Women take sexy selfies to compete with other women and climb the social ladder in economically unequal environments, new research from an Australian University has found.
The study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, found women took sexy selfies in environments with greater economic inequality, rather than where they might be oppressed because of their gender.
The researchers analysed more than 68,000 sexualised self-portrait photographs or “selfies,’’ posted on social media platforms, Instagram and Twitter, across 113 countries.
They also looked at where in the world the most selfies were taken.
The researchers found the association between sexy-selfie prevalence and income inequality was directly related with greater sexualisation in environments where incomes are unequal and people are preoccupied with relative social standing.
“We found no association with gender oppression,’’ the study said.
“It’s all about how women are competing and why they’re competing’’, said the study’s lead author, Khandis Blake, from University of New South Wales.
She said women are “more likely to invest time and effort into posting sexy selfies online in places where economic inequality is rising and not in places where men hold more societal power and gender inequality is rife.’’