The Beauty of Inclusivity: “Visual Activism” from Social Media to Fashion Magazines

abstract:This article investigates the role of fashion and beauty photography in contemporary social discourses of inclusion and diversity, contributing to a critique of traditional politics of representation of the body and, therefore, to sociocultural change. Starting from analyzing this complex phenomenon that has generated a ground for comparison between ethic and aesthetic practices, snapshot culture, and advertising, Pompa examines how the rise of social media put into crisis the now leading aesthetic standards. In fact, these media have pointed out the need to increase the representation on fashion magazines of minorities, who have until now been excluded in the mainstream media. In this perspective, Vogue Italia and related narratives of unconventional beauty are explored.