Of all my social media accounts, Pinterest is where I’m most active. I browse Facebook, I’m a Tweet-reader, but in neither case am I much of a giver.
On Pinterest, I pin.
I was curious to see if there were any trends in my activity, so I took a moment to count my pins and extract some data in the name of pseudoscience and self-examination.
It didn’t take long for me to spot an overriding theme. My stats speak for themselves:
Of a total 1,342 pins:
746 are fashion pins
640 of those pins are of a person
93.75% of those people are White women, size 0-2
4.375% are Asian women
1.875% are Black women
0% are plus-size women
Notice the STRIKING AND EMBARRASSING lack of diversity? 44.7% of my ENTIRE Pinterest account is slender White women.
“Wait, isn’t Pinterest all about saving neat recipes, DIY projects and outfit ideas?” Sure, but it’s also a network that celebrates beauty. The truth is, these women have become my role models, the type of person I’m – on some level – aspiring to be.
Every day I see, sort and share these images, while subconsciously filtering them. I can’t decide if I filter based on my own idea of beauty, or if it’s mostly a consequence of what the fashion world produces.
You’ve heard the tiresome adage: “It’s the age of the Internet, we’re bombarded with images!” While that’s true, we are also living in an age where social media and apps allow us to filter the media we consume and curate our experience of the digital world.
I can’t say I am bombarded with images of thin designer-clad Caucasian women against my will. I chose to be a follower, I’m continually confirming my taste, I proclaim my support every time I pin. I’m contributing to the dissemination of a predominantly privileged White image in fashion.
In this video that went viral a few years ago, we’re told 48% of girls who flipped through a fashion magazine for a few minutes wanted to be thinner.
While I thought getting older meant more astute critical thinking, increased self-confidence and impermeability to the media, I’m still on a journey of body acceptance. Granted, I feel inspired and entertained after a pin-session, but I also often feel guilty about how much I’ve eaten or how little I’ve exercised.
The questions I’m left with are:
What does this say about my beauty ideals?
How can I be more aware of promoting body and ethnic diversity?
Pretty sure leaving my mindless pinning preferences unchecked isn’t the solution.