Body Positivity and Female Empowerment on Instagram
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DOCUMENTING FEMININITY: BODY POSITIVITY AND FEMALE EMPOWERMENT ON INSTAGRAM JESSICA CWYNAR-HORTA A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO August 2016 © Jessica Cwynar-Horta, 2016 Abstract Drawing on participatory research, this study examines the body positive community on Instagram in order to understand how social media platforms enable women to self-present outside of traditional gender norms and challenge dominant ideals of feminine beauty, including the demands to produce smooth skin, to adhere to body size norms, and contain bodily fluids. Although women are experiencing embodiment and agency online, analysis revealed that body positive members are simultaneously repeating dominant codes and reinforcing views of non- normative bodies. This was noticeable when analyzing the responses of the female viewers interviewed for the study who reported visceral feelings of disgust towards the non-normative bodies on display. ii Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my parents, especially my mother who has always been my personal cheerleader and a source of continuous motivation, encouraging me to pursue my Master’s Degree and to “never never never give up” when met with inevitable obstacles. iii Acknowledgements I would like to express the deepest appreciation to Professor Anne MacLennan whose patient encouragement and support aided in the development of this research. Her continuous dedication to seeing my project through on a timely manner, and encouragement to seek out related opportunities was greatly needed and appreciated. I owe my deepest gratitude to my committee members, Professor Natalie Coulter and Professor Ganaele Langlois, for their continued help and advice that guided me through the development of this thesis. I appreciate their excitement and interest in my thesis topic and research findings, reminding me of why I need to do the research that I am doing. Their knowledge and expertise in the field of study helped me think through my research approach and informed by discussion. I would also like to acknowledge the many family, friends, and teachers who assisted and supported my writing efforts. I would especially like to acknowledge Deborah Clipperton whose passionate interest in feminist theory and cultural studies inspired me to think critically of contemporary culture and interrogate the meaning and politics of the female body. iv Table of Contents Abstract..................................................................................................................................ii Dedication .............................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgments..................................................................................................................iv Table of Contents...................................................................................................................v Chapter One: Introduction..................................................................................................... 1 Chapter Two: Literature Review .......................................................................................... 20 Section A: Self-(Re)Presentation...............................................................................15 Section B: Digital Technology................................................................................. 18 Section C: Gender, Social Media, and (Re)Presentation…………………....……...21 Section D: Networked Collectivism………………………………………………..34 Chapter Three: Methodology ................................................................................................38 Chapter Four: Fat Activism and Female Embodiment….…………………........................ 46 Chapter Five: Negotiating the Demands to Produce Smooth Skin……………………........99 Chapter Six: Women Who Bleed on Instagram.…………………………………..….…....120 Chapter Seven: Repeating Dominant Codes of Femininity...................................................140 Chapter Eight: Discussion and Conclusion…………………………………………….......164 Works Cited ..........................................................................................................................168 Appendix .............................................................................................................................. 189 Appendix A: Interview Questionnaire...................................................................... 189 Appendix B: Summary of Data in Each Profile........................................................ 190 v List of Figures.........................................................................................................................191 Figure 1........................................................................................................................191 Figure 2. ..................................................................................................................... 192 Figure 3. 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