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Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention

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  • Jenna Drenten
  • Lauren Gurrieri
  • Meagan Tyler

Abstract

The rise of digital technologies and social media platforms has been linked to changing forms of work, as well as the mainstreaming of pornography and a ‘porn chic' aesthetic. This article examines some of the ways in which these themes coalesce, and interrogates the conceptual boundaries of sexualized labour, extending beyond traditional organizational settings and into Web 2.0. The study explores performances of sexualized labour on social media by analysing visual and textual content from 172 female influencers on Instagram. This article contributes to the literature on sexualized labour in three ways. First, by demonstrating how sexualized labour is enacted across various forms of influencer labour, and how this relates to the attention economy and monetization. Second, by developing the extant conceptualization of sexualized labour and introducing connective labour as a required element to mobilize sexualized labour. Third, by opening up a critical analysis of what is meant by ‘sexualized' labour within a cultural context of pornographication.

Suggested Citation

  • Jenna Drenten & Lauren Gurrieri & Meagan Tyler, 2020. "Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(1), pages 41-66, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:27:y:2020:i:1:p:41-66
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12354
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    Cited by:

    1. Anna Alexandersson & Viktorija Kalonaityte, 2021. "Girl bosses, punk poodles, and pink smoothies: Girlhood as Enterprising Femininity," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 416-438, January.
    2. Katrina Pritchard & Rebecca Whiting, 2022. "Tyred out: Natural aging and aesthetic labor in Pirelli's 2017 calendar," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 1562-1577, September.
    3. Elaine Swan & Maud Perrier & Janet Sayers, 2024. "Foodwork: Racialized, gendered and classed labors," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 851-864, May.
    4. Kristel Anciones-Anguita & Mirian Checa-Romero, 2024. "Sexualized culture on livestreaming platforms: a content analysis of Twitch.tv," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    5. Sukhmani Khorana, 2024. "Can producers and consumers of color decolonize foodie culture?: An exploration through food media in settler colonies," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 903-915, May.
    6. Katrina Pritchard & Helen C. Williams & Maggie C. Miller, 2022. "Tracing networked images of gendered entrepreneurship online," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 1779-1795, November.

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