Pinterest is a very fascinating tool for those studying post-feminist theory and provides a fabulous avenue for deconstructing some of the arguments made by Angela McRobbie. In McRobbie’s article Post-Feminism and Popular Culture she utilizes Bridget Jones’s Diary as an example to illustrate the self-monitoring subject. Self-monitoring refers to the tools in which in this context western women use to response to a new reflexive modernity in which they find themselves enjoying a new-found liberation from traditional gender roles, are left in a way to their own devices to create a new social structure for themselves. Women are now responsible for creating their own individualism regarding all aspects of their romantic, professional and social selves (260-261).
Today’s young women in their twenty-somethings or early thirties struggle to make the most of this reflexive modernity, much like Bridget Jones. They must be strong, independent and liberated and breakdown gender roles. The expectation to get an education, find a suitable respectable career and to delay partnering as well as parenthood is expected or else she is deemed ungrateful or ignorant of the strides made by the feminist movements of the 70s and 80s that saw women’s progress in society hit its peak in the 90s. This progress is now under fire by feminists who believe that today’s young generation of women who are compromising their efforts for gender equality, in an era of mass media infiltration. Young women today are constantly asked to walk the line between feeling liberated and empowered while not subjecting themselves to the wants of men and the evil of media messages. While all of these mixed messages are being navigated Pinterest rapid rise as a integral social media site throws a bone into the mix on how women are creating a space to secretly escape from the progressive lifestyles they’re “empowered” to lead to an online reality of the “good ole days”.
Pinterest provides women and young women specifically an online platform to create categorical inspiration boards, of sorts. Its a space for individuals to ‘pin’ different images of all things that interest them. Popular categories include food, pastries, health, fashion, quotes, and of course weddings. These extremely stereotypically traditional feminine interests are highlighted on Pinterest, presented with a modern twist. Instead of classic chocolate cake recipes you have hip red velvet cake brownies and healthy paleo diet breakfast ideas. Like Bridget Jones Pinterest encourage self-monitoring and self-reflection with much content dedicated self improvement, specifically health and fitness.
On Pinterest the individual can be their ideal self. A person who is fit and healthy, bakes intricate pastries, is dressed to the nines and is in the midst of planning their big wedding. The amount of wedding resources Pinterest provides images to its audience is astounding. Everything from wedding gowns, wedding hair, wedding decor, wedding flowers, wedding rings, wedding song playlists, wedding invitations, wedding photography, wedding videography and it goes on and on. One does not even need to be engaged and can have their entire wedding planned from the colour of the napkins to the song of the first dance. Pinterest is a secret oasis for young “progressive” women to exercise a certain suppressed dream of traditional perfection that is shockingly similar to the values of the 50s.
A young women can be sitting in a gender studies class while simultaneously pinning ideas for her bridesmaids dresses at the back of the class.