproxy.hacc.edu/10.1037/dev0000613

Biswas, M., & Nam Young Kim. (2022). Racial inequalities in Baltimore City and its reflection in diverse news media coverage after the 2015 unrest around Freddie Gray’s death. Social Development Issues (Social Development Issues), 44(1), 1-20. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.hacc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=158034452&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Miller, D. A. (2021). Black British female managers-The silent catastrophe. Gender, Work & Organization, 28(4), 1665-1682. https://doi-org.ezproxy.hacc.edu/10.1111/gwao.12688

#KH #Namine 🗝 She can steal my #memories any day! #Drawmeintooblivion 📒🖍#tkhffdreamclub #gwao #tkhffdc #filter #lofi #horizon #oilbased #paint #artist #sketcher #chainofmemories #blonde #witch #nobody #eraserofmemories #heartsnatcher #heartmender #menderofhearts #divine #redrose #promise #thanknaminé #jiminysjournal #thinkingofyouwhereveryouare💫 #weprayforoursorrowstoend #khcom https://www.instagram.com/p/CHrfeYGDPL1/?igshid=n9uy35wq8bw2

sooo....9 more till 6000 👀

"GWAO” - Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars (Sega - Master System - 1988)  

Week 8 - The Mandatory Nose Job

With the range of micro-celebrities that now exist as a result of Web 2.0 structures, we have never experienced a larger range of cultural influencers with such ease of access. However, with this accessibility comes the downside of a constant stream of content that can enforce certain aesthetics and gender roles.

Drenten et al. explore the spectrum of sexualised labour that now exists on social media, from the hopeful influencer trying to get brand deals, to the performer who has an established audience who they market to (2020). Their findings saw a "monotony" in the representation from across the spectrum as the aesthetic was ubiquitous. This constant representation establishes both an unreachable aesthetic as well as dogmatic gender norms wherein women are objects to be consumed and must be skinny with pornified enlarged features. Men are less passively consumed but must be unrealistically muscular to achieve high status.

In their 2018 study, Dorfman et al. examined Instagram posts under plastic surgery hashtags and ran a statistical analysis of the ratio between educational and self-promotional content. Their findings highlighted that 67% of the content was promotional and 33% was educational (p.334). This further alludes to the constant pressure for women in particular to adhere to a certain aesthetic in order to be validated and marketable on social media. However, the reported engagement with both sets of media was roughly equal (p.334). Consequently, in order to alter the perception of cosmetic surgeries, should greater pressure be placed on providers to post educational content for their customers to consume prior to undergoing surgery?

However, the prosumer position of the social media user allows for a change in the representation we see. As the audience creates the influencer through engagement with their content, the mass audience can collectively alter the dominant social model that is presented. Through raising awareness about issues such as this unrealistic aesthetic, an educated audience can help to create more healthy representation which releases the pressure to perform these gender roles.

Drenten J, Gurrieri L, Tyler M. Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention. Gender Work Organ. 2020;27:41–66. https://doi. org/10.1111/gwao.12354

Robert G Dorfman, Elbert E Vaca, Eitezaz Mahmood, Neil A Fine and Clark F Schierle, ‘Plastic Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilization on Instagram: Implications for Education and Marketing’, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 38, Issue 3, March 2018, pp 332–338

Insights on Canadian Society: Women Working in Paid Care Occupations

Khanam, F., et al. (2022, January 25). Women working in paid care occupations. Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/75-006-x/2022001/article/00001-eng.pdf?st=QhMA1oZC

Farhana Khanam et al write: "While the majority of research on care work focuses on unpaid activities and its redistribution between women and men, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of certain crucial paid care occupations. ... [T]he focus of this study is on paid workers. It uses data from the 2016 Census of Population and from the Labour Force Survey to examine their personal and job characteristics through a gender lens. It also examines how the pandemic has impacted paid care worker employment, compared with workers in all other occupations."

