Scientists Attribute The Rise Of ‘Sexy Selfies’ On Income Inequality

Am I above a good selfie? No. We live in selfie culture, and like anything, some people take it way too far. It’s different if you had a good hair day, you’re being funny or there’s a story behind it. Heck, if you’re hanging out with friends and having a good time, have at it! Document it! That’s our world now. But if it’s just you in your car, posting numerous SERIOUS selfies all lonesome? Houston, we have a problem.

Again– I don’t have a problem with selfies. I have a problem with selfie CULTURE. Everyone’s so self-absorbed. Me, me, me. THAT’S what annoys me more than anything.

Selfies are just a product of selfie culture. The latter is far more problematic.

Selfies aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, they’re kinda sorta getting worse. Apparently, “sexy selfies” have been on the rise, and scientists supposedly know why.

Income inequality. Yes, really. That’s the theory.

From the Daily Mail:

The latest research suggests women are more likely to share racy pictures on social networks when they’re paid less than men in order to ‘increase their status’.

Sexual attractiveness can generate large returns economically, socially, and personally. As a result, the trend seen in the latest research makes a lot of sense from an evolutionary point of view, scientists said.

Does it? Does it really?

Scientists from the University of New South Wales studied “tens of thousands” of selfies posted on social media across over 100 countries and found that women who lived in areas with greater economic inequality took sexier selfies.

I would guess that’s because they want to catch a wealthy man, but whatevz.

Lead author Dr. Khandis Blake from UNSW Science’s School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences said her team tracked posts where women had taken selfies and then noted whether they had added social hashtags using words like ‘sexy’, ‘hot’, or similar terms.

‘We then looked at where in the world these things happened most,’ Dr Blake said.

‘The number one way that psychologists usually look at women’s preoccupation with their appearance is that it happens because of patriarchal pressures – that women live in societies that value their appearance more than their other qualities.

‘The argument is usually that when you see sexualisation, you see disempowerment’, she said.

Researches say this is consistent across the board.

“That income inequality is a big predictor of sexy selfies suggests that sexy selfies are a marker of social climbing among women that tracks economic incentives in the local environment,” Dr. Blake added.

Maybe there’s something to it. I thought it had more to do with being trashy and attention-seeking, but I guess I could see how their research makes sense. (Although explain the phenomenon that IS the Kardashian clan.)

“In evolutionary terms, these kinds of behaviors are completely rational, even adaptive,” Dr. Blake continued. “The basic idea is that the way people compete for mates, and the things they do to put themselves at the top of the hierarchy are really important.”

“So, when a young woman adjusts her bikini provocatively with her phone at the ready, don’t think of her as vacuous or as a victim,” Dr. Blake added. “Think of her as a strategic player in a complex social and evolutionary game. She’s out to maximize her lot in life, just like everyone.”

Uh…yeah no. I don’t think I’m going to be able to do that.

“Aw look. A whole sandy beach a$$ shot. Wow. She’s just another strategic player in a complex social and evolutionary game. She’s maximizing her lot in life!”

Nope. No can do. Sometimes, chicks are just skanktastic.

Thoughts?

h/t Daily Mail