Fourteenth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

This paper draws together the key hypotheses and conclusions from my monograph, Consuming the Body. The book examines contemporary consumerism and the commodified construction of ideal gendered bodies, paying particular attention to the new forms of interaction produced by social networking sites. Marxist and psychoanalytic theories are used to interpret these modes of interaction and the visual characteristics of different types of selfies, including #fitspiration, #thinspiration, #fatspiration and #bodypositivity to understand how they relate to current body ideals. Modes of address on social networking sites reinforce social hierarchies and inequalities because being visible can be experienced as empowering or disciplining depending on the individual’s social status and the type of body they possess. I argue that the key modes of address that compel the consumer to consume are: sadistic commands communicated in adverts, TV programmes and magazine articles; a fetishistic gaze that dissects the body into parts to be improved through commodification; and a hystericized insistent presence that compels the consumer to present their body for critique and appreciation that is exemplified in the selfie. Fat acceptance selfies suggest there is a fourth mode of address, empowering presence, that has the potential to liberate consumers from the ‘trap of visibleness’ produced by the other three modes of address. In conclusion, I identify some creative methods for producing selfies that evade commoditisation and discipline.