Megan O’Brien — Core Response #5

As we have studied in this class, female gender expectations have historically been created and maintained through film stars, characters, and troupes. However, this line becomes blurred as everyday people are entering the limelight by portraying their daily life. Influential figures are no longer distant people in the world, but people that audiences can directly compare themselves to without the excuse that they’re just staged or scripted. This can be especially harmful when the expectations that are being set are warped by influencers trying to avoid outside harassment and prioritize staying relevant. Their expression of their body image, gender, and racial identity are molded to appease audiences opposed to convey the raw truth. 

Defining concepts of “gender double-blind” or “authenticity bind,” these articles distinguish the immense pressure from society and individuals to balance not being too real and not real enough. Their idea defines weighing vulnerability and visibility to describe the need to perform as an influencer without showing off.

As influencers their primary product that they are marketing is their body.  As described in the Duffy and Hund article, “Its value is constantly deliberated over, surveilled, evaluated, judged, and scrutinized through media discourses, law, and policy” (p. 28). Banet-Weiser’s invocations of surveillance, judgment, and scrutiny are a testament to the extent to which socially mediated visibility coincides with a heightened degree of vulnerability.(Duffy and Hund 4986)” These force influencers to maintain a certain identity that is dictated by public opinion that seeks for them to be a certain thing with the expectation to remain true to themselves and genuine. Their job, in short, is to carefully curate an acceptable image of their personal vulnerability. The pressures to uphold genuine perfection is further damaged by racism and sexism that confine modern day society. Race and gender define the kind of scrutiny an influencer is put through, with research showing that minorities and women face tremendously more harassment than white males on online platforms. These groups are forced to self censor in order to remain relevant and successful amongst their audiences. But how can they be genuine if racist and sexist individuals make it impossible to be their true selves without receiving threats to their livelihood and character. 

On a deeper level, the articles also mention the new feminist language that is setting new gender expectations. In this day and age, society emphasizes female autonomy and freedom, which neglects the ideology that societal gender constructs impact identity. It instead makes it sound like it is completely up to the individual woman to find autonomy and purpose. This is isolating and forcing the movement backwards. Women are fed the idea that power and gender equality have already been achieved and that no more work needs to be done. This is far from the truth and creates barriers to women's active citizenship and political engagement. “In the field of gender studies, several analyses have shown how the reflection on femininity has become intertwined with the multiple political, social and cultural readings of postmodernity, ending up reflecting some of its value and, in some cases, ideological orientations.(Roberti 3)” Equal rights have not been achieved across all genders and it is important to recognize this in order to keep progressing the movement.

The articles showcase the important role that gender expectations play on self expression and dictating women's role in society; while also showcasing how the images that influencers convey play a significant role in perpetuating gender norms that should not be overlooked. They aren’t just constricting their own identity but also the expectations all females are held up to. Influencers are curating a new realm within the expectation of what it is to be a woman. The work for equality is far from over and it is important to analyze this new media form to detect both the harmful and beneficial effects.