Key Findings:

"Workers in care occupations make up nearly one-fifth of the employed labour force

Women make up the majority of paid care workers in Canada

Women from visible minority groups were less likely to work in professional occupations in health than their male counterparts

Women in care occupations reported lower average employment incomes than men

Workers in care occupations were more likely to be covered by a collective agreement, but less likely to have a permanent job

Employment in care occupations and non-care occupations was impacted differently during the pandemic"

Additional Information

Duffy, M., and Armenia, A. (2021, April). Paid Care Work Around the Globe: A Comparative Analysis of 47 Countries and Territories. UN Women. https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/Library/Publications/2021/Discussion-paper-Paid-care-work-around-the-globe-en.pdf

(2018). Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work. International Labour Organization (ILO). https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_633135.pdf

Smith, J. (2021). From “nobody's clapping for us” to “bad moms”: COVID-19 and the circle of childcare in Canada. Gender, Work, & Organization 29(1), 353-367. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12758 Open Access

(2020, July). Resetting Normal: Women, Decent Work and Canada's Fractured Care Economy. The Canadian Women’s Foundation. https://canadianwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ResettingNormal-Women-Decent-Work-and-Care-EN.pdf

Braedley, S. (2015). Pulling men into the care economy: The case of Canadian firefighters. Competition & Change 19(3), 264-278. https://doi.org/10.1177/1024529415580259 UTL Link: https://href.li/?https://doi-org.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/10.1177%2F1024529415580259

Photo Source: Jade, H.N. (2018). A woman getting her blood pressure tested [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/pA0uoltkwao

Week 6: Digital citizenship and health education: Body modification on visual social media

The Instagram empire that influencers like the Kardashian & Jenner families have carved for themselves has seen countless others try and follow in their footsteps. The pursuit for that perfect “Gram-worthy” aesthetic has seen aspiring and established influencers undergoing cosmetic surgery to accentuate aspects of their bodies. As a result, the cosmetic surgery industry turns multi-billion dollar profits each year, with estimates placing potential annual profits as high as US$60 billion by the mid-2020s (Fortune Business Insights, 2021). Outside of physical body modifications, factors such as the idea of aesthetic labour and templates, sexualisation of influencers’ posts and the adoption of sites like OnlyFans has led to the establishment and perpetuation of the ‘porn chic’ aesthetic (Lynch, 2012; Drenten et al., 2019).

Marwick (2013) raises the point that Instagram users are required to engage in forms of unpaid labour and personal marketing to build and maintain their brand (p. 191). In the case of influencers, they engage predominantly in sexualised labour, reinforcing heteronormative standards of feminine sexuality (Duffy, 2017; Drenten et al., 2019) through choice of suggestive clothing, poses and bodily enhancements, forming a public image with soft-porn influences. With paid adult photo hosting sites like OnlyFans gaining traction, influencers now simultaneously engage in paid and unpaid sexualised labour, charging for nude photo sets that don’t meet Instagram’s community guidelines while using Instagram to market their page. In a sense, creators are using pornified imagery to sell users actual pornographic content.

The constant stream of content that promotes unattainable body standards or products designed to promote body positivity sold through a sexualised lens can have harmful effects on those viewing it. In the past decade, links have been drawn between regular viewing of the content of these influencers and increased rates of body dissatisfaction, particularly in young women (Wiederhold, 2019). Research conducted with Australian and American women between 18-25 found that participants who more regularly used Instagram were more likely to self-objectify (Fardouly et al., 2018).

SOURCES:

Globe News Wire. (2020, May 28). Cosmetic Surgery Market 2021 Size & Share | Market worth USD 66.96 billion with 3.6% CAGR by 2026. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/02/03/2168846/0/en/Cosmetic-Surgery-Market-2021-Size-Share-Market-worth-USD-66-96-billion-with-3-6-CAGR-by-2026.html

Drenten, J., Gurrieri, L., & Tyler, M. (2020). Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention. Gender, Work & Organization, 27(1), 41–66. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/10.1111/gwao.12354

Marwick, A. E. (2013). Status Update : Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age. Yale University Press. http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/ZTAwMHh3d19fNjYwMDU3X19BTg2?sid=23ec84df-ab45-4c76-a0fd-b10266614574@sdc-v-sessmgr03&vid=0&format=EB&lpid=lp_21&rid=0

Wiederhold, B. K. (2019). Instagram: becoming a worldwide problem?. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 22(9), 567-568. http://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.29160.bkw

Fardouly, J., Willburger, B. K., Vartanian, L. R. (2018). Instagram use and young women’s body image concerns and self-objectification: Testing mediational pathways. New Media & Society, 20(4), 1380-1395. doi:10.1177/1461444817694499