The Female Form & Social Media

New Wave of Feminism & dealing with double standards

With the everyday norm that social media has imposed upon our lives, comes the unexpected birth of a new wave of feminism. Photos like Shirtless selfies made popular by kim Kardashian & the full on nude photos made infamous by models Elsa Hosk,Emily Ratajkowski,and Magdalena Frackowiack are as routine as opening up the newspaper & reading stocks.

Whenever these photos pop up on my timeline, it's just the usual now. The fact that my reaction is so nonchalant is very comforting. I'm just think here's a woman that's confident with her body. She's powerful and yet, she presents herself in a classy way. It's empowerment at its finest." & I think nothing else of it.

No, she's not doing it for the enjoyment or pleasure of others, nor is she doing it for acceptance, attention, or approval. Because when she does think to pose for the photo them initially choose to post it on her social media, it is her choice because it is on her platform.

If a woman is satisfied & confident with her appearance, why on earth must someone take that as offense or as a threat & immediately try to bring her down, sexualize her or call her sexist slurs, or even in some cases, body shame? “She has stretch marks”, “why would she post that photo? She’s married” “she’s objectifying herself” are just a few of the comments I have seen scattered across the platform of women ranging from every age to every body type.

We have become so desensitized to social media that we often forget that there is a person behind the screen and that yes, there is an actual human in the photo. Rather she be the girl you go to school with or a Celebrity.

It is quite interesting how double standards work.

We live in a society where men who post shirtless selfies are and if a woman dare posts a photo of herself on the beach in a swimsuit, it creates whispers among her followers. Rather it be known vocally by a comment posted or showed to a friend about how the swimsuit “unflatters” her and why she would post a photo where she is “exposed”

It should also be awknowledged that there are a lot of creepy men on these apps as well. In this case, clothes (or lack thereof) do not equal consent to be harassed sexually. In fact, a reason I think that these women feel the power enough to share these photos is because it gives them a chance to express their sexuality in a way that is safe for them. Too often women are put under scrutiny for it being “their fault” the dreaded term “She was asking for it” which is not valid in ANY case at all. They are NOT asking you to objectify them.

So, I took to Twitter to ask my followers a few questions about their outlook on the topic of Social Media & Feminism.

Q:Emily Ratajkowski obviously has a big following rather that be women that look to her for inspiration or young women who look to her for body positivity. Men also follow her & she is often seen as a sexual object or called sexist slurs. (Not that men's opinions on what a woman chooses to do with her body matters). Do you think that displaying your body on social media sites should be normalized? Because if a woman who wasn't a model decided to post a photo of herself in her bikini, she would be shamed & called "not very classy''

Sade:"Displaying your body should definitely be normalised on social media sites. I mean it's the human body, there's nothing gross about it. And who's to say that showing off our bodies even if we're not models is not classy? I feel like some of us let others opinions get to us and that's why some people aren't 100% keen on women showing off their bodies. It needs to stop being that way because I have days where I want to take a very saucy pic and can't post it because you just know someone is going to say something. And also another thing, I've noticed that some social media sites will take down nude pictures or pictures that show a lot of skin. I get that sometimes it's for safety reasons but other times everything is safe and okay and they'll still take it down because of reports or comments which is so annoying. If these sites were to normalize it, I think everyone would start to be okay with it."

Emily Ratajkowski wrote an essay on growing up with a fully developed body at a young age. It's titled “Baby Woman,” in this story, she details how society made her feel guilty for developing D-cup breasts at age 12. “I wish the world had made it clear to me that people’s reactions to my sexuality were not my problems, they were theirs," she says. You can read the full article Here below is an excerpt from her writing.

Here's an excerpt from an interview she had with Glamour magazine

I find Emily's perspective to be incredibly refreshing, compelling and relatable. My opinion? Let women do whatever the hell they want! What they chose to do with their bodies is no one's business except theirs. If you have an issue with their photos, there is no need to follow or comment such vulgar language. It spreads negativity and a negative mindset/ideology. As for comfortability, you shouldn’t have to feel the pressure to post photos of this subject matter if you are not comfortable. It’s all about personal preference. As I write this article, I can’t help but remember a tweet I seen from the Victoria’s Secret fashion show a few years back. The article stated “ I don’t watch the VS fashion show because I don’t want to hate my body” I chose to scroll through the comments assuming I’d find feelings similar to that of the title in a refreshing plot twist, women who stated their sizes and body type said that they stand with the women in the show and that they shouldn’t “be shamed for working hard”. This is girl power. This is the body positive movement that we are working towards for the future.

A similar article touching on this subject comes from Harper’s Bazzar. Read it here

Jasmine tookes

Elsa Hosk

Winnie Harlow

Magdalena Frackowaick

More recently, Magdalena Frackowaick posted full on topless photos and the results looked like it could be hanging in the prestigious halls of the MET. The photos have not been taken down by Instagram (why should they?) & i'm glad because women are finally getting to display their bodily freedom. Just as they should and just as they deserve.