Selfies as postfeminist pedagogy: the production of traditional femininity in the US South

ABSTRACT

This article describes a study of selfies posted on Instagram by a group of predominantly white, college women at a large public university in the US South. Selfies are used as data to explore how performances of traditional femininity are legitimated, authorized, and reinscribed through photo-posting practices. The authors argue that these performances circulate a public pedagogy of femininity and contribute to notions of traditional gender roles and physical attractiveness that reinforce classed and raced norms of beauty. The selfies, which idealize the southern lady [McPherson, Tara. 2003. Reconstructing Dixie: Race, Gender, and Nostalgia in the Imagined South. Durham: Duke University Press], characterize a particularly regionalized type of self-promotion in the visual economy facilitated by Instagram. Drawing on theorizations of postfeminism, the authors describe how the hyperfemininity performed in these selfies can be interpreted within the morass of neoliberal discourses that on one hand encourage women’s adoption of traditional gender practices while at the same time discourage the critique of systems that marginalize women.

KEYWORDS:

• Femininities
• identities
• popular culture
• women
• higher education
• North America

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr. Mardi Schmeichel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Theory & Practice and Affiliate Faculty in the Institute for Women's Studies at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include neoliberalism, social media, and sports culture.

Dr. Stacey L. Kerr is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography & Environmental Studies at Central Michigan University. She uses mobilities and feminist theories to explore issues in geography education, teacher education, and the spaces of educational technology and social media.

Dr. Chris Linder is an Associate Professor of College Student Affairs Administration at the University of Georgia. Prior to becoming faculty, Chris worked as a student affairs educator and administrator for 10 years, spending the majority of her career as a director of a campus-based women's center, supporting survivors of sexual violence. Chris's research interests include creating and maintaining equitable campus environments, specifically focusing on race and gender.

ORCID

Mardi Schmeichel http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7765-7076

Stacey Kerr http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3044-4705

Chris Linder http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4650-635X