Performing for the Feed: The Internet’s Beauty Contest

What if the beauty pageant never ended — it just moved to your phone? In the 1950s, women competed on stage for crowns, judged by men based on how perfectly they could perform femininity. Today? We compete for likes, followers, and algorithmic attention — still judged, still performing, just with better filters and front-facing cameras. This video explores how the legacy of the beauty pageant lives on in Instagram culture. From “Instagram face” and filtered authenticity to the pressure to be perfectly imperfect, we’re unpacking how femininity is still a performance — just one we now carry out online, every time we post. We'll also talk about the male gaze, internalized beauty standards, and why digital spaces that claim to empower us often still end up policing us. If you’ve ever felt like your social media feed is a stage — you’re not imagining it. Let’s talk: Do you ever feel like you're playing a role online? Who are you performing for — and what happens when you stop? Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM4hiMCyAEMxibzIYrOKD5Q/join #InstagramCulture #BeautyStandards #MaleGaze #PageantCulture #Feminism #SocialMediaCommentary #MissAmerica #AestheticCulture #DigitalFemininity #ItGirlEra