Let’s Talk about Instagram’s Growing Sexualization

Analyzing what’s behind Instagram’s evolution towards sexualized content and the impact it has on the user.

Illustration by author James M. Costa.

World’s fifth most downloaded app of the year — Instagram — recently turned twelve years old (it was originally released on October 6th, 2010). The Internet was filled with articles about the social media giant and overviews of its history: from the cute dog that starred in the first picture ever uploaded, to the current posts by celebrities that amass millions of likes.

One of these articles in particular caught my eye. In its review of Instagram’s most notorious posts to this day, the article quickly moved from the ubiquitous images of celebrities sharing their families, celebrations, and condolences (a quick way to summarize the list of most-liked Instagram posts) to a toned up recap of the social network’s most infamous nudes. Kim Kardashian’s extravagant curves, Miley Cirus’s veiled nipples, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s toned muscles were counted among these immensely popular pictures.

Now this, I thought, is a more complete depiction of Instagram’s history — because, as much as people enjoy a peek into the lives of their friends and favorite celebrities, the truth is that tits, abs, and asses have always run the business.