| Summary: | The main purpose of this paper is to examine the Instagram vs. reality trend and its meaning. The study aims to contribute to an understanding of whether the trend can be viewed from a postfeminist perspective, as well as if body ideals are reproduced or if the trend works as an opposition against the societal body standards. Earlier research indicates that particularly young women are affected negatively when being exposed to manipulated and filtered photos on Instagram. Other social media trends with a body positive focus have shown positive impacts on these issues, making young women gain more confidence regarding their body image. The theoretical framework applied consists of theories of postfeminism as well as Susan Bordo’s Reading the slender body. Semiotic analysis is used to analyze six images that explicitly represent the trend. The results conclude that Instagram vs. reality is consistent with the postfeminist ideology since the examined images aim to increase women’s self-esteem through empowerment and individualistic choices, demonstrating the reality behind the often ideal Instagram posts. Another result that emerges is that the trend on one hand contradicts the normative body ideal by showing flaws that are usually hidden on social media. On the other hand, the trend's impact might differ depending on who is viewing the images. Even though flaws are shown in what ought to be reality, the slender ideal is still visible in the chosen images. This paper contributes to the ongoing problematics of social media’s impact on young women’s body image.
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