We Need To Talk About Female Nudity On Instagram
February 11, 2016 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
The reality is that while we strain to advocate freedom of expression, the discussion remains as contrary as the Lolita image itself.
Eileen is unashamedly body positive: “I’m 20-years-old. Sometimes I’ll dress up in cute underwear and snap some pics. I love my body. Just because I am comfortable in my own skin, and with my sexuality, doesn’t mean I should let people who are so suppressed and uncomfortable with their own impact me.”
She, at least from the outside, seems to be in control of her public persona, in a way that evidently Essena O’Neill was not. The long arm of corporations had rendered Essena a marketing puppet and her exposé rocked the web. But, if like Eileen, they’re getting what they ‘want’ then who are we to judge? Why is it a negative transaction? Should we shame the girl who asks for more or who calls on her sexuality to better herself financially?
Instagram is fuelled by perception and sadly perceptions of women still haven’t changed that drastically. Of course no-one is just their ‘body’, but we get lazy, and if that’s what we see, then that’s what we’ll work with. There are artists – true digressers – like Molly Soda, who are aiming to shift perceptions of female representation with her use of her own body, but there are far too many of us who are posting to impress a lover or a peer group, often at the expense of our own sense of self-worth.
The irony is that we get thrown off for posting images featuring nudity, but brands are using the app to sell through sex. Of course, in the end, it all comes down to what you ‘want’ – and that is a very difficult question.
