Entering the Conversation

It is true that because of Instagram and the gorgeous and flawless pictures posted by female hikers, the portrayal of women in outdoor activities is being associated mostly with the aesthetic pictures taken rather than the adventurous side of women. I hike since a young age and I remember that few years back, no one really cared about how they look when going on a hiking trail as hiking was about the connection with nature and the joy of looking at a stunning view after a difficult climb. Moreover, the pictures taken at that time were reflecting our effort of climbing on top of mountains and it does not matter if on the pictures we were all sweating or dirty because it was part of the experience and the adventure. Nowadays, some women are obsessed with their appearance when going on a hiking trail as they know that they will take aesthetic pictures of themselves that they will later post on Instagram for likes. I am surprised that before reading your article, I was not really thinking about this change as it has been so normalized in our society. And of course, users on Instagram like to see attractive and beautiful pictures on their social feeds thus encouraging them to go on hiking trails for more pictures like these! So, can we really change this situation?

Reference List

Randall, C. (2017). How Instagram is skewing the way we talk about women in the outdoors. Travel + Leisure. https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/adventure-travel/women-adventurers