Run like a girl. Talk like a girl. Throw like a girl. Post like a girl?
The pro-female advertising movement that has been attempting to empower us with ads like Pantene’s “Don’t Be Sorry, Be Strong and Shine,” Always’ “Run Like a Girl Campaign,” and Goldieblox's “You are Beauty, and Beauty is Perfection,” got me thinking…(as did CNN Digital’s Kelly Wallace great piece on girl empowerment ads in which I was happily quoted.)
How do our gender roles play out when we ourselves control the medium – or the app as it may be? Is there any real stereotype to what girls tend to post on their social channels? And with that, what would it mean to “post like a girl”?
It seems that girls are biologically wired for social media. We are more expressive (just look at our frequent use of emoji’s J ) and willing to share and reveal more about our personal lives. But with our Instagram and Facebook addictions, are we posting images that portray us being less than empowered, or just too self-involved? (Note to self… maybe I shouldn’t I have posted that pic of me snuggling with my new puppy?)
Just as I was mulling this over, Natashe Hinde of the Huffington Post wrote a story exploring what guys think we pose like on Instagram. Natashe was inspired by a social experiment conducted by Witty + Pretty's Ashley Hesseltine where she asked guys to replicate girls’ most common Instagram poses. The results: “The I’ve Just had a Pedi,” "Fashion Blogger” (#fblogger), "The #OOTD (outfit of the day), "The Gym Selfie," and "The 'Girls' Night Out' Shot.” The guys do look ridiculous. But, I guess that is the point.
