Halle and the not exactly modest celebrity selfie
Do famous people who post pictures of themselves in bikinis promote a positive perception of aging and body image?
August signals the start of the “celebrities in swimsuits” season. Long lens cameras used to be directed on beaches that the wealthy and famous visited, and paparazzi would take pictures of prominent people in all their swimwear splendor (or not).
Depressingly, a great or terrible photo can make or break a career. For example, Helen Mirren is still praised for the 2008 photo of her in a red bikini and looking incredibly stunning for a woman of 62.
Now is the time when celebrities are taking back the story of the bikini image. Although they are aware of the worth of these images, they are now posting and selling their own, customized images on Instagram in order to further their own objectives.
There are various categories represented here, from classic “look at how amazing my body is” posts to “fun” pictures with a more modest bragging character to versions that address the body image difficulties of broadcasting a picture of your body to a large audience.
Halle Berry, who published two images of herself in bikinis that went viral in the previous week and sparked headlines about how fantastic she looks for 54, is this summer’s debutante queen of the bikini shot.