After realizing their bikini photos were largely featured on Instagram’s Explore page, young women are opening up about the pressure to “perform” for the app’s algorithm.

After realizing their bikini photos were largely featured on Instagram’s Explore page, young women are opening up about the pressure to “perform” for the app’s algorithm. When Michelle Crockett, an 18-year-old student, posted a photo wearing a green bikini in late December, she never expected the post to gain the viral attention it did weeks later after appearing on the Instagram Explore page. Since then, Crockett has gained more than 10K followers and her DMs have “flooded with influencer opportunities.” And while this may sound exciting as Crockett wasn’t posting with the goal of going viral or getting influencer deals, she explains that her virality makes her feel pressured to post similar content in order to retain attention (some users have even requested her to make an OnlyFans) while noting concern for her safety. According to Crockett’s Instagram analytics, her green bikini photo has reached six million people and 95% of people viewing / liking her photo are men. More young women have started sharing similar experiences, noting that their “thirst trap” posts (a shorthand for sexy / flirty photos) are often spotlighted on the Instagram Explore page as opposed to their normal photos. YPulse research found that social media is taking a toll on how young women see themselves, and realizing that more revealing, “sexy” images perform better on Instagram certainly isn’t helping their self-esteem—especially when it means that content is mostly served to men. (Insider)