Abstract:
In January 2015, the Australian actor Caitlin Stasey launched the website herself.com—a space which features photographs of women naked, alongside detailed interviews about sex, their bodies and relationships—with an interview and nude photographs of herself. In this paper, I draw together research from the areas of pedagogy, queer theory, cultural studies and celebrity studies to think through Stasey’s self representation on social media and herself.com as well as the media discussion that surrounds her. In considering the discourses surrounding Stasey’s representation I investigate the potential Stasey offers for exploring young people’s sexual citizenship, that is, the right to be recognised, participate and be included as different, both by considering Stasey’s desire to be viewed as a young sexual citizen herself, but also by exploring her pedagogical potential as a public figure more generally.
Recognising that public pedagogy is a concept that has increasingly been debated and problematised, in this paper I explore theoretical underpinnings of the term to understand Stasey’s representation in the popular media and the multiple meanings she produces. Arguably, Stasey’s representation complicates some normative understandings of sexuality and the body. Indeed, it has been suggested that the Internet is an important public space which provides an environment for young people to practice same sex attraction. Like many young people and celebrities today, Stasey manages a number of social media sites, engaging with audiences and producing herself in “authentic” ways, expressing a strongly feminist identity. Such representations are often perceived critically by young people, for example, young women have been critical of the ways celebrity feminists, such as Beyoncé and Emma Watson articulate themselves and their work, particularly highlighting the contradictions around their representations. In this way, critical interpretations can be seen to be a significant part of engagements with celebrity representation in the media.
In an environment in which sexting, or the digital exchange of sexually explicit images, is an increasingly important part of young people’s negotiation of sexual relationships and intimacy, discussion surrounding Stasey potentially offers a space to explore contemporary understandings of the politics surrounding nakedness and sexuality. As just one example of a public figure discussing issues relating to sexuality online, this paper examines the pedagogical potential of Stasey’s representation for understanding notions of sexual citizenship.
Recognising that public pedagogy is a concept that has increasingly been debated and problematised, in this paper I explore theoretical underpinnings of the term to understand Stasey’s representation in the popular media and the multiple meanings she produces. Arguably, Stasey’s representation complicates some normative understandings of sexuality and the body. Indeed, it has been suggested that the Internet is an important public space which provides an environment for young people to practice same sex attraction. Like many young people and celebrities today, Stasey manages a number of social media sites, engaging with audiences and producing herself in “authentic” ways, expressing a strongly feminist identity. Such representations are often perceived critically by young people, for example, young women have been critical of the ways celebrity feminists, such as Beyoncé and Emma Watson articulate themselves and their work, particularly highlighting the contradictions around their representations. In this way, critical interpretations can be seen to be a significant part of engagements with celebrity representation in the media.
In an environment in which sexting, or the digital exchange of sexually explicit images, is an increasingly important part of young people’s negotiation of sexual relationships and intimacy, discussion surrounding Stasey potentially offers a space to explore contemporary understandings of the politics surrounding nakedness and sexuality. As just one example of a public figure discussing issues relating to sexuality online, this paper examines the pedagogical potential of Stasey’s representation for understanding notions of sexual citizenship.