Posing and Sexting

People take selfies to send to someone else or put on Instagram or Snapchat. It's always a curated image, the image of you that you want others to see. Our reading has suggested that these poses are culturally influenced. For example, the the duck-face shots that has fallen from grace: "I'm cute but I'm trying not to make a big deal about it", or pics posted with #nomakeup....#Iwokeuplikethis....#FLAWLESS. (#Yonce).

Sexting immediately came to mind as we were watching the documentary on posing in class. One survey found that in the 18-to-29 demographic, 31 percent of adults have sent a photo and 13 percent were on the receiving end of a nude or nearly nude pic. The Pew Research Center found smaller numbers-- 9 percent of Americans with cellphones have used them to send a “sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude” photo or video, while 20 percent of cellphone owners have received a similar type of image. While it seems that the statistics on sending nude pics are disputed, I'd wager that more men and women are taking nude or sexually suggestive pics of themselves than ever before. It seems like Americans are exploring sexual identity in a new way.

Regardless of whether you think it's dangerous or tacky, we can agree that the process of determining which pose makes you look the most sexually desirable must be just as culturally bound as the selfie. It is a more complex process than comparing yourself to a Sports Illustrated cover and walking away, you're actually placing yourself in these positions and sending a copy to another person. Terrifying, maybe empowering, but a process of self-negotiation at least: "This is considered a sexy pose, so here I go..." Even in the most comfortable long term relationship, surely you feel a twinge of self consciousness, or even silliness, as you contort yourself into that vulnerable pose that you've seen in a picture, ad, or music video, but you press on for whatever reason. If all goes well, the recipient reaffirms that the pose is indeed sexy and you are as well, and it strengthens your self confidence and perhaps the bond between you and the recipient. If it goes horribly, it could be a truly traumatic experience that leaves you self conscious for a really long time.

Given that these are mostly submissive positions, I wonder how much it effects self image and behavior and what that will look like for our generation. Maybe this new avenue for exploring one's sexual identity will be  empowering, or maybe it's just an expression of sexuality defined by capitalists looking to make a buck of the exploitation of the female form, like being poured into a mold of how you should perform and look in bed. Either way, someone should start looking into it.