Instagram is famous for its perfect staged photos. Many depict young people with flawless skin and perfect body proportions - not least thanks to the appropriate photo filters. However, under the hashtag #SomnoyVseTak you can find completely different pictures - without makeup, retouching and filters.
“On the crest of the new wave of Russian feminism, thousands of women are posting selfies on social networks, not hiding skin imperfections, cellulite and hair loss. This is how they fight beauty stereotypes,”Reuters reported on Friday.
The new body positive movement
The Russian social media campaign is considered a new initiative of the Bodypositive movement, which opposes generally accepted standards of beauty and exalts the human body in all its forms. The fact that it is young girls and girls who are under tremendous pressure, wanting to meet the requirements for appearance that are divorced from reality, according to scientists, is the fault of social networks. Numerous studies show that the photographs published there have an impact on both mental and physical health of people.
The Russian action was launched by a teenage girl who cope with anorexia. At the end of September, Natalya Zemlyanukhina in one of her videos asked 1.2 million subscribers to post a photo without makeup. At the moment, there are more than 2,500 posts under the hashtag #SoMnoyVseTak. This hashtag literally means "I feel good the way I am."
“Very few photos of people with ordinary bodies are published in Russia,” Zemlyanukhina said in response to questions from Reuters. Girls who cannot boast of being slim, suffer from acne, have any physical features, often endure bullying and force themselves to diet. Her project is intended to draw attention to the fact that any body, as it is, is correct and beautiful. “There are no bodies that require some kind of special correction, improvements and changes,” says the Instagram influencer.
"Russia is a patriarchal country"
Janetta Akhilgova, a consultant on Russia for the women's human rights organization Equality Now, also believes that action must be taken: "Russia is still a very patriarchal country where the body is criticized, enforcing strict beauty standards, and body shaming is a daily reality here." Body shaming refers to the phenomenon where people, mostly women, are criticized and insulted because of their physical characteristics, such as body shape.
Akhilgova believes that social media campaigns are a good way to support people on their way to freeing themselves from social pressure and accepting their own body. She also endorses progressive advertising campaigns and women's magazines that deal with feminist themes. Since “a few years ago, feminist issues were practically not heard in Russia, now this topic has become much more obvious,” the human rights activist claims.
Hard gender roles
In addition to Akhilgova, other feminists also criticize gender stereotypes prevailing in Russia. For example, women should dress in a way that pleases men.
They also talk about the conservatism that is gaining momentum in the country. For example, in 2017, Russia passed a law decriminalizing domestic violence if hospitalization was not required. According to Zeit, thousands of women die every year as victims of domestic violence. In addition, 456 professions in Russia are inaccessible to women, and two-thirds of Russians living below the poverty line are women and children.
