In 2025, we’re exploring gender expression online with the theme: “This is who you’re being mean to.”
You’ve probably seen one before: an image of a cute, sad, and/or esoteric creature accompanied by a variation of the line, “When you’re being mean, this is who you’re being mean to”. Posts like these are a conduit for self expression, in this case relating the poster to a miniature being with limited agency in a fast-paced, overwhelming world. This trend can also be interpreted as yet another marker of how cuteness is adopted as a digital skin. A similar dynamic can be observed in trends like “girl dinner”, or “girl math”, where users reclaim and put an ironic spin on infantilizing female stereotypes.
Looking to the origins of these happenings, the early Internet is often viewed as an emancipatory space where people explored and experimented with identity and gender, an aspect which bolstered the transgender movement. After the lockdowns of the COVID-19 quandemic, the resurgence of content pedestaling cisheteronormative gender roles signifies a step back from hard-won understandings of diverse beauty. What do these tensions and shifts tell us about internet culture today?
As a part of our explorations this year, we’ll dive into phenomena like “girl dinner”, “looksmaxxing”, and “hunter eyes” to explore how online identity and gender expressions influence us outside of our screens and vice versa.
Data Centre Tour 2024
Presentation Marloes Presentation Lars Presentation Leo Jitsi call Please fill out our survey Subscribe to our newsletter Follow and join the Hmm on:📷 Instagram👔 LinkedIn📬 Telegram👾 Discord Unrelated to the … Read More
Events
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e-Kondō remix 💅 : Digital Cleanup Day!
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Dossier 16: Momfluencers
Where do we find the experience of parenthood healthily communicated online, and can that ever be through momfluencing?
Aan de slag met… digitaal
Aan de slag met… digitaal Elke winkel, zelfs een kleine boutique, heeft een webwinkel. Maar nog niet elke culturele instelling benut de mogelijkheden van digitaal. Digitale middelen kunnen worden ingezet … Read More
Bescherm je gezicht!
De workshop start met een introductie over wat gezichtsherkinngsoftware is, wat de voordelen en problemen hiervan kunnen zijn, en hoe je er zelf mee kunt omgaan. Vervolgens gaan de studenten zelf aan de slag met het maken van een accessoire die ervoor zorgt dat je niet te herkennen bent door de software.
